Opening Night Celebration: "Honouring The Word" (Tuesday, August 22): Written and directed by Djanet Sears and ahdri zhina mandiela, featuring excerpts from various plays like "dark diaspora... in dub," "Whylah Falls," "Blood.claat," and "Harlem Duet."
"RAW MATERIALS RAIZ'N THEATRE JAM SERIES" (Performed throughout the festival): Included short works like "BABY MAMA NAME DRAMA" by Natasha Morris and "12 SLEEPLESS NIGHTS" by Jajube Mandiela.
"BLACK MOTHERS DON'T SAY I LOVE YOU" by trey anthony (Wednesday, August 23): Directed by Iris Turcott, exploring family dynamics and forgiveness.
"THE GRANDMOTHERLAND" by Gerry Atwell (Wednesday, August 23): Directed by Philip Akin, a story about a young girl adjusting to a new town and her Trinidadian grandmother's arrival.
"WADE IN THE WATER" by George Boyd (Wednesday, August 23): Directed by Richard Donat, a workshop production tracing a man's journey from Civil War-era Georgia to Sierra Leone.
"WHO KNEW GRANNIE" by ahdri zhina mandiela (Thursday, August 24): A "dub aria" directed by Iris Turcott, about family ties and remembering a grandmother.
"EVEN DARKNESS IS MADE OF LIGHT" by Edwige Jean-Pierre (Thursday, August 24): A dark comedy about suicide, written and performed by Jean-Pierre.
"THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART" by Andrew Moodie (Thursday, August 24): Directed by Andrew Moodie, a musical story set in Harlem during the 1920s, based on "Infants of the Spring."
"SAY GINGER ALE" by Marcia Johnson (Friday, August 25): Directed by Sue Miner, a comedy-drama about a Jamaican-born Canadian woman's journey of self-identification.
"CROSSING INTO LULLABY" by Dian Marie Bridge (Friday, August 25): Directed by Maja Ardal, a story about a young mother's child falling ill and the intervention of Orishas and an Obeah man.
"THE POLISHED HOE" by Austin Clarke, adapted by Colin Taylor with Alison Sealy-Smith (Friday, August 25): Directed by Colin Taylor, a showcase workshop production based on the Giller Prize-winning novel, presented by Obsidian Theatre Company and Frank Collymore Hall.
"IT'S JUST A NAME" by Don Kinch (Saturday, August 26): A "Hot Lunch Cold Read" directed by Djanet Sears, set in a barber shop.
"TRUDEAU: LONG MARCH / SHINING PATH" by George Elliott Clarke (Saturday, August 26): Directed by Colin Taylor, a play meditating on the "Black" and "cool" style of Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
"BLOOD.CLAAT - ONE WOMBAN STORY" by d'bi.young (Saturday, August 26): Directed by Weyni Mengesha, an award-winning dub poem exploring gender, class, race, and sexuality.
"TALES FROM THE CLIT" by Satori Shakoor (Saturday, August 26): Directed by Sharon Lewis, an "Adults Only" show about a woman's journey of self-discovery.
"UNTITLED OR THE PLAY OR THEATRE FOR DUMMIES OR BEATING A DEAD HORSE OR..." by Ashton Francis (Sunday, August 27): A "Hot Lunch, Cold Read" directed by Andrew Moodie, a non-sensical, philosophical story about strangers seeking meaning.
"SWAN SONG OF MARIA" by Carol Anderson (Sunday, August 27): Directed by ahdri zhina mandiela, a poetic play interweaving storytelling with ballet.
"STEAL AWAY HOME" by Shauntay Grant (Sunday, August 27): Directed by Kate Lushington, a collection of stories illustrating the experiences of a young Black Nova Scotian woman, presented by three actresses.
The AfriCanadian Playwrights Festival, held from August 22-27, 2006, was the 4th triennial gathering of playwrights, theatre artists, and scholars, dedicated to showcasing Black theatre in Canada. The festival's artistic director was Djanet Sears.The festival featured a series of conference sessions, salon luncheons with featured playwrights, "Plays of the Day" readings, and showcase workshop productions.
"Where Do We Stand?" (Tuesday, August 22): Explored the foundations of African Canadian theatre, including Djanet Sears's "The Shoulders on Which We Stand" and Rinaldo Walcott's "New Voice(s): Joseph Pierre's Hip Hop Sensibilities."
"Contemporary Diasporic Performance Practice" (Tuesday, August 22): Moderated by Honor Ford Smith, this session included discussions on remembrance and state-critical Black theatre.
"What Does African Canadian Theatre Look Like?" (Tuesday, August 22): Moderated by George Elliott Clarke, featuring perspectives on the blues aesthetic, racial hybridity, and interculturalism in Canadian Black theatre.
"Taking Centre Stage: Plays & Playwrights" (Wednesday, August 23): Focused on the Black female's quest for self through ancestry in Djanet Sears's "Afrika Solo," and staging Black Canadian histories.
"August Wilson and the Doing and Undoing of History: Some Lessons for Canada" (Thursday, August 24): A lecture by Harry J. Elam Jr.
"Telling It Like It Is: African Canadian Theatre in Nova Scotia and Western Canada" (Friday, August 25): A panel discussion moderated by Sylvia Hamilton, with panelists including Lucky Campbell, Lesley Ewen, and Shauntay Grant.
The festival was supported by various organizations, including CanStage, University College Drama Program, Playwrights Guild of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, and the Department of Canadian Heritage. The document also includes biographies of the staff, board, and numerous participating artists, highlighting their extensive careers in theatre, film, television, and music.