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The Black Theatre School is for newly emerged, mid-career and established multi-hyphenate theatre practitioners of any age (over 18), gender, and sexual orientation, who wish to train in the Anitafrika Method and deepen their practice in biomyth monodrama, pantodub theatre, and decolonial approaches to theatre-making from a Black queer transfeminist perspective.

The 2026 Black Theatre School residency occurs from March 30 to December 20, 2026. This includes in-person training, professional productions, festivals, research, writing, and a hybrid fall phase. Intensive periods such as the Anitafrika Method modules and production rehearsals run from Monday to Saturday 10am-6pm.

Please note: All dates are subject to change.

The tuition fee for the nine-month professional theatre training residency is $10,000 CAD. All Canadian residents accepted into the program are awarded a full tuition scholarship.

The residency alternates between Anitafrika Method intensives, biomyth monodrama making, mainstage pantodub theatre rehearsals and productions, and research periods, allowing practitioners to move between rigorous training, professional practice, and critical inquiry, often occurring Monday to Saturday 10am-6pm from April to August. The research period from September to December is primarily online. Full presence and sustained engagement are required throughout the residency.

Yes. Practitioners who have previously attended the Black Theatre School—whether they completed the program or not—are encouraged to reapply for the residency.

The residency is highly immersive and rigorous. Daily training generally runs Monday to Saturday 10:00am–6:00pm, with practitioners working with established artists across performance and non-performance disciplines, including:

• Performance

• Writing and dramaturgy

• Devising and ensemble creation

• Directing

• Set, costume, lighting, and sound design

• Stage Weaving

• Producing and production leadership

Practitioners are required to engage fully in professional productions as part of their immersive training.

Please note: All dates are subject to change.

Yes. All practitioners studying at the Black Theatre School receive the opportunity to participate in professional mainstage productions. Involvement ranges across the disciplines of theatre such as playwriting, devising, performance, dramaturgy, direction, design, producing, stage weaving etc. Participation in mainstage productions is a requirement of the residency.

There are three mainstage productions in the 2026 season, two of which will involve Black Theatre School practitioners.

No. The Black Theatre School does not operate a drop-in program. Consistent attendance, participation, and accountability are required to be an artist-in-residence. Practitioners who attend inconsistently or who are unable to meet engagement expectations will be asked to withdraw from the residency. In such cases, they will be encouraged to reapply for a future residency when their circumstances allow full participation.

Practitioners whose life circumstances change in a way that affects their ability to meet the required attendance and participation commitments will be asked to withdraw from the program. In such cases, they will be encouraged to reapply for a future residency when their circumstances allow full participation.

No. Practitioners are required to embody and engage multiple theatre disciplines (two or more, such as playwright/performer, actor/director, or director/designer) in order to be artists-in-residence at the Black Theatre School. While artists may enter the program with a primary discipline, they must be willing and able to train, collaborate, and create across disciplines as part of their development as holistic, multi-hyphenate theatre makers.

Practitioners will learn decolonial approaches to theatre-making from a Black queer transfeminist perspective, grounded in the Anitafrika Method. Training includes:

• Creating biomyth monodrama

• Developing pantodub theatre

• Applying the Three R Process (re/membering, re/storying, re/futuring)

• Embodied and decolonial somatic practices

• Ensemble Integrity Practice and consent-based collaboration

• Black performance aesthetics and dramaturgies

• Decolonial research methods, documentation, and publication

• Professional practice and multi-leadership development

• Playwriting, devising, dramaturgy, acting, voice & speech, movement, designing, producing, and stage weaving

Practitioners will learn from d’bi.young anitafrika alongside a roster of established theatre artists. See the About Us section for the growing list of 2026 faculty.

No. Practitioners who study at the Black Theatre School for nine months are not accredited to teach the Anitafrika Method. Please inquire about the Anitafrika Method teacher training program to learn more.

Key public-facing moments include the School’s festivals and major productions, including:

• Mikey Smith Raw Works Festival: April 11, 2026

• Audre Lorde Works-in-Process Festival: June 20–21, 2026

• Word! Sound! Powah! Festival: Aug 8-9, 2026

• Orisha Trilogy / Pantodub Theatre productions Spring and Summer 2026. See Events page for more details.

• Culmination Ceremony & Book Launch Dec 20, 2026.

All dates are subject to change.

The Black Theatre School will begin accepting applications on Monday January 5 until Saturday Feb 28, 2026.

Yes. In-person interviews will occur from March 1-15, 2026. Ensemble Interviews will occur on Saturday March 7, 2026, 10am-5pm. Attendance to the Ensemble Interview weekend is required for all practitioners who are invited to attend. Practitioners will be notified of acceptance into the residency on or before March 20, 2026. The residency officially begins on March 30, 2026.