Amanda Parris is a Canadian broadcaster and writer.[1] An arts reporter and producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, she hosts the CBC Television series Exhibitionists, The Filmmakers and From the Vaults, and the CBC Music radio series Marvin's Room.[2][3] She was cohost with Tom Power of the 2016 Polaris Music Prize ceremony.[4] She writes the weekly column Black Light for CBC Arts.
Amanda Parris | |
|---|---|
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| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation(s) | writer, radio and television broadcaster |
| Known for | Exhibitionists, Revenge of the Black Best Friend |
Other Side of the Game, her debut as a theatrical playwright, was staged by Toronto's Obsidian Theatre and Cahoots Theatre in 2017.[5] After it was published in book form, it won the Governor General's Award for English-language drama at the 2019 Governor General's Awards.[6] Other Side of the Game was adapted by the theatre podcast PlayME and released in three parts on February 24, 2021.[7]
The Death News, written by Amanda Parris and directed by Charles Officer, is a short, filmed, stage monodrama set in the near-future where premature Black death is an inevitability.[8] Commissioned by Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu, Obsidian Theatres’s artistic director, for 21 Black Futures, an anthology series featuring 21 Black playwrights which began streaming on CBC Gem in February 2021.[9][8] The Death News responds to the question “What is the future of Blackness?”[8] Parris was inspired by TV and radio broadcasts in Grenada, where hosts provide information on who has died and funeral details.[8] Parris imagined her work as a tool of resistance to mainstream media and its failure to tell nuanced stories of Black people.[8]
Prior to joining the CBC, Parris co-founded Lost Lyrics with Natasha Daniels, an arts education program that used theatre, dance, poetry, film and music to reach youth at risk of dropping out of school.[10]
In 2022, she was named alongside Kathleen Newman-Bremang and Kayla Grey as one of the recipients of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's inaugural Changemaker Award at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards.[11] She also received a nomination for Best Host, Talk Show or Entertainment News as the host of Exhibitionists,[12] and won the award for Best Writing in a Web Program or Series for "The Death News".[13]
In 2022 she created the comedy web series Revenge of the Black Best Friend.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Review: Other Side of the Game is a passionate but uneven play". The Globe and Mail, October 20, 2017.
- ^ Chaka V. Grier, "Local hero: Amanda Parris returns with Marvin's Room and Exhibitionists". Now, November 2, 2016.
- ^ "CBC's Exhibitionists proves home is where the art is". canada.com. October 31, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ "Watch the Polaris Music Prize gala live tonight". Cult MTL, September 19, 2016.
- ^ Carly Maga, "Amanda Parris debut play Other Side of the Game makes an impact beyond the stage: review". Toronto Star, October 23, 2017.
- ^ Jane van Koeverden, "Here are the winners of the 2019 Governor General's Literary Awards". CBC Books, October 29, 2019.
- ^ "Amanda Parris' debut play 'Other Side of the Game' adapted for the ear | CBC Radio". CBC. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Black creators explore 'the future of Blackness' in '21 Black Futures' on CBC Gem - CityNews Toronto". toronto.citynews.ca. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ Edeh, Rosey. "21 Black Futures: Obsidian Theatre Focused on Self Determination". ByBlacks.com - #1 online magazine for Black Canadians. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ Ashante Infantry, "Tough talk in a tough town". Toronto Star, October 2, 2012.
- ^ Corey Atad, "Canadian Screen Award Academy Announces 2022 Special Award Honourees And Changemakers". ET Canada, January 18, 2022.
- ^ Brent Furdyk, "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, ‘Sort Of’ & ‘Scarborough’ Lead The Pack". ET Canada, February 15, 2022.
- ^ Brent Furdyk, "Canadian Screen Awards: Winners Announced In Sports Programming, Digital & Immersive Categories". ET Canada, April 5, 2022.
- ^ Radheyan Simonpillai, "Canada’s Rising Screen Stars: Amanda Parris". Now, April 3, 2022.