An award-winning actor, musician and playwright is coming to Morden next week in connection with Black History Month.
It is evident from much of his work that telling stories around the history and contributions of black people in Canada is very much a passion for Beau Dixon.
“A lot of the work that I create … I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors, and I bring all of their history into the work that I do, whether it’s theatre or music,” said Dixon, who is of mixed race with a father who was black and a mother who was white. “Not only is it a passion of mine, but it’s what I do for a living, sharing stories about my African Canadian heritage and also their untold stories.
“Working in the theatre industry, I’m always in search of great stories, and that’s what these are … they’re great stories. They’re not only stories about resilience, about hope, about perseverance, they’re stories about our history, our Canadian history.”
In addition to his many achievements as an actor, musician and writer, Dixon is the co-founder and artistic director for Firebrand Theatre, a Canadian educational theatre company, and an artistic associate for 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook, Ontario. Recently, he became the music director for Sheridan College, Lakefield College School, and the Stratford Festival.
Currently, Dixon is working on a variety of projects, including acting in film and TV roles, producing and writing plays, and composing and performing music for digital distribution, public live stream events, and corporate functions.
He is spending a few days in Morden next week, including going to local schools to read excerpts from a number of his plays.
One is Beneath Springhill: The Maurice Ruddick Story, which tells the story of an African Canadian coal miner who saved the lives of six other miners in the Spring Hill mining disaster in 1958. The musical recalls the events during the disaster, the effect it had on Ruddick’s family, and the racial tensions in the town of Springhill.
Another one is Once a Flame, which tells the harrowing story of the defiant black slave Marie Joseph Angélique who was executed for arson in Old Montreal in 1734 but was subsequently found to have been innocent.
“What’s so astounding about that story is that it was the first documentation of a black slave because of the court transcripts. We have documented proof of Canadian enslavement in the early 18th century,” noted Dixon.
He will also read from Other People’s Heaven, which tells of Viola Desmond, a black beautician born in Halifax who ran her own beauty salon but was imprisoned because she sat in the white section of a movie theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. She has been referred to as a Canadian version of Rosa Parks.
Dixon will also be presenting a concert Tuesday, Feb. 11 at St. Paul’s United Church that will focus on the spirit and legacy of black musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Harry Belafonte, and others. The show starts at 7 p.m., with entry by donation.
“It’s celebrating the spirit and legacy of black music and how black music has influenced the civil rights movement, politicians, and scholars,” said Dixon. “It includes people like Martin Luther King Jr., Langston Hughes, James Baldwin … so I’ll be doing a broad sweep of the history of black music and the influence it has had on western civilization.”
Dixon is especially interested in history and artists with a Canadian connection.
“We don’t know about the Canadian slavery … because it didn’t have an international impact, we don’t really read about it in the history books,” he said. “By telling the story of Maurice Ruddick, we also learn about the lower class worker, the labourer, the poor labourer, the industrial worker who had to risk his life every day to work in the mine.”
It is also especially important for him to connect with youth.
“I think the reason why I did this is I remember when I would be at a public school … every time someone would come to a school to do as performance or to do public speaking, it inspired me,” he said.
“It’s proven that students learn a great deal more and they absorb more information if they are shown the history rather than just told the history.
“I started becoming a writer because I wanted to get my story out there; the story of my father’s lineage, and I wanted to know more about my ancestors, so I started writing about my ancestors,” he shared. “They were also fascinating stories … they were stories that I felt students and educators could connect with as well.
“I would say it’s my mission … my mission is to bring Canadian stories to young audiences.”
