Artist Feature: Keshia Cheesman
The talented Keshia Cheesman, who is a Quest Instructor and Artist, wrote a beautiful play called "Special"for The Obsidian Theatre/ CBC Gem this past year.
Moving to Diamond Valley, an all-Black town in 2035 Alberta, has led to an identity crisis for eight-year-old Zari: she is no longer the only Black kid at her school. Wanting to find ways to stand out, she turns to God to help her brainstorm. But when God is unresponsive, she takes matters into her own hands.
We asked Keshia a few questions about the piece, her journey with TYA and representation.
Q: What inspired you to write this piece?
A: For this project, we were given the prompt, “what is the future of Blackness?”. That made me think about what it would be like if there was a place in Canada where Blackness is the norm. Growing up and even now, I am often the only Black person in a space, so by default, my Blackness is what makes me stand out. I have also been told as a child that it is one of the things that makes me “special”. I wanted to explore from a child’s perspective and how it would feel to be removed from that dynamic to a place where being Black isn’t the defining feature about them and how that would affect a their identity.
Q: What message do you hope young people will receive from seeing Special?
A: I hope that young people can take away that they are enough just the way they are, and they have so much more to offer than the labels and boxes that society puts them in.
Q: How has your lived experience shaped work you do in TYA?
A: As a child, I have never seen myself represented in media, and I have never had any Black role models or teachers. I hope that I can create work that Black and POC children can enjoy and relate to because they see themselves in the characters and be that role model and teacher that I never had to show them that they can be an artist, too!
Q: What was a highlight of working on Special?
A: A highlight for me was seeing the final project. Everything production-wise was done in Toronto so I was pretty removed from the process once I finished writing. It was an amazing experience to see an idea I had in my bedroom come to life on the other side of the country!
Q: What’s next for you?
A: After all of the COVID delays, the show that I have been co-writing and will perform in with my art partner, Bianca Miranda called, “The F Word” is finally set to premiere next season! This season, I will also be co-writing a project with Edmonton’s TYA company Concrete Theatre. Keep your eyes open for that!
“Special” is streaming now on CBC Gem until January 31, 2022.