Other Side of the Game
Awards
- Winner, Governor General's Literary Award 2019
Description
I don’t think you can expect society to change if you’re not ready to take the first step.
In the 1970s Beverly walks into an office of Black activists, wanting to join the Movement, and has to prove she’s committed enough to fight. Some forty years later, in the Hip Hop Generation, Nicole reunites with her ex-boyfriend on a basketball court, wondering where he’s been, when a police officer stops them.
In this striking debut, Amanda Parris turns the spotlight on the Black women who organize communities, support their incarcerated loved ones, and battle institutions, living each day by a ride-or-die philosophy, strengthening their voices and demanding to be heard.
Reviews
"Parris’s play does the worthy work of combating the idea that Black women are superhuman, able to bear the weight of their communities, fight societal racism on micro and macro levels, and care for their families while managing a tight budget."
- Carly Maga, Toronto Star
"[Parris] is definitely someone to keep an eye on… [she] is a strong writer with a unique and inspiring voice."
- Allison Gerson, Mooney on Theatre