Obeah Opera is a hand clapping, foot stomping, spirit lifting, magical musical sensation. Steeped in Black music, sung entirely a cappella by a powerful all-female cast, Obeah Opera is a retelling of the legendary Salem witch trials from the fascinating perspective of Caribbean slave women.

The first of its kind, Obeah Opera (music & libretto by Nicole Brooks) is an a cappella ‘musical odyssey’ or ‘theatrical epic’ sung and danced by a racially diverse cast of ideally 20+ women. Rooted in the 17th century world of the Salem Witch Trials, (the same story found in Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ among other famous works including operas and films) this production revisits history and tells the story from the perspective of a young Caribbean slave, Tituba. It is a ground- breaking dramatic work that redefines the traditional opera form by moving away from its European classical standard and using an array of different musical genres mainly found in what is termed 'Black' music such as spirituals, blues, jazz, gospel, traditional African, Caribbean Folk, Calypso, ska, R&B and reggae. It expands the definition of opera by incorporating a variety of storytelling elements from the performing arts and uses an inter-disciplinary approach that includes traditional theatre, musical theatre, opera, dance, visual arts. It ultimately introduces a different use of language, voice, and the body on stage.

Photo by Osato Erebor

"Until Lion(esses) have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter."

- An Ashanti Proverb

A NICOLE BROOKS VISION:
CREATOR ~ COMPOSER ~ LIBRETTIST ~ ACTOR

10 years in the making.  From a 10 minute piece in 2009 with multiple incarnations in between, no one could have told me that the journey of Obeah Opera would take a decade to reach where it is today. From the beginning I was told that this piece was an impossible task in the world of Canadian theatre: Obeah Opera is too big, too diverse, too unconventional, too women centric, too controversial…in hindsight now in the time of the #metoo movement and Black Lives Matters perhaps that time was needed for the world to catch up the thoughts and convictions that this piece holds.  Timing is everything. I am so grateful to be celebrating 10 years of Obeah Opera with the Luminato Festival. It’s about time that this particular history is told exclusively through a Black women’s voice on such a platform. 

My vision for this piece was to honour and give a voice to the Ancestors of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. The Ancestors who have been ignored, bi-passed or simply forgotten for centuries.

Photo of Nicole Brooks by Osato Erebor
Photo of Nicole Brooks by Jeremy Mimnagh

The title of the work itself gives an indication of what and how the story is told: the word ‘Obeah’ means witchcraft in the Caribbean and the word ‘Opera’ means a play that is entirely sung. Combining these two 5 letter words has taken me on an extensive exploration. What does it mean to be a woman accused of witchcraft? In my research I was bombarded over and over again by the discovery that the most powerful of women with knowledge, healing skills and power have been accused of this ‘evil’. I also wanted to expand the world of Opera to include religions and music of Resistance from the Caribbean, Africa and the Diaspora. Beyond that, it became my mission to stay true to the lens of Tituba and the other Caribbean women who lived in Salem. I incorporated elements specifically from the Caribbean, namely Orisha spirituality and the Carnival arts, using Orisha and Carnival archetypes to represent each and every character in the play along with its rich music.

Ultimately, it has become a labour of love in which I invite you to sit back and enjoy the world according to Tituba, embracing this lost story in all its glory.