Treemonisha receives numerous Canadian theater award nominations

Treemonisha from Toronto-based performance company Volcano pitched during its development at the New York 2017 Congress and was then put on hold due to the pandemic. The project is an example of the payoffs of patience and perseverance because the production ultimately premiered in June, 2023 and has now received  6 Dora Mavor Moore Nominations (Toronto’s version of the Tonys) including Outstanding Production, Outstanding Performance by an Individual to Neema Bickersteth, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble, Outstanding New Musical/New Opera and Outstanding Creative Direction, and Outstanding Achievement in Design.

Treemonisha was composed by Scott Joplin - the "King of Ragtime" - in 1911. The opera draws on both European classical and Black folk traditions. Set in the late 1800s, the premise was radical: a Black community elects a woman to lead them. Joplin poured everything he had into this opera, but it was rejected by the establishment. He died penniless soon after. His orchestration for the opera was lost - only a piano/vocal score survives. In a joint US/Canada creative collaboration consisting primarily of Black artists from both countries, Volcano has created a new libretto that honors the politics of Joplin’s original and pairs it with an exciting new arrangement.

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Project Contact: Ross Manson, ross@volcano.ca, Artistic Director, Volcano, (1) (416) 5351932