Poet, emcee and playwright Motion takes us on a musical and spoken word journey through her coming of age, and talks about how much of her real life is reflected in the b-girl she plays in her new production Oraltorio: A Theatrical Mixtape.
LISTEN: HERE ON CBC RADIO
— Produced by Beza Seife
In a crime-noir about the urban child-soldier, Akilla Brown captures a fifteen-year-old boy in the aftermath of an armed robbery. Over one gruelling night, Akilla confronts a cycle of generational violence he thought he escaped.
LIMITED EDITION ORALTORIO TEES at BEDDOART.COM!
Griots to Emcees: Examining Culture, Performance & Spoken Word at York University (Toronto), taught by MOTION. Explores the form, function and content of Spoken Word, in terms of language, rhythm, historical developments, social- political contexts, as well as key artists of poetry, rap, dub, slam, lyricism and spoken word as live and direct purveyors of culture.
From the stage to the screen! Tune In to MOTION's TV WRITING DEBUT on the brand new dramatic series CORONER. Binge watch Season 1 and 2 on CBC GEM.
HEADSPACE ROTATES RADIO is an eclectic combo of progressive sounds - Hip Hop to neo-soul, beat driven, electronic, funk jazz, and yet-to-be categorized experimental astral soundscapes - reflecting the new, next and now of global urban sounds. Paying homage to the classics and the contemporary, HSR tunes into Independent music scenes, the movers and shakers, groundbreakers and the rare hidden gems that must be played. Hosted by MOTION | Music by L'OQENZ| Mixed & Engineered ZOé SOUNDMIND
SOUNDGIRL (feature film in development) is a musical drama that follows the hustles of hungry DJ & beatmaker Fayte, as she storms the ruthless underworld of beat battles with her ambitious all-woman sound crew. Over one loud & chaotic Toronto Caribana weekend, young mom and musician Fayte takes her last shot to be heard in the clubs, studios and sound clashes that'll test everything she's got. Watch the Soundgirl teaser, written by MOTION and directed by CHARLES OFFICER.
After a sparring match incites jarring memories of his traumatic childhood, young Kam is forced to face his abusive father, and the disturbing notions of manhood that they have both inherited. The Reelworld Award-winning A MAN'S STORY is directed, written, scored, edited, produced & starring a powerhouse collab of Canadian Film Centre alums - Fernando Arrioja, Motion, Ben Fox, Simone Smith, Jessica Adams, and Emmanuel Kabongo, and has screened in film festival's in the UK, Belgium, Ghana, Toronto & Zanzibar!
ANEEMAH'S SPOT - Written by MOTION, with the latest production directed by CHARLES OFFICER - the award-winning play features an infectious all-Toronto sound-scape by DJ L'OQENZ that pulsates like the city that birthed it. LISTEN to the ANEEMAH'S SPOT MIXTAPE VOL.2, featuring AMANDA PARRIS, SHOMARI DOWNER & the sounds of Toronto's best!
Akilla’s Escape (Canesugar Filmworks) is a crime tale - directed by CHARLES OFFICER, co-written by MOTION - that follows 38-year-old narcotics trader Akilla Brown. When a routine drug deal lands him in the centre of a robbery, he captures 13-year-old Sheppard, a Jamaican gunman linked to the same multi-national crime organization he belonged to as a teenager. Over the course of one night, Akilla and Sheppard come to realize they need each other to survive...COMING 2020!
Look. Listen. BASQUIAT. Downtown 81 produced by NON!
Expanding culturally diverse spoken word in Canada and abroad, Northern Griots Network (NGN), is a African-Canadian collective of spoken word poets and poetry presenters assisting cultural diverse spoken word poets nationally in accessing resources and information that can help develop skills and careers internationally.
Next Stop: TRIBECA NYC
WORD + SOUND + DRAMA
From Toronto to Ghana to Montreal- Oraltorio returned to Toronto for Obsidian Theatre and Soulpepper Theatre's 2018/2019 Season. Stay Tuned for the next stop on the Oraltorio Tour!
