Vera Cudjoe (born 1928) is a Trinidadian-Canadian actress, producer,
and educator. She founded Black Theatre Canada (BTC; 1973â€"1988), a
youth and community-oriented institution which helped train and launch
the career of numerous Black performers and artists in North America.
Among the Theatre's legacies are Delroy Lindo, Arlene Duncan, Leon
Bibb, Jackie Richardson, Joe Sealy, Tom Butler, Philip Akin, and ahdri
zhina mandiela.Cudjoe grew up in Trinidad, trained as a nurse in
England, and moved to Toronto in 1960. She began to pursue theatre and
performance in 1962, making contact with Studio Lab and Toronto
Workshop Productions. The lack of opportunities for Black youth
motivated her to pursue the establishment of BTC. Under her
leadership, BTC produced well-received and well-attended works,
including the first Canadian production of A Raisin in the Sun (1978)
and the Dora Mavor Moore Award-winning A Caribbean Midsummer Night's
Dream (1983). One More Stop on the Freedom Train (1984), a musical
about the Underground Railroad in Ontario, toured Ontario in 1985 and
played at Vancouver Expo 86 as part of the Arts Against Apartheid
Festival.Cudjoe has acted in a number of works, including E.N.G.
(1989), Rookie Blue (2010), and Jumping the Broom (2011).For her
contributions, Cudjoe received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee
Medal and the African-Canadian Achievement Award in Arts and
Entertainment.
and educator. She founded Black Theatre Canada (BTC; 1973â€"1988), a
youth and community-oriented institution which helped train and launch
the career of numerous Black performers and artists in North America.
Among the Theatre's legacies are Delroy Lindo, Arlene Duncan, Leon
Bibb, Jackie Richardson, Joe Sealy, Tom Butler, Philip Akin, and ahdri
zhina mandiela.Cudjoe grew up in Trinidad, trained as a nurse in
England, and moved to Toronto in 1960. She began to pursue theatre and
performance in 1962, making contact with Studio Lab and Toronto
Workshop Productions. The lack of opportunities for Black youth
motivated her to pursue the establishment of BTC. Under her
leadership, BTC produced well-received and well-attended works,
including the first Canadian production of A Raisin in the Sun (1978)
and the Dora Mavor Moore Award-winning A Caribbean Midsummer Night's
Dream (1983). One More Stop on the Freedom Train (1984), a musical
about the Underground Railroad in Ontario, toured Ontario in 1985 and
played at Vancouver Expo 86 as part of the Arts Against Apartheid
Festival.Cudjoe has acted in a number of works, including E.N.G.
(1989), Rookie Blue (2010), and Jumping the Broom (2011).For her
contributions, Cudjoe received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee
Medal and the African-Canadian Achievement Award in Arts and
Entertainment.
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