Troy Ebanks is one of the local migrant workers whose story will be part of Sunday's presentation.
This Sunday, Brock students will team up with performers from Niagara’s migrant worker community, St. Catharines-based NeXt Company Theatre and Niagara Dance to stage an event focusing on the lives and experiences of migrant workers in our region.
The hour-long community-based event, Growing Together: A Celebration of Migrant Workers, features the stories of migrant workers told in short theatrical scenes and film accompanied by dance and music.
It takes place Sunday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m., in the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre at Brock.
“This will be a vibrant and poetic representation of migrant worker life in Niagara,” said David Fancy, professor of Dramatic Arts and co-artistic director of NeXt.
“It features heartfelt and hard-hitting stories of travel, adjustment and the working realities of these workers, which are based on real-life testimonials from local farmers and workers.”
Thousands of migrant workers come to work in Niagara every year. Hailing from Mexico, the Caribbean and elsewhere, they are an integral part of the region’s annual $2.8 billion agricultural industry.
The show is about an hour long and is suitable for all audiences. Tickets are $12 and available through the Centre for the Arts Box Office by calling 905-688-5550 x3257.
All proceeds from the production will be donated to a scholarship fund for the children of migrant workers organized by Brock and Niagara College, and administered by the Niagara Community Foundation.
The production is presented by NeXt in collaboration with the Brock Centre for the Arts, In the Orchard Arts, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and the 25 member organizations of the Niagara Migrant Workers Interest Group.
