Director

This award-winning comedy drama, which inspired the Netflix hit, is a hilarious, feel-good story about a Korean family-run corner store. Mr. Kim works hard to support his wife and children with his Toronto convenience store. As he evaluates his future, he faces both a changing neighborhood landscape and the gap between his values and those of his Canadian-born children. Playwright Ins Choi, who will also star in the production as the titular character, calls Kim’s Convenience his “love letter to his parents and to all first-generation immigrants who call Canada their home.”

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Kim’s Convenience

Center Theatre Group

Rural England, 1759. Halley’s Comet burns in the sky, and a young woman is sentenced to hang. But when she tries to escape the noose by claiming to be pregnant, a jury of twelve women are gathered to decide whether she is telling the truth. As tensions rise, their task becomes a reckoning: with the law, with power, and with the roles they’re forced to play in a world that silences them.

Tony-Award Nominee Lucy Kirkwood’s The Welkin (Chimerica, The Children) is a bold and blistering courtroom drama—by turns darkly comic and quietly devastating—about justice, duty, and righteous dissent.

The Welkin

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

The play that started it all – Kim's Convenience returns to the stage where it all began and reunites celebrated playwright Ins Choi with its original director, Weyni Mengesha. The most successful Canadian play of the last decade, Kim’s Convenience immediately resonated with Torontonians, becoming the most popular show in Soulpepper’s history. After leaving the Soulpepper stage Kim’s Convenience went on to become an internationally successful TV show on CBC and Netflix, and now makes its triumphant return home.

Kim's Convenience

**Event: Billie, Sarah, and Ella: Revolutionary Women in Jazz**

**Date: Coming November 2024**

Soulpepper Theatre is proud to present a captivating concert event titled "Billie, Sarah, and Ella: Revolutionary Women in Jazz" in November 2024. This remarkable performance is a tribute to the indelible impact of Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald—three iconic figures whose contributions not only transformed the music industry but also gave Jazz its profound social purpose.

Set against the backdrop of the modern era's dawn, the concert explores the stories and struggles of these women who became the soundtrack for change. Through their artistry, they inspired a movement, challenging societal norms and paving the way for future generations.

The concert is brought to life under the creative vision of Divine Brown, who serves as the creator and co-writer, alongside co-writer Sarah Wilson. The direction is helmed by Weyni Mengesha, promising an evening of powerful performances and a deep dive into the legacy of these revolutionary women in Jazz.

Join us for a night of soul-stirring music and storytelling as we pay homage to the heroes, both known and unknown, who played pivotal roles in shaping the music industry and its social impact. This event is not just a concert; it's a celebration of resilience, talent, and the transformative power of Jazz.

**Location:** Soulpepper Theatre

**Join the Conversation:** Use #spBillieSarahandElla to share your experiences and join the broader discussion around this monumental event.

**Sponsors:** This event is proudly supported by our music and piano sponsors, ensuring an unforgettable experience for all attendees.

Don't miss this opportunity to witness the stories of Billie, Sarah, and Ella come alive on stage. Mark your calendars for November 2024 and be part of a musical journey that honors the revolutionary women of Jazz.

Billie, Sarah, and Ella: Revolutionary Women in Jazz

It was the birth of the modern era, and Jazz was the soundtrack for change. This Soulpepper" class="css-u850" data-mark-multiple="true">Soulpepper Concert favourite explores the stories of the women that infused jazz with a profound social purpose – Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald. Soulpepper Slaight Music Associate Divine Brown pays tribute to these unsung heroes and the powerful movement they inspired. 

As Blanche’s fragile world crumbles, she turns to her sister for solace – but her downward spiral brings her face to face with a brutal, unforgiving reality. Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece is a raging portrayal of what it means to be an outsider, in a society where we’re all desperate to belong.

A Streetcar Named Desire

The Luminato Festival and TO Live present Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha produced by Volcano Theatre in association with the Canadian Opera Company, Soulpepper and Moveable Beast.

Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha

St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts

Soulpepper Theatre proudly presents "Billie, Sarah, and Ella: Revolutionary Women in Jazz," a tribute to the iconic figures Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald who transformed the music industry and gave Jazz its social purpose. This special production, featuring Soulpepper Slaight Music Associate Divine Brown, celebrates the stories of these revolutionary women known for their significant contributions to jazz music. The show runs from February 22 to March 12, offering audiences approximately 75 minutes of captivating performances.

In addition to the performances, attendees are invited to a Community Conversation on Sunday, March 5th, at 3:30 pm, in celebration of International Women's Day. This TD Community Conversation will delve into the evolution of the music industry led by revolutionary women and game changers. Artistic Director Weyni Mengesha will lead the discussion alongside Juno award-winning singer and theatre creator Divine Brown, Executive Director at ADVANCE, Canada's Black Music Business Collective, Keziah Myers, and Business Executive and Music/Television producer, Denise Donlon.

The cast includes Akosua Amo-Adem as the Narrator, with Divine Brown, Shakura Dickson, and Renee Rowe as featured performers. The creative team is led by Divine Brown (Creator), Weyni Mengesha (Director), Joel Joseph (Music Director), Sarah Wilson (Writer), with a talented crew supporting the production's design and execution.

Don't miss this powerful tribute to the women who shaped the sound of a generation. Buy your tickets now and join the conversation using #spBillieSarahElla to be part of this inspiring event.

It is the late 1880s in the Deep South. A people are divided against themselves. A group of upwardly mobile Freedmen are now running a plantation near Texarkana. They are striving to become an essential part of an emerging new America.

Director

Weyni Mengesha

Events

Upcoming events

21 - 27 Nov, 2026

Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha · Manitoba Opera

Past events

Mar 21 - Apr 19, 2026

Kim’s Convenience · Center Theatre Group

Sep 4 - Oct 5, 2025

The Welkin · Soulpepper Theatre Company

About

Weyni Mengesha hasn't added a bio