Movie Night: The African Desperate

Join us at Soulpepper Theatre for a screening of The African Desperate, the hilarious and hyperreal satire from multimedia artist Martine Syms. Inspired by her own experience as an MFA student at the predominantly white Bard College, The African Desperate follows the fictional Palace Bryant in her dizzying last 24 hours at art school. From critiques to ketamine, Palace takes a final journey through the hedonistic, contrived and liminal world of the elite institution.  

The African Desperate is screening in conjunction with the mainstage play How to Catch Creation, both works that offer messy, mundane and multidimensional portrayals of Black artists navigating the highs and lows of their creative pursuits. While tonally distinct, both the film and the play explore how artmaking is embedded within our social, political, and emotional lives, and ask how Black artists inherit and challenge artistic traditions. 

General admission. Doors open at 6:30pm. Screening takes place in the Cabaret studio at the back of the atrium on the main floor of the building. Seating arrangement is flexible and accommodates mobility devices.   

Questions? Email jacqui.arntfield@soulpepper.ca