Presented by The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts (Oakville) | First Ontario Performing Arts (St. Catherine’s) | The Grand (Kingston) | Public Energy Performing Arts (Peterborough) | The Rose (Brampton).

*This project was made possible with the assistance of Charles Street Video

John is a Toronto based composer, singer and songwriter from Kitchener, Ontario. Waleed is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from Khartoum in the Sudan. With open conversations and through friendship, the two musicians weave traditional Canadian and Sudanese folk songs and their own compositions, through a performance that explores their lives, traditions and journeys. John & Waleed offers a unique and personal experience on storytelling and cultural intersection. It is, from Sudan to Southern Ontario, a journey told through music.

Credits

Created & Performed by

John Millard & Waleed Abdulhamid

Dramaturge & Director

Marjorie Chan

All music arranged by

John Millard & Waleed Abdulhamid

Set & Costume Designer

Joanna Yu

Projection Designer

Kaitlin Hickey

Lighting Designer

Logan Cracknell

Sound Coordinator

Kai Masaoka

Stage Manager

Nicole Eun-Ju Bell

Digital Producer & Editor

Indrit Kasapi

TPM Production Manager

Eric Read

Camera Operators

Rinchen Dolma & Ulla Laidlaw

Additional footage & original animation

Lily Ross-Millard & Kaitlin Hickey

Assistant Dramaturge

Rinchen Dolma

Additional thanks

Dean Johnston, Jonathan Leung-Sam, Erin Fitzgerald, Kai Yueh Chen, Hazel Venzon, Emilie Aubin, Andy McKim, Liza Mattimore, Cahoots Theatre, David Dacks and the Music Gallery, Ken McKenzie, Array Space

Banjar Provided by Teilhard Frost www.tfrostmusic.com

Show Runs

January 31 at 7:30pm | February 1 at 7:30pm

The show runs for 85 minutes

Tickets

Please check each presenting venues for ticket information below!

Originally produced by Theatre Passe Muraille in association with Cahoots Theatre.

Credits from the original TPM production in February 2017, produced in-association with Cahoots Theatre: Created and Performed by John Millard and Waleed Abdulhamid | Direction by Marjorie Chan | Dramaturgy by Marjorie Chan and Andy McKim | Set & Costume Design by Joanna Yu | Projection & Lighting Design by Kaitlin Hickey| Sound Design & Engineering by Kai Masaoka| Stage Management by Erin Fitzgerald| Associate Video Designer: Lily Ross-Millard | Metalwork: Kevin Hudson | Cutter: Amy Marie Wallace

John & Waleed was also workshopped in 2012 by the Young Centre as part of the Resident Artist Program and in 2015 by Cahoots Theatre and The Music Gallery.

all photos courtesy of Dahlia Katz Photography & Cahoots Theatre

Thank you

Development for this version of John & Waleed supported by Donald Simpson in memory of Jan Simpson.

Artist Bio

John Millard is a Toronto based composer, singer and songwriter. Mainly he works composing for theatre. Born in Hamilton, John spent 10 years, from age five to fifteen, living in and around Waterloo, Ontario. John’s family was musical. His mother was a singer in Scotland and his grandmother used to play organ for both the local Presbyterian and Anglican churches. This mixture of the sacred and secular finds a home in John’s music. His work has graced stages from the Shaw Festival to Armstrong, B.C.’s Caravan Theatre. John founded the folk-based bands John Millard and Happy Day as well as The Polka Dogs which have toured throughout Canada and Europe.

Waleed Abulhamid Waleed Abdulhamid is a Canadian Multi-instrumentalist; Composer; Vocalist; Music and Film Producer, and is known for his striking vocals, innovative bass technique, and his speed and precision on percussion.

He has been an active member of the Toronto music scene since his arrival from Sudan in 1992, and is the recipient of the Canadian New Pioneer Award; African Tama Award; Reel World Film Festival Award; Canadian Film Board of Excellence Award; Two times DORA Award; other international awards. He demonstrates his versatility playing 20 instruments: guitar; bass; drums; flute; harmonica; kirin; bass kirin; darabhuka; marimba; balimbo; congas; bongos; djembe; dumbek; aghera; tambour; cajun; denger; ekaa; tama.

Waleed has played and recorded with a large number of well-known artists including David Clayton Thomas of the Grammy Award winning band Blood, Sweat & Tears, and with the Motown legend, The Drifters. However, Waleed is most proud of his role as a mentor to many acclaimed artists such as D’bi Young, Ngozi Paul, and Zaki Ibrahim to name a few. Waleed has also been the subject of study for many researchers and PhD candidates seeking to understand the workings of the virtuoso mind. Waleed is also a Professor and faculty member of the Music Degree Program at Humber College.

Tour & ticket information

Please check with each presenting venues for ticket information.

Presenting Venues

Public Energy Performing Arts (Peterborough)

January 31, 7:30pm
Tune into the website, https://publicenergy.ca/performance/john-waleed/ for viewing details

The Rose (Brampton)

January 31, 7:30pm
Get your free tickets here

First Ontario Performing Arts (St. Catherine’s)

January 31, 7:30pm
Get your PWYC tickets here

The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts (Oakville)

February 1, 7:30pm
Get your free tickets here

The Grand (Kingston)

February 1, 7:30pm
Get your free tickets here

Director’s Notes by Marjorie Chan

John & Waleed first premiered in 2017. Not long before we started rehearsal, Azzeddine Soufiane, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Ibrahima Barry and Abdelkrim Hassane were killed at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec on Sunday, January 29, 2017 in an act fuelled by hate. How can there be such hate in our country? There is a desire to protest, “This is not my Canada.” But sadly, it is……………

Visual Story

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