The passing of Beryl Amah Thelma Harris (affectionately known as Amah Harris) on Wednesday, July 9th, 2025, has left a profound void in Black theatre in Canada. A celebrated: producer, artistic director, playwright, actress, facilitator, and educator, she shaped the cultural landscape for over four decades.
Born in Dominica, Amah made Canada her home in the late 1970s after studying at the Banff Institute of the Fine Arts. She became a pioneering force in professional Black theatre, seamlessly blending education and performance to elevate stories that had long been overlooked.
Her work in theatre and education began in Dominica, where she distinguished herself through extraordinary achievements:
- Co-founded The Little Theatre (formerly the Secondary Schools Drama Society) in Dominica
- Founded Theatre in the Rough in 1985
Amah’s contributions earned her numerous honours:
- Commonwealth of Dominica Award for Best Performance in the 1964 Commemorative Shakespeare Festival
- Harold Award for Artistic Excellence
- Caribana Arts Group Award for Volunteerism
- African Caribbean Cultural Potpourri Lifetime Achievement Award for Education and Community Service
- C. Holland Award of Merit from the Hamilton Black History Society
- Named one of 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women (2018)
Tributes poured in after her passing. On July 10th, 2025, Dr. Jill Andrew wrote on Facebook:
“Miss Amah, your voice was soothing yet always commanded attention. Your commitment to art, theatre, creation, and community was inspiring. You never shied away from calling out racism and injustice. As a trailblazer, you instinctively extended a hand to others. It was an honour to spend time with you and express our admiration before your final day in this physical form. Now you join our ancestors, and our work is to keep making you proud.”
Henry Gómez (King Cosmos), President of the Organization of Calypso Performing Artists (OCAP), remembered her as “A dear, dedicated soul who gave her time, energy, and resources to the Black and Caribbean communities in Canada and the Diaspora.”
The Wellington Black Committee Centre called her “A proud Dominican Canadian who embodied the strength, brilliance, and spirit of the Caribbean. Through institutions like Black Theatre Canada and Theatre in the Rough, she used the stage to uplift stories, voices, and truths too often left untold.”
On July 30th, 2025, Toronto City Council officially extended condolences. Councilor Josh Matlow, seconded by Councilor Jamaal Myers, honoured her as “an anti-racist advocate and cultural champion “Whose innovative blend of theatre and education reached audiences across Canada, the U.S., the Caribbean, and South Africa.”
Her influence endures through her words, captured in the 2014 Caribana Presents Flags and Colours project:
“Children are flowers in the garden of the world. All flowers of tomorrow are seeds of today. Whether they grow into beautiful flowers depends not on chance, but on teachers, who are the key fertilizing element.”
Amah summed up her life’s mission with clarity and conviction:
“The driving force behind my efforts has always been to nurture peace and create a vehicle for positive, constructive change toward the harmonious coexistence of peoples. Differences, when harmonized, become a powerful resource. Life is interdependent and interconnected; each person is vital to the success of the whole.”
Amah Harris lived these words. Her artistry, courage, and commitment to justice continue to inspire reminding us that theatre can be a force for transformation.
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Jesse Cook
September 25, 2025 at 1:35 pm
I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Amah Harris—educator, director, and founder of Toronto’s Theatre in the Rough.
I had the privilege of working with her as musical director and composer throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. She was a teacher and mentor not only to me but to countless artists who passed through her company. Through her plays and workshops, she touched thousands of young lives and gave voice to those who might otherwise have gone unheard.
Amah had a remarkable gift for nurturing young talent. When I first met her, I was a teenager with no professional experience and severe stage fright, auditioning for one of her productions. She recognized something in me I could not see in myself. Though I began only as a musician, she encouraged me to act, sing, and lead workshops—experiences that proved invaluable years later when I found myself on the big stage leading a show of my own.
Throughout her career, Amah worked tirelessly to help Canada live up—sometimes reluctantly—to its promise of being a truly multicultural society. She brought her plays and workshops to schools across southern Ontario, from kindergarten to university, and even to Ottawa, where she engaged educators and politicians in meaningful dialogue about inclusion and equity.
She never shied away from speaking her mind, nor from giving others the freedom to speak theirs. She believed that only through open and honest dialogue could this country come together—a lesson that remains as vital today as ever.
In her work, she often drew on traditional Caribbean and African stories. One recurring figure was Mother Truth: a wise, strong, Black, magical woman who comforted the weary, encouraged the downhearted, and offered guidance at life’s turning points.
In many ways, Amah Harris was our own Mother Truth. She spread wisdom, comfort, and encouragement to children and adults alike. Canada was fortunate to have her, and I will remain forever grateful for the years I spent in her presence.
Jesse Cook