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Amah Harris: The visionary who shaped black theatre in Canada’s soul
“Differences, when harmonized, prove to be a powerful resource.” – Amah Harris
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.