Community News
Sandy Daley Pivots around the pandemic with Chronicles of a Black Woman: A Sketch Comedy
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
“Simone, in life, you have to learn to pivot.” Sandy Daley
Creatives, I want you to know something; you are not alone with your feelings of confusion, disappointment and frustration of not utilizing the “extra time” the pandemic offered us. Many people are blaming themselves for this lack of productivity, this lack of motivation, this lack of creativity.
I want to interject your thoughts here by letting you know, despite what social media will tell you, not everybody is being productive during the pandemic. The story that I am going to share with you today is surrounding this topic, and how one young woman fought against these feelings and was able to create work that is pivotal during this time.
Sandy Daley’s passion and commitment to the honesty of her work is well documented, and she is no stranger to the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper. A Torontonian, originally from Kingston, Jamaica, Sandy hit the ground running, starring in Christene Browne’s, “Another Planet” and winning the Spirit Award for Favourite Columnist. Sandy’s syndicated column, ‘Real Talk With Sandy’ was published in New York, Toronto and Barbados. Her previous screenwriting projects include “Untamed Chicks”, “Daddy’s Not Around: DNA” and her current project, a teen series, The Wright Girl: all starring black leads.
Winner of the Governor Generals’ Award for Excellence, the Rising Star Award from Centennial College and named Toronto Fringe Festival Artist of The Year in 2020, Sandy continues to lead the way as a determined, passionate artisan who has learned how to adapt and adjust to whatever life throws at her. A long-time advocate for social justice and women’s rights, Sandy is the founder of the Whose Body Is It, Really? Empowerment Symposium for the prevention of sexual violence against women, and Mothers Against Violence Against Black Children. The organization fights systemic racism against Black children. Sandy Daley’s craft is very much a part of the woman she is and the legacy she is building.
Her critically acclaimed first novel, “Whose Vagina Is It, Really?” made the bestsellers list, and the second edition is looking to be released in July 2021. The exciting news that she shared with me in our interview is that this will soon be a play, under the blanket of the Toronto Fringe. Sandy is also doing work on her “Chronicles of a Black Woman: A Sketch Comedy” that will also screen virtually at the 2021 Toronto Fringe Festival, July 21st-31st.
Inspired by the worldwide fringe movement, Toronto Fringe was founded by a cluster of local indie artists in 1989 to offer the “fringes” of the performing arts community a platform to create art at a grassroots level. It’s theatre by the people, for the people.
The Toronto Fringe Festival has become the largest theatre festival in Ontario, showcasing 150+ productions every July at 30+ venues around downtown Toronto. They will be moving forward this summer with an online festival. The Digital Toronto Fringe runs July 21st – 31st and features on-demand Fringe content, live digital events, watch parties, digital lobby gatherings, a virtual patio and more!
Guess what? Fringe keeps ticket prices lower than any other arts festival in the city, at $13, because we believe everyone should be able to afford to see theatre, and this only means that we can go ahead and support our very own Sandy Daley.
“Chronicles of a Black Woman: A Sketch Comedy,” leans on her own experiences as a Caribbean woman, single mother and storyteller for the project. Sandy brilliantly portrays three different characters: an Afrocentric Black woman, a Caribbean woman and a single mother. She brings these characters to life with a mix of raw emotions and the truth of a lot of our realities. This project delves into the feelings of Black women as they navigate a society that is fraught with systemic racism.
During our short interview, Sandy shared with me the birth of this project, and why it is a pertinent piece.
“Last year there was a reckoning that was worldwide,” Sandy begins. “Writing helps me work through my issues, and this last year has brought up many issues. I wanted to speak about experiences as a Black woman.
I wanted something to speak to the narratives that are said about Black women, so I do so by playing these three different characters. It examines how Black women are seen, and how she wants to be seen.”
Sandy shared with me the three characters in her project: “Monica is the Afrocentric Black woman, Pauline is the Caribbean Woman, and Vivian is the single Black mom. They are all me. We all have a piece of these women in us.”
With everything shut down, Sandy was praying that the theatres would open. “When the theatres didn’t open up, I had to pivot. We couldn’t find a space. I immediately thought, why not animation.
The Fringe saw our issues and offered us editors and animators. I thought it would be cool to have a complete animation project, and successfully we were able to do it. I have a team of seven creative individuals who helped me pull it off.
Simone, in life, you have to learn to pivot.”
“CHRONICLES OF A BLACK WOMAN: A SKETCH COMEDY” can be seen during the Toronto Fringe Festival, July 21st – 31st.
Keep up with Sandy Daley:
FACEBOOK: @womanincontrol
INSTAGRAM: @thesandydaley
TWITTER: @thesandydaley