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Candice D’Meza is an African-American and Haitian multidisciplinary artist known for her roles as a playwright, filmmaker, and theater performer.[1]. Central to her artistic endeavors is the incorporation of afro-futurism and science fiction to address themes of liberation and freedom. Additionally, her work often takes on the form of ritual theater, providing immersive experiences that intertwine personal and public histories with spiritual elements from Haiti and the African Diaspora. As a proud "mother/artist" of three, D’Meza notably wrote her world premiere production, "A Maroon’s Guide To Time and Space," while breastfeeding her daughter [2]. Her work has garnered recognition, featuring in esteemed institutions such as The Contemporary Art Museum of Houston, DiverseWorks, PlayBill, Latinx Playwrights Circle, and others. [3].
Notable Projects Catastrophic Theatre in Houston, TX produced the world premiere of D'Meza's afrofuturist play "A Maroon’s Guide To Time And Space" in May 2023. Despite being marketed with the unconventional phrase "This is not a Play," the production seamlessly merged live theater with digital characters and audience interaction, featuring a time-traveling Harriet Tubman. The play received acclaim as "a marvel of afro-futurism" [4]and was a finalist for Best New Play in the 2023 Houston Press Theater Awards [5].
In her autobiographical theatrical work "Fatherland," D’Meza skillfully blends a one-woman live performance with a full-length film, incorporating the music, spirituality, and mysticism of Haitian culture. Exploring themes of death, disconnection, and immigration trauma related to her absent Haitian father, the piece has been described as a "bounty of exquisitely crafted, emotionally weighty notions." It invites audiences into a grief ritual through a tea ceremony, fostering family forgiveness and reconnection [6]. The film, directed by Nate Edwards, premiered at Houston’s Stages as the anchor of their 2021 Sin Muros Latinx Theater Festival and was exhibited by the Houston Cinema Arts Society and Colgate University in 2021, funded by a grant from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, and is archived in Rice University [7].
Commissioned by DiverseWorks in 2021, the performance and documentary film "WAIL" stands as a funerary work honoring the 95 unidentified bodies unearthed in Sugar Land, Texas, who were part of a state-sanctioned convict leasing camp between 1877-1912. Drawing from traditions of Blacks in the Antebellum South, the Dagara of Burkina Faso, the Yoruba of Nigeria, and Haitian Vodou, the film explores the memorialization of lives lost, with a community ritual allowing participation and enlightenment on Haitian Vodou and other cultural traditions [8]
References edit
- ^ Walker, Aswad (21 November 2022). "Local artist Candice D'Meza: 'Archeologist of the Soul'". Defender Network. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Becker, Chris. "A Techno Dance Party with Harriet Tubman?! Preview a Houston Playwright's Ambitious Sci-Fi-Savvy New Show". Houston CityBook. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Walker, Aswad (21 November 2022). "Local artist Candice D'Meza: 'Archeologist of the Soul'". Defender Network. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Vognar, Chris. "Travel time with Harriet Tubman at Houston's most adventurous theater". Chron. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Groover, D.L; Goldman, Jessica; De La Garza, Natalie; Alozie, Ada; Downing, Margaret. "Announcing the 2023 Houston Theater Awards [UPDATED]". Houston Press. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Goldman, Jessica. "Fatherland Breathes Magic Into the Memoir Play". Houston Press. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ N/A, N/A. "Fatherland". Houston Cinema Arts Society. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ N/A, N/A. "Wail". DiverseWorks. Retrieved February 21, 2024.