Amah Harris, a doyenne in Black theatre, fondly remembered

By Neil Armstrong

Amah Harris, a seasoned theatre producer, playwright and educator, has made her final exit on the stage of life.

The Dominica-born dramatist died on July 9, 2025, in Toronto, and there has been an outpouring of condolences from the creative community.

She was best known for her involvement with burgeoning Black theatre companies in Toronto in the 1970s, ‘80s and 90s, notes the contemporary directory, “Who’s Who in Black Canada: Black Success and Black Excellence in Canada,” by Dawn P. Williams which includes her profile.

While in Dominica, she was involved in theatre as the founder and artistic director of the Secondary School Drama Society and later the adult company, Little Theatre. Harris immigrated to Canada in 1970.

A teacher by training, she worked in both education and theatre, and “is known within the Toronto District School Board for integrating elements of drama, education and culture into techniques for problem solving, teaching curriculum and building community within the classroom.”

A “100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women” 2018 honouree, Harris is most often identified as an anti-racist advocate, innovative educator, and champion of culture, who fosters the harmonious coexistence of peoples.

She co-directed Black Theatre Canada in the 1970s and, in 1977, began writing plays in Kwakoo Anansi series, using the traditional African character to educate and entertain. These plays toured schools in Ontario and were performed across Canada, the United States, and South Africa.

In 1985, Harris founded Theatre in the Rough, “a touring company that dealt with ‘rough issues’ to quote the Toronto Star. This was carried out both through catalyst original plays and experiential workshops. That approach brought participants face-to-face with the issues at hand and encouraged them to make a commitment to handling those issues using their own strategies,” notes a description of Harris at a Rotary Club of Toronto event in 2024. 

Francis Jeffers, head curator and president of the Canadian Multicultural Inventors Museum, says his family and Harris’s knew each other in Roseau, Dominica, but they became friends in Toronto when he moved to the city and started volunteering and hanging around progressives in the Black community.

“My fondest memory is working with her on an inclusive history of Carnival for Cadillac Fairview; her knowledge of masquerade from West Africa to the Anglophone and Francophone Caribbean and curating the show with a tight budget was an amazing education. Her love for the Caribbean, its people and culture, combined with her faith as a progressive Christian made working with her a joy.”

Sandra Whiting, speaker, storyteller and event host, says Harris will not be forgotten.

“Amah was regal with a quiet presence. She was passionate about her homeland, Dominica, and also about the Carnival Arts in all its forms. I worked with her on a Carnival Arts Group event in North York several years ago and I admired her attention to detail and also her ability to work together to achieve her vision. She was firm and fair. She loved theatre and storytelling, and most of all, she loved her people and the Caribbean culture. I am proud to have been her friend.”

Storyteller Richardo Keens-Douglas had been a friend of Harris for over 40 years.

“We were so close that we used to call each other “my other half.” She was an icon, in the Toronto theatre scene and the Black community. But most of all, the love she had for folks. Always there to help and support, always stood up for what was right, never shied away from telling the truth and calling you out,” he says, while expressing that his heart is broken.

“My fondest memories, (there are so many), are the many dinners, or just hanging out and talking and laughing about everything under the sun for hours. We would call each other up and say let’s go to the midday Mass at St. Michael’s, then we would hang out. The long chats on the phone,” said Keens-Douglas while noting that every moment he spent with Harris was a fond memory.

Harris was the symbolic conductor of the annual Emancipation Day Underground Freedom Train Ride organized by Blackhurst Cultural Centre on July 31, 2024.

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