Myekah Payne is a dramaturg. Prounounced (draməˌtərɡ) or (draməˌtərj). Some may be wondering, “What in the world is a dramaturg?”
I asked Myekah to provide a definition of what a dramaturg does in layperson terms. The dramaturg acts as a collaborator with the playwright. This may include assisting with script development, stage directions, providing cultural perspective or researching historical facts to correctly represent experiences. The dramaturg provides an objective viewpoint and is present to support the playwright’s artistic process and ask ‘what if?’ or ‘why?’.
Myekah is originally from Brantford, ON, and obtained a Diploma in Music Theatre from St. Clair College. After graduation, Myekah returned to Brantford and began working at her old high school with a Play Development and Creation program offered through the school board. The students created scenes and monologues covering Grade 6 topics of the school board, such as, child homelessness, food insecurity, LGBTQ issues and drug abuse. In addition to writing the scripts, the students also performed the plays. Myekah noted that during this time, the students became more open to having conversations with their teachers about these topics. She became fascinated by the act of helping the students create their own stories by helping them ‘steer the ship’ of their play. At times, she provided the young writers with a ‘map’ as needed.
Following this experience, Myekah attended York University and completed a two-year Playwriting and Dramaturgy program. In 2017, she apprenticed with Obsidian Theatre’s former dramaturg, Mel Hague, and in 2018, Myekah Payne, herself, became Obsidian Theatre’s dramaturg. Obsidian Theatre is Canada’s premiere culturally specific theatre company. In addition, she is the associate dramaturg for Nightswimming, a dramaturgical theatre company. Both companies are located in Toronto.
I met Myekah in 2019 during the Newmarket National Play Festival. I was cast in a production of Viola, a play based on Viola Desmond, written by Henrika Larochelle and Jay Ritchie. Myekah was our dramaturg. She did a phenomenal job of informing the director, a white male, not only of the general experience of black people during that time period, but most importantly, the experience of black women. Myekah acted as our ‘checks and balances’, so to speak, for the production. She was there to ensure the production’s character depictions were historically and culturally accurate.
Myekah noted that a lot of black representation in theatre and the media was not created by black people – it is based upon the white perspective of black culture, so therefore, it felt inauthentic. She hopes that in the future, the representation of the black perspective will be our own. Artists such as Myekah Payne are working to make that happen.