Kanika Ambrose

About This Episode:

This week on Stageworthy, host Phil Rickaby welcomes Kanika Ambrose, an award-winning playwright, librettist, and screenwriter whose work spans theatre, opera, and television. Kanika shares her path from writing poetry as a child to becoming one of Canada’s most exciting multidisciplinary storytellers, known for blending sharp social insight with bold, imaginative worlds. She discusses her three plays in production right now: our place, at Black Theatre Workshop, The Christmas Market at Crow's in association with b Current and Studio 180 Theatre and Moonlight Schooner at Canadian Stage, in association with Necessary Angel and Tarragon Theatre.

This episode explores:

• Kanika’s creative beginnings and path to becoming a playwright

• Finding her voice in writing after initially pursuing acting

• How motherhood reshaped her creative life

• Creating space for Black women and Caribbean stories in Canadian theatre

• and much more!

Guest: ✍️ Kanika Ambrose

Kanika Ambrose is a two-time Dora Award winning playwright, opera librettist, and screenwriter.  Her play “our place,” was first produced by Cahoots Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille in November 2022 and received a Dora Mavor Moore Award for “Outstanding New Play” in 2023. She received a second “Outstanding New Play” Dora in 2024 for “Truth” which premiered at Young People’s Theatre earlier the same year.

Moonlight Schooner Tickets: 🎟️ https://my.canadianstage.com/overview/9330

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