Hey Viola! Viola Desmond, The Soundtrack of a Life

Viola Desmond, The Soundtrack of a Life

Who is Viola Desmond...? Other than the newest face on Canada’s ten-dollar bill. She is best known for her courage in refusing to leave the whites-only section of Nova Scotia’s Roseland cinema in 1946, a decision that made history, but she was also a feminist and beauty product icon. What was the fire within this successful black Canadian businesswoman that gave her the courage and confidence to stand up to systemic racial injustices in Canada? In Hey Viola!, Vancouver songstress and performer Krystle Dos Santos, with the support of musicians Chris Davis, Steven Charles and Mary Ancheta, brings the life of Viola Desmond to the stage using the dynamic and inspirational music that filled the home of this trailblazer of the civil rights movement. Using the musical format helps enrich the telling of her amazing and powerful story, ultimately an important Canadian story.

Please enjoy the show and stay for a talkback with the artists of the show, hosted by Dr. Joseph Wiebe.

This show is part of the Special Presentations and co-presented with The Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life.