Considered an important political work of theater, Every Day She Rose raises important questions about intersectionality, police brutality, and the differing perspectives of affected communities. With the Montreal premiere of this play by Andrea Scott and Nick Green, presented at Espace Libre from April 4 to 13, BTW Theater closes its 2023-24 theater season with a hot topic that divides with the hope of uniting the public.
“There has long been a strong bond between straight Black women and gay White men, usually beginning with a friendship at a young age,” says Dian Marie Bridge, artistic director, BTW Theatre. “Both being in marginalized communities, a natural alignment and mutual benefit coalesces but sometimes breaks down.” Recall that in 2016, the Black Lives Matter movement blocked and demanded changes to the annual Toronto Pride parade, including that a police float be excluded from the celebration.
Around this time, a serial killer was stalking Toronto’s gay village, targeting men of color. It was also shortly after the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. You would think that Black and queer communities should be aligned on such important issues, but it is often a matter of privilege, viewpoints and perspective.
“I’m very excited to delve into the intricacies of how we see the world, set our priorities, and examine the breakdown of a friendship,” continues the BTW Theater Artistic Director. Every Day She Rose centers on two friends who discover that their racial and queer political perspectives aren’t as aligned as they thought. Cathy-Ann, a heterosexual Black woman, and her roommate Mark, a gay white man, return from the Pride parade with very different views on what happened and how it affected their own communities. .
Cathy-Ann agrees with the demonstration: the presence of the police at the parade does not make her feel safe. Mark, meanwhile, feels safer with them, especially after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Frustrated that he can’t see the bigger picture, Cathy-Ann wonders if she can continue living with Mark. Simultaneously, playwrights Andrea Scott and Nick Green — who share the same identities as their characters — stop throughout the show to figure out how to work together to tell the story of an important turning point in a friendship.
Every Day She Rose is a powerful exploration of white supremacy, Black identity politics, privilege and patriarchy in supposedly safe spaces.

INFO | EVERY DAY SHE ROSE by Andrea Scott and Nick Green,
April 4 to 13, 2024, at the Espace Libre Theater (Studio)