THE STORY OF CHARLES DANIELS

Charles Daniels was a Black Man, who in 1914 was refused access to his ticketed seat on the floor of the Sherman Grand Theatre (now, The GRAND) when he arrived to watch a performance of King Lear. Mr. Daniels experienced racial discrimination when Theatre management offered him a seat in the “coloured section”. In response to this injustice, Mr. Daniels hired a lawyer and filed a discrimination lawsuit against the theatre ownership and management, making it one of the first civil rights cases in Alberta. The outcome of the lawsuit was not documented so it’s unclear if Mr. Daniels was awarded any compensation. Mr. Daniels was an activist and champion for the rights of Black people, and his story is significant in Calgary’s history.

Today,  The  GRAND  is  committed  to sharing the story of Charles Daniels as part of our own story.

Charles Daniels documentary “Kicking Up a Fuss”

Director: Cheryl Foggo, Producer: Holly Dupej, Associate Producer: Bashir Mohamed, Funded by: TELUS STORYHIVE

THE CHARLES DANIELS COMMITTEE

The GRAND has established the Charles Daniels Committee which will be led by creative visionaries, Wakefield Brewster, Cheryl Foggo and Lisa LaTouche. They will guide this important work, advise GRAND staff and board, and help inform decision making by offering insight into the best way to honour Charles Daniels and build meaningful and long lasting relationships with Black artists and audiences.

Wakefield Brewster

  • In January 1999, Wakefield Brewster stepped onto his first stage as a Poet and Spoken Word Artist. Today, he is known as one of Canada’s most powerful Professional Performance Poets.

    He is a BlackMan raised in Toronto by parents from The Island Republic of Barbados. 

    In 2006 Wakefield moved to Calgary, and it is here where he has been able to truly flourish as a Poet, and as a Person.

    Throughout his career, Wakefield has been published in several Anthologies: 

    • T-Dot Griots, Trafford on Demand Publishing, 2004

    • The Great Black North, Frontenac House, 2013

    • The Calgary Project, Frontenac House, 2014

    • The Black Prairie Archives: An Anthology, Wilfred Laurier University Press, 2019

    In April 2024, Frontenac House published his very first collected work of poetry: WakeWord

    Since moving to Calgary, he has produced two Professional Recordings to his credit:

    • Wakefield Brewster, da lyrical pitbull

    Produced by Kill Whitey Records, 2007

    • east2west

    Produced by Spanish Fly Music, 2008

    The following is a list of roles and achievements of notable mention:

    • Professional Poet & Spoken Word Artist

    • Published Poet

    • Professional Educating Artist

Lisa LaTouche

  • As a proud Canadian and New Yorker, Lisa’s credits are world renowned. She was an original cast member in Broadway’s Shuffle Along, choreographed by Savion Glover and Directed by George C. Wolfe, where she received both the Fred Astaire Award and the Actor’s Equity Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus.

    Her TV credits include the 70th Annual Tony Awards and Amazon’s Original “Z, The beginning of everything”. Previous highlights have also included touring with the Savion Glover production, Stepz, and also performing with both New York's Off-Broadway and the North American touring casts of STOMP.

    Since 2010 she has run her own performance company Tap Phonics and has been commissioned to present for such organizations such as The Brooklyn Museum, 92Y, Gibney Dance and Fall For Dance North. As an educator and Professor she has taught for PACE University, NYU, The School of Jacob’s Pillow, University of Calgary, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, Rosie’s Theater Kids and member of the creative council for the American Tap Dance Foundation. Her most recent endeavour has been writing and directing her debut film TRAX encompassing her journey back to Alberta while discovering important local black history.

    Above all, her proudest achievement greatest inspiration, is the gift of being a mom.

Cheryl Foggo

  • Cheryl Foggo of Calgary embraces various forms of narrative – film, literature, theatre and journalism – to tell compelling stories of Prairie Black pioneers. By shining a light on this rich and diverse history, she helps us understand the significance of contributions by Black people to Canada. Her works have been seen across Canada and around the globe, and include Heaven, John Ware Reclaimed, John Ware Reimagined and Pourin’ Down Rain: A Black Woman Claims Her Place in the Canadian West. An inductee into the Alberta Order of Excellence, she is a past recipient of multiple Provincial, National and International awards, including the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Outstanding Artist Award. She received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Mount Royal University and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2023, and the King Charles the III Coronation Medal in 2025. She has recently launched the short films For Caesar, Keystone Is and We Call Him Sir Charles.