Hats of a multi-hyphenate
Before venturing into being a full-time creative, I didn’t realize how many hats I’d have to wear. There’s the primary hat of being a writer (playwrighting, screenwriting, children’s book, etc), then there’s the producer, event planner, the marketing department, the graphic designer, the publicist, the educator, the grant writer, the administrator, the stage manager and the performer. Regardless, there’s joy existing within these processes.
Growing up in Jamaica has allowed me to experience various elements of my culture which I continue to carry with me today. One of those highlights has been our folklore traditions which holds so much ancestral history, community and memory. Memory for me is home. It is my grandmother’s teachings. It is the ground on which I walked and felt free. It is the yard that raised me and the village which nurtured me.
As a writer, the stories I choose to tell sits in a place of cultural identity and celebration, self-expression and discovery, joy, play, wonder, myth and fantasy. For me, it’s important that more of our stories exist on stages and on screen (animation) that not only reflect our physical likeness but truly embody us as Black people, as Caribbean people, and as Africans.
Biography
Sashoya Simpson is an award winning Afro-Jamaican cultural leader, writer, storyteller, theatre practitioner, audiobook narrator and children’s book author. Her artistic work embodies Caribbean folklore knowledge and cultural practices through theatre performance, visual and literary art. As a performer, she has appeared in Bleeders by d’bi.young anitafrika (Summerworks Festival, 2016) and Lukumi (Tarragon Theatre, 2017) to name a few. Her work has been published in Black Solo: Watah Anthology of Contemporary Canadian Monodrama Volumes 1, 2 & 3 as a playwright and in From The Root Zine as a storyteller/poet. Her voice work includes The Journey Prize Stories (Penguin Random House Canada, 2023), San Souci and Other Stories by Dionne Brand (Penguin Random House Canada, 2023) and The Love Booth and Other Plays (Gailey Road Productions, 2023). As a mentor and facilitator, she has worked with organizations such as Made in Exile, Young People’s Theatre, North York Arts, Toronto District School Board, The AMY Project, Freedom School Toronto, Black Creek Community Farm among others. She founded The Walking Griot collective, which is dedicated to producing work centering on young Black audiences, with works inspired by Afro-Caribbean folklore and cultural practices. Her play, Lulu, was recently staged in Tarragon Theatre’s Sally Stavro Series (2025) and will be produced at the upcoming Toronto Fringe Festival (2025). Her first children’s picture book, The Instrument Maker, will be published in 2026 (Annick Press). She’s the award recipient of the ArtReach Pitch Contest (2016), Emerging Arts Finalist for the Premier’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts (2017), Simminovitch Playwright Protege Finalist (2023), Che Kothari Artist & Instigator Award recipient (2025) and a Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prizes protege (2025). She’s currently the Associate Artistic Director of the Watah Theatre and the Black Theatre School.
The journey to here.
~a look into my timeline~
2008 - 2012
After discovering a love for writing in grade 10, I later joined Nomanzland, a community theatre collective where I expanded into spoken word and poetry centered on social justice issues. After we did a main stage show called ‘Known to Police’, there was a moment on stage which cemented this career path for me.
2014 - 2017
After quitting, I joined the Watah Theatre, created by d’bi.young anitafrika. It gave me space to center myself in the art making and find the stories I wanted to tell while looking at myself in the world. Within these years, I wrote a lot, performed a lot, started The Walking Griot collective, ran our first youth program among many other things until….
2019 - 2020
At Watah Theatre, there was story I somewhat started to write which centered on the importance of my heritage and its cultural traditions. I never did finish it but it kept lingering in my thoughts so I went back to school for one-year so I could be in a place of focus to get it written. This period fully re-shaped the audience who I create for: Black children and youth.
2025
I finally feel fully back to myself. No more 9-5, my goals are clear and the pandemic years are no longer on my shoulders. The engine is revving and there’s so much to come.
90s-00s
As a child in Jamaica, I had many dreams. In particular, I wanted to be a teacher but I later realized, after my high school co-op bit, being in a school building all day wasn’t for me. But now I find myself teaching through my writing and community offerings. The way how destinies work…
2013 - 2014
My university years were short. I quit by my second year. Yes, I was studying theatre full time as I wanted but the systematic structure wasn’t for me. By the way, this was after getting a Travel and Tourism diploma at Humber College prior.
2018
I burnt out. Emotionally, physically, mentally, I bottomed out so I had to take a break. During this one year, I re-evaluauted my art, who I was creating for, what I was creating and there was one story which brought me back.
2023 - 2024
After a few years delay, ‘LULU’ finally made it to the stage. Truthfully, I had written the story as a animation screenplay which I then adapted for the stage as I wanted to bring this important story to our audience as soon as possible. The Walking Griot was back in action.
2025
Che Kothari Artist & Instigator Award Recipient
Awards & Recognition
2025
Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prizes Protege
2023
Siminovitch Theatre Foundation
Playwright Protege Finalist
2017
Premier Awards for Excellence in the Arts
Emerging Artist Finalist
2016
Art Reach Pitch Contest Winner