Five years after her University of Toronto directorial debut, Abigail Whitney returns to Toronto's theatre scene with the Canadian premiere of The Noose. This English translation of Pèlentèt, the critically acclaimed 1978 Haitian Creole classic play by Nobel Prize nominee Frankétienne, will run for 6 shows from October 17-26th at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre as part of the Toronto Fringe's Next Stage Festival.

In The Noose, two Haitian immigrants- Edmond Clark as Polydor, a middle class intellectual and Louco St. Fleur as Pyram, a lower-class labourer - clash, banter, and ultimately unite in a New York City basement apartment in the 1980s, fighting for dignity in a world determined to crush their American dreams.

"It's surreal to see my journey come full circle," Abigail says. "From my first directorial debut of the Haitian play Les Frères to now bringing this Haitian masterpiece to Canada.”

Abigail's work takes on special significance as Haiti continues to face political and humanitarian challenges in 2024. "The Noose offers a poignant exploration of the Haitian immigrant experience," Abigail states. "It's crucial that we amplify Haitian voices and stories, especially in these turbulent times."

Abigail is grateful for the opportunity to continue the legacy of this important work: "Nearly 50 years since its original publication and premiere performance in 1978, and 27 years after its English premiere in New York City, I'm honoured to share this Haitian classic with the next generation. The Noose is also scheduled to go on a national and international tour with two upcoming premieres in Ottawa in February 2025 and New York City in April 2025.

Abigail made her international directorial debut in 2024 in New York City at the Obie award-winning 13th annual theatre festival 48Hours in...™Harlem, garnering attention from Broadway World and the New York Theater blog.

Recently, Abigail played Moonshadow, the first Black woman superheroine in Amazon Prime's season three of The Boys. Her short documentary Remembering Me, part of Netflix's "Being Black in Canada" program, has screened at multiple film festivals and is now streaming on CBC Gem and has aired across CBC TV Ontario stations, nationally on CBC TV and CBC Gem Live. Coinciding with her theatre debut, Remembering Me will have three Toronto premiere at the CineFAM Film Festival at 837 Dundas Street West, Toronto on October 19th, followed by a screening at the Regent Park Film Festival at Daniels Spectrum on December 1st and the Breakthroughs Film Festival at the Paradise Theatre on December 8th.

Abigail is currently part of the Suzy Shier national advertising campaign. Walk into any of the 60 Suzy Shier store’s in Canada, and you'll be greeted by Abigail's face. This is Abigail’s second national advertising campaign. In 2018 she graced Sephora storefronts across Canada.

Showtimes for The Noose are:
October 17th at 7:30pm
October 19th at 5pm
October 20th at 2:30pm
October 23rd at 7:30pm
October 25th at 5pm
October 26th at 4:45pm

Tickets are now available on the Toronto Fringe's website. For more information, visit https://abigailwhitney.co/directing/the-noose/  and https://abigailwhitney.co.