Cheryl Dawn Foggo is a Canadian author, documentary film director, screenwriter and playwright.

Biography

Born in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...

in 1956, she is descended from Black Oklahomans who settled in

Maidstone, Saskatchewan Maidstone is a town in northwest Saskatchewan, Canada located 57 km (35 miles) east of Lloydminster and 84 km (52 miles) west of North Battleford at the junction of Highway 16 and Highway 21. The community was named after Maidstone ...

in 1910. She also had ancestors who lived in Amber Valley, Alberta and Campsie, Alberta. Foggo knew

CTrain CTrain (previously branded C-Train) is a light rail rapid transit system in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Most of the network functions as a light metro, though in the free-fare zone that runs through the downtown core the Red and Blue lines oper ...

designer

Oliver Bowen Oliver Bowen (December 21, 1942 – January 1, 2000) was a Canadian engineer who managed the design and construction of the first line of Calgary's light rail transit system: the CTrain. The City of Calgary acknowledged his engineering work by na ...

when she was growing up in Calgary and her mother's bridesmaid and close friend was

Violet King Henry Violet Pauline King Henry (October 18, 1929 – March 30, 1982) was the first black woman lawyer in Canada, the first black person to graduate law in Alberta and the first black person to be admitted to the Alberta Bar. She was also the first wom ...

, the first Black woman lawyer in Canada.

Advocacy

A keen researcher and voice for Black pioneers in Western Canada, Foggo recently served on the advisory board for ''Black on the Prairies,'' a multi-platform archive and resource initiated and curated by journalist Omayra Issa and CBC Radio host Ify Chiwetelu on CB

and has also had multiple presentations of her multi-media creations: ''Ranchers, Rebels and the Righteous, Creole, Travelling On, Five Voices'' and ''Unlocking Sacred Code''s. She began work on the play '' John Ware Reclaimed, John Ware Re-Imagined'', hoping to bring attention to the Black Albertan cowboy and rancher John Ware in time for the centennial of the

Calgary Stampede The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and featu ...

in 2012. She has been profiled in '' Who's Who in Black Canada''. She volunteers on multiple boards as an advocate for writers and Black artists and is an active mentor and lecturer.

Journalism

Foggo has written for Theatre Alberta'','' Reader's Digest.ca

'Avenue'', '' AlbertaViews'', ''Alberta Ventures'', ''Calgary'', ''Canadian,'' ''Western Living'', ''Sunday Magazine'', ''Arts Bridge'', ''Muse'', ''Canadian Consumer'', the ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

'', ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' and ''Legacy''. Her work has been anthologized in multiple collections, includin

'The Black Prairie Archives: An Anthology'' edited by Karina Vernon'', Calgary Through The Eyes of Writers'' edited by Shaun Hunter, ''Alberta Encore, One Step Over The Line, Directions-The Bicentenary of the Abolition of the British Slave Trade, Remembering Chinook Country and Unsettled Pasts.''

Plays

Her short play ''The Sender'' was commissioned as part of Obsidian Theatre Company's 21 Black Futures, now streaming on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

Gem. Her play ''Heaven'' is scheduled for production at the

Citadel Theatre The Citadel Theatre is the major venue for theatre arts in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, located in the city's downtown core on Churchill Square. It is the third largest regional theatre in Canada. History It began in a former Salvati ...

in summer 2021. In August 2014, her play ''John Ware Reimagined'' premiered in Calgary, produced by Ellipsis Tree Collective Theatre Company. ''John Ware Reimagined'' had its second production a

Workshop West Theatre Company in 2017. An early version of the play had its first public reading in 2012. The script won the Writers Guild of Alberta, Writers' Guild of Alberta 2015 Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for Drama. In August 2012, ''The Devil We Know'', her play co-written with Clem Martini, premiered at the

Blyth Festival Blyth Festival, is a theatrical festival, located in the village of Blyth, Ontario, Canada, which specializes in the production and promotion of Canadian plays. In addition, the Festival acts as a resource for local groups and makes its facilities ...

. In 2010, she created a stage adaptation of

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as the dominant figure of modern African literature. His first novel and ''magnum opus'', ''Things Fall Apart'' (1958), occupies ...

's ''

Things Fall Apart ''Things Fall Apart'' is the debut novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, first published in 1958. It depicts pre-colonial life in the southeastern part of Nigeria and the invasion by Europeans during the late 19th century. It is seen as the ...

'', receiving workshops and staged readings during Theatre Calgary's

Fuse Festival Fuse or Fuse Festival, formerly Music Business Adelaide and Eat the Street, was an Australian contemporary music event held annually in the South Australian capital of Adelaide, from 1996 until 2012 or 2013. It showcased Australian musicians c ...

and Afrikadey. ''Heaven'' was first produced b

Lunchbox Theatre Company in 2001 and aired on CBC Radio Sunday Showcase and Monday Night Playhouse in 2004. Her play ''Turnaround,'' co-written with Clem Martini, was produced by Lunchbox Theatre and Quest Theatre Company in 1999.

Books

Her first book ''Pourin’ Down Rain: A Black Woman Claims Her Place in the Canadian West'' is a memoir about five generations of her family and talks about growing up Black on the Canadian prairies. It was a finalist for the Alberta Culture Non-fiction Award in 1990. In 2020

Brush Education released the 30th anniversary edition. The audio version of the 30th anniversary edition is read by acclaimed actor

Karen Robinson Karen Robinson (born February 29, 1968) is a British-Canadian film, television, and stage actress. She won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a Guest Role in a Drama Series at the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019 for her appearan ...

. Her three children's/YA books - ''One Thing That's True'' (1998)'', I Have Been in Danger'' (2001)'', Dear Baobab,'' (2011) - offer positive representations of Black and mixed-race childhoods.

Filmmaking

Foggo made '' John Ware Reclaimed,'' a documentary film about legendary Black cowboy John Ware with the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

(NFB).'' John Ware Reclaimed'' had its world premiere at the

Calgary International Film Festival The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is a film festival held annually in Calgary, Alberta, in late September and early October. CIFF is the largest international film festival in Alberta and the sixth largest in Canada. The Festival's ...

in 2020, where it received the CTV Alberta Feature Audience Choice Award.Eric Volmers
"Finding John Ware: Documentary separates the man from the myth"
''

North Bay Nugget The ''North Bay Nugget'' is a newspaper published in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. The paper is currently owned by Postmedia. The paper was launched in 1907 as the ''Cobalt Nugget'', during the silver boom at Cobalt, Ontario. It was acquired by bus ...

'', September 22, 2020. In 2019 she wrote and directed the short film Kicking Up A Fuss: The Charles Daniels Story, which was a finalist for an AMPIA in 2020. In 2002, she wrote and directed the NFB documentary film ''The Journey of

Lesra Martin Lesra Martin (born April 11, 1963) is an American-Canadian lawyer, motivational speaker and writer. He is perhaps best known for helping to bring about the release of former boxer Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter. Background Martin was born into ...

''. She has been a consultant on several other films and was a member of the story team on the CBC drama

North of 60 ''North of 60'' is a 1990s Canadian television drama depicting life in the sub-Arctic northern boreal forest (north of 60° north latitude, hence the title). It first aired on CBC Television in 1992 and was syndicated around the world. It is s ...

for 2.5 seasons.

Filmography

Screenwriting

* ''Carol's Mirror'' (1992), winner of national and international educational film awards * member, story-writing team, ''North of Sixty'' TV series, for 2.5 seasons * ''The Higher Law'', co-written for ''North of Sixty'' TV series * ''Love Hurts'' (1998), episode of ''North of Sixty'' TV series, finalist for Alberta Motion Picture Industry Awards * consultant, NFB's ''Race is a Four Letter Word'' (2006) * researcher, National Film Board's (NFB), ''Mighty Jerome'' (2010)

Awards

* 2021 Grand Prize Regards d'ici category Vues d'Afrique Festival Internationale for ''John Ware Reclaimed'' *2021 Calgary Black Chambers Arts, Entertainment and Media Award *2020 Calgary International Film Festival CTV Alberta Feature Audience Choice Award for John Ware Reclaimed. * 2015

Writers Guild of Alberta The Writers' Guild of Alberta (WGA) was founded in 1980 as a non-profit organization for writers based in Alberta, Canada. It claims to be the largest provincial writers' organization in Canada, representing approximately 1,000 writers throughout th ...

Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for Drama for ''John Ware Reimagined''. *2015 Obsidian Black Achievement Award for Professional Excellence. *2014

Writers Guild of Canada The Writers Guild of Canada is an organization representing more than 2,500 professional writers working in film, television, radio, and digital media production in Canada. Members of the Guild write dramatic TV series, feature films, Movies of th ...

Sondra Kelly Screenplay Award *2008 nationa
Harry Jerome Award For The Arts
* Merit Award, Fort Calgary (2004) * Chris Award for ''Journey of Lesra Martin'',

Columbus International Film Festival The Columbus International Film + Animation Festival is a Columbus, Ohio, United States annual film festival which is designed to encourage and promote the use of film and video in all forms of education and communication. It is the first and ol ...

(2003) * Best Education Program, Gold Apple Award & Short Drama Award, for ''Carol's Mirror'' (1992) * Great North TV Writing Competition (1995) * Achievement Award, BAASA (1998)

Award nominations

* Writers Guild of Canada documentary script *Governor General * Silver Birch * Blue Heron * ''Mr. Christie'' * The Writers Guild of Alberta R. Ross Annett * finalist in Theatre BC's National Playwriting Competition * ''Love Hurts'', finalist, Alberta Motion Picture Industry Awards *Kicking Up a Fuss: The Charles Daniels Story, finalist, Alberta Motion Picture Industry Awards

References

External links

*
Biography (Alberta Order of Excellence)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foggo, Cheryl 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Canadian women dramatists and playwrights Canadian women journalists Canadian women novelists People from Amber Valley, Alberta Writers from Calgary Canadian people of African-American descent Black Canadian writers Living people Canadian women film directors Black Canadian filmmakers Canadian documentary film directors Film directors from Calgary Canadian women non-fiction writers 1956 births Canadian women documentary filmmakers