The Velvet Duke takes audience members on a rhythmic journey filled with humour and understanding with their musical improv performance, All Request Radio.
The Ottawa-based musical improviser will be performing in the Ottawa Fringe Festival between June 15 and 25 at the Arts Courts Theatre. The not-for-profit festival, started in 1997, hosts an amalgamation of performing arts, and all ticket sales go directly to the artist.
In All Request Radio, Velvet hosts a radio show in character, discovering songs alongside the audience. Velvet mesmerizes their audience as DJ Velvet Painting with lyrical improvisation skills, creating songs based on audience suggestions.
Velvet was recently awarded the 2023 Emerging IBPOC Artist Laureate from the Ottawa Arts Council for their work on integrating accessibility into theatre.
Their All Request Radio performance includes live ASL interpretation, machine-automated captioning, gentle audience engagement and a masking requirement.
The disabled, queer and Black artist prides themself on creating an inclusive show, accessible to anyone wanting to attend.
The performer first fell in love with improv after attending a high school theatre class. Velvet explains that during this time, they finally felt acceptance.
“In the moment, it was just, ‘hey, we’re accepting each other, regardless of what else we know outside.’ And that was very compelling for me,” they said.
Velvet pursued a career in acting on stage and on camera. However, they found the “rigid structure of acting in a white-centred entertainment industry” challenging to tolerate.
“So I was like, ‘well, they’re not going to look at me anywhere, I’m going to do my own thing.’”
After a brief break from traditional entertainment, Velvet decided to step back into the spotlight, creating a musical improv routine. Velvet is also an award-winning playwright.
As one of the only Black creators at Ottawa’s Fringe Fest, Velvet looks forward to carving out a space for expressing “Black joy.”
“One of my foundational beliefs is that you can portray Black joy, it doesn’t have to all be Black trauma.”
An All Request Radio Black Out Night performance will be held on June 21 to honour Black audiences and artists historically excluded from the arts. Velvet said all audience members are welcome and that the Black Out Night is a celebration.
“I want to ensure that it’s [an audience] of all ages, people of all backgrounds. However, [the audience] centers their joy. I want that to be funnelled through,” Velvet said.
Feature photo by Faith Greco
