Shakura Dickson of Soulpepper’s “Billie, Sarah and Ella” in conversation with SesayArts

Billie, Sarah and Ella: Revolutionary Women of Jazz tells the stories of  Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald, who transformed the music industry and gave Jazz its social purpose. 

In this documentary-style concert at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre, Soulpepper Slaight Music Associate Divine Brown pays tribute to the trio of trailblazers who inspired a movement. Brown stars in the show as Billie Holiday, alongside Renée Rowe as Sarah Vaughan, Akosua Amo-Adem  as the narrator, and the Dora-Award nominated Shakura Dickson as Ella Fitzgerald. Soulpepper Artistic Director Weyni Mengesha directs the world-premiere work, which has proven so popular that its run has been extended to March 12.

A graduate of Sheridan College’s Music Theatre program, Dickson recently returned from an acclaimed run playing Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill (Theatre Calgary). Toronto audiences will also remember her role as Alana in the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen that played to packed houses in Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre (Mirvish Productions). Some of her additional theatre credits include: I am William, Freedom 2.0 (Stratford), Jerusalem (Outside the March/Crow’s), Trout Stanley (Factory), Light,Girls Like That (Tarragon), and Other Side of the Game (Obsidian/Cahoots). Her small-screen roles include Grand Army (Netflix), Coroner (CBC), and Private Eyes (Global). 

Just before the opening of Billie, Sarah and Ella: Revolutionary Women of Jazz, Dickson spoke with SesayArts about her artist origin story, the differences between playing Ella and Billie, and the show’s major musical moments – including the most exciting song that she doesn’t sing.

SM: What would you like readers to know about you and why you pursued a career in theatre?

SD: Hey readers! I’m an artist, and I always have been. The theatre was never really a choice for me. It’s usually how it goes – you don’t enter a life in the theatre unless you absolutely must! My “aha” moment was when I was about 8 years old in the audience of The Lion King. Two little Black kids playing Simba and Nala ran down the aisle past where I was sitting. I thought, “They look like me. I want to do that!” And the rest is history.

SM: Since Billie, Sarah, and Ella: Revolutionary Women in Jazz is a world-premiere work, so we have no idea what to expect. Please give us a little insight into what audiences will experience.

SD: Audiences can expect the hits as well as some lesser known tunes of these icons as we journey through a little of how these women came to be who they were. Some fascinating stories about the women we maybe haven’t heard before. Some wonderful singing from myself, Renée Rowe and incredible creator, Divine Brown. And expect a killer band! 

SM: In the production, you portray Ella Fitzgerald. What’s your attraction to the role, and what’s your approach to playing Ella?

SD: Well, it’s always an honour and a challenge to play such an icon. I love Ella’s playful nature and how she makes each song her own. My approach is to lean into the quirky quality I think we both share. I also had to study her scatting over and over again because that was super new to me! I think I’ve got it down, but man, could Ella scat! 

SM: The music in the production will be incredible, to say the least. Which songs are you most excited to sing, and which are you most excited for the audience to hear?

SD: Personally, I love to sing “Blue Skies”. It’s just such a beautiful tune, and our band of course kills it. I’m excited for the audience to hear “Mack the Knife”. Ella had an iconic performance in Berlin where she had to improvise and make it her own, to say the least. We recreate that moment, and it’s really fun. 

SM: I read that you’ve just returned to Toronto after playing Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill at Theatre Calgary, and you are now poised to portray another jazz legend in this production. In preparing for each role, did you discover anything about the artists that surprised or challenged you? Did that inform your portrayal in any way?

SD: Playing Billie, I was really playing Billie. Here it’s more of a loving homage. For Lady Day, I immersed myself in her music, her life, her interviews and really got my impression of her speaking and singing voice down. Billie was a tough cookie, had a troubled life and is known for her rougher sounding voice. However, she was also so gentle and loving. She loved children, even though she didn’t have any herself. She had a bunch of dogs who were her babies! She was a really gentle soul in spite of it all, and that was surprising to find, given her reputation! It absolutely informed my portrayal because throughout all of her struggles, underneath was a really tender heart.

Something that surprised me about Ella, on the other hand, is how shy and quiet she was! With a voice like a horn, it’s hard to imagine she would ever be shy!

SM: Who are you more like: Billie or Ella? Why?

SD: I see myself in both women, but I think I’m like Billie. She wore her heart on her sleeve. She didn’t shy away from saying how she felt. She was a hopeless romantic. She was queer, which not a lot of people know. She was sensitive. She was funny and mouthy. She was a true artist. Really, I can only hope that I’m even a little like her! 

SM: What question didn’t I ask you that you wish I had (and what is the answer)?

SD: “What is your favourite song in the show that you don’t sing?” 

If you don’t come for anything else, come see Renée shut the house down with “Detour Ahead”! 

Billie, Sarah and Ella: Revolutionary Women of Jazz runs until March 12, 2023. Reserve tickets on soulpepper.ca.

© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2023