‘Ninety Four’ Brings 90s Nostalgia To Halifax
HALIFAX- “It was just such a good time in life.”
That statement, from Crossfield House Productions co-owner Troy Crossfield, sums it up in tidy fashion. Lots of people love the 90s and the decade is having its nostalgic moment.
This Saturday, Crossfield and his creative team will come from Toronto to Spatz Theatre to take Haligonains back to a time that is magical for many.
Ninety Four is a colourful coming-of-age story about two lovebirds from the 80s who reunite in the summer of 1994. The play is family-friendly and filled with references to 90s culture and fashion (including a guy proposing with a Ring Pop).
“We get to see if they can get back together and if they can spark that same young love that they had 10 years prior,” said Sheronna Osbourne, who is Ninety Four’s co-writer, co-director, and co-star (she is also co-owner of Crossfield House Productions).
The play will include opening performances by Halifax’s O Sound and Hailey Smith. The executive director of 2b Theatre Company, LaMeia Reddick, is also organizing a youth workshop that will teach acting, writing, and costume design.
Unsurprisingly, the energetic duo of Osbourne and Crossfield have fond memories of growing up in the 90s. Osbourne came to his Zoom interview with Huddle in style, wearing a colourful shirt that read “1994.”
“It’s very on-brand, isn’t it?” she said with a laugh.
For Osbourne, the 90s was a powerful decade, with the amount of Black culture that appeared in mainstream movies, music, and television.
“We were at an age where we could recognize Black TV shows and movies for the first time,” recalled Osbourne. “Some amazing classics were birthed during that 90s era.”
“I love our culture, so when I think of the 90s in terms of TV or movies, the first thing that comes to my mind is Dancehall Queen, which was shot in Jamaica.”
Crossfield and Osbourne both come from Jamaica and the impact of Jamaican immigration is core to Ninety Four. Hip hop music and Caribbean culture play an important role in the bonding between lead characters Tawni and Marcus.
This history of Jamaican immigration is explained in the play through the character of wise Uncle Fitzroy.
“He’s the voice of reason,” explains Osbourne. “A lot of his lines and monologues are very educational when it comes to the history of immigration from Jamaica.”
Crossfield’s childhood is also sprinkled throughout the play’s plot and setting. Marcus meets Tawni after he is sent from Toronto to live in New York City. Crossfield’s fondest memories of the 90s were taking bus trips with his family to New York.
“We are lovers of the 90s–the music, the culture–and we would always reminisce about families taking bus trips to New York City,” says Crossfield. “That’s where we found love for music, hip-hop, buying tapes. Being on Broadway, shopping with the family or on Canal Street looking for the bootleg stuff.”
“I remember buying this tape Father MC, it was a remix of Mary J Blige. That was the first tape that I bought.”
Crossfield House Productions began organically. Friends and family used to come to Crossfield’s House, hang in the basement, and come up with creative ideas. In 2017, Crossfield decided to put these ideas to paper.
Crossfield asked Osbourne to be in his first play, A Little White Lie, and their partnership was born. But Crossfield House isn’t just a home for his friends–it has become a place to tell stories from the Black community, stories that often have a hard time finding a platform.
The production company has since expanded to include music videos and five films.
“We weren’t always getting the auditions that we wanted, or the opportunities that we wanted. So, when we saw success with the first play, we ventured into film,” said Osbourne.
“Everything with Crossfield House Productions has just been one leap of faith after another.”
More information about Ninety Four, including a list of cast a crew, is available here.
Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].
