Olivia Duodu (Lindiwe)

was born in Ghana and arrived in Canada at the age of six. She has been exposed to the arts since the age of nine when she joined the Westview Choral Project under the inspiration of conductor Brainerd Blyden-Taylor. In 1996 she landed the role of Dorothy in Stanley’s production of The Wiz. Olivia is a graduate of Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts and a former member of the Tarragon’s Young Playwrights’ Unit. In 2003, Duodu wrote, directed and choreographed her first major production, Rising Sun, a complex production with a cast of fifty. This outreach model was designed to reach out to youth on issues of racism and discrimination. In 2004 Olivia played the role of Tituba in Arthur Miller’sThe Crucible produced by Staged and Confused. Olivia joined AfriCan Theatre Ensemble in 2006 and played the role of Sinsin in the company’s production of Esu and the Vagabond Minstrels in 2006 and 2007; and the role of Lindiwe in Have You Seen Zandile? in 2008.  Olivia is a member of the Ontario Education Service Corporation for art schools