ER Simbagoye

ER Simbagoye (he/they, il/iel) is a bilingual freelance artist. Of Burundian heritage, they were born in Tio’tia:ke (Montréal) and grew up in N’Swakamok (Sudbury). They hold a diploma in television production from La Cité (2020) and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Laurentian University (2017).

ER became interested in theatre during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, and that’s when he joined the Sudbury arts community after living in that city for more than 15 years. Thanks to those who welcomed him, he has had the opportunity to meet and work with brilliant and caring people. This is also true of the work he does, and to which he bears witness as a member of Black Lives Matter Sudbury.

The Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario offered them their first artist contracts (Sombre divan, Solo Cup, Nickel City Fifs). The podcast-style radio format led them first to puppetry (Charly dans le désert by Créations In Vivo), then to stage work (theatre, musicals). More recently, they have worked with the English-speaking theatre community (YES Theatre) on various productions, including Chicago, Matilda, and Jersey Boys.

ER strives to welcome into his life as much tenderness, queerness, and liberation (of body, mind and spirit) as possible—without even a hint of shame. That’s why, these days, he devotes his time to rest. In fact, for ER, the act of resting is a form of resistance; by aspiring to follow the principles of Tricia Hersey’s Rest Is Resistance, by integrating them into his daily life and work, he seeks to create a space for healing and joy.