Semi-autobiographical in nature, emotions and communication between actor and audience are central to this work. Tightrope Time is not so much an historical documentation of the quest of a person for a place in the Nova Scotian—or indeed the Canadian—mosaic, as it is an illumination of the resiliency of the human spirit. Ultimately Tightrope Time is simply about survival—traversing that tightrope which we all must cross in order to embrace the fact that, in spite of everything, "we done made it over."

Born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Walter Borden, CM ONS, is an acclaimed and revered actor, activist, poet, teacher, and mentor. As a stage actor, he has left his signature imprint in all the major theatres in every province in the country, including five seasons at Stratford Festival. His artistry has earned him a Merritt Award, a META Award and a Dora nomination for Best Performance by an Actor, as well as a Quebec Cinema nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Gerontophilia.

Walter Borden is a recipient of the Order of Canada, the Order of Nova Scotia, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals, the prestigious Portia White Prize, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Achievement Award, the Leslie Yeo Prize for Volunteerism, and two honourary doctorates. He is an inductee into the Dr. William P. Oliver Wall of Honour Society at the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, and he is the author of The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time.

Walter Borden's profile page

George Elliott Clarke is a Canadian poet and playwright. Born in Windsor Plains, Nova Scotia, he has spent much of his career writing about the Black communities of Nova Scotia and served for a time in the African-American Studies department at Duke University. He earned a BA Honours degree in English from the University of Waterloo (1984), an MA in English from Dalhousie University (1989), and a PhD in English from Queenâ??s University (1993). In addition, he has received honorary degrees from Dalhousie University (LLD), the University of New Brunswick (LittD), the University of Alberta (LittD), and the University of Waterloo (LittD). He is currently professor of English at the University of Toronto.

In 2001 he won the Governor Generalâ??s Literary Award for poetry for his book Execution Poems. Clarkeâ??s work largely explores and chronicles the experience and history of the black Canadian community of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, creating a cultural geography that Clarke often refers to as Africadia. Clarkeâ??s Whylah Falls was one of the selected books in the 2002 edition of Canada Reads, where it was championed by Nalo Hopkinson.

George Elliott Clarke's profile page

"Tightrope Time is hot stuff. It's rare to be in a theatre and glimpse worlds through language taut with images and rhythm and word-play..."

Chronicle Herald, Halifax

"Tightrope Time, a one-man monologue, expertly performed by Walter Borden, provides a rare opportunity to receive a once-in-a-lifetime experience of superb acting coupled with rich material."—The Monitor