A BIPOC Play-Reading Series

GUEST ARTISTS AND PLAYS

• Rivka Rivera - FEB 3

  Synopsis
  In the aftermath of their daughter's devastating suicide, Ildefonso Muñoz, a communist philosopher, and Carmen, his resilient partner, find themselves distanced from their beloved granddaughter Delfina, and her father, Leo. Ildefonso's sorrow is deepened by his belief that Leo's capitalist leanings played a role in their shared tragedy. Meanwhile, Carmen is struggling with a health crisis, but she is determined to keep it a secret from her family. But when Hurricane Maria threatens to destroy their island, they all find themselves under one roof. Will this family finally mourn the death of their daughter, mother, and wife - or will they drown in a sea of resentment?

  
  About the Artist
  Rivka Rivera (she/her) is a Jew-Yo-Rican actor, playwright, and educator. Her name 'Rivka' means to bind and make whole, reflecting her dedication to creating art that helps people explore and understand their complex identities.

  As a playwright, Rivka is a member of the Conch Shell Artist Collective of Caribbean Diaspora Writers, Irondale Ensemble, and [Re] Verse Writer’s Group. Her latest play, THE MOURNERS, about a family reuniting during Hurricane Maria, was selected for Carnegie Mellon’s prestigious ColLABo incubator. This honor is bestowed upon artists dedicated to crafting compelling narratives that spotlight minority populations and marginalized voices. Rivka was also a finalist for Rattlestick Theater’s Terrence McNally New Works Incubator and a Princess Grace Semi-Finalist as well as selected by Royal Court Theater in the top 20% of their submissions. Rivka’s short film “Are You OK? Cause I’m OK?” about a mushroom trip with her mother was featured in PAPER MAG.

  As an actress, Rivka has worked opposite Cuba Gooding Jr, in Firelight (ABC), the Sci-Fi Cult film “The Circle” (Netflix), and most recently in Peter Hedge’s “The Same Storm.” Rivka is also the co-host of Movies vs. Capitalism an anti-capitalist movie re-watch podcast produced by The Lever. She is a proud graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia HS of Performing Arts and Carnegie Mellon University.

• Elijah Seay - MAR 10

  Synopsis
  Time’s Testimony is a play on words as it depicts the testimony of a man who goes through a trial of falling, manipulation, discovery, and redemption, while also touching on the irony of time changing a calloused heart. As a man navigates through the challenges of addiction and pride, his wife persists in her faith to see a change in him. Through great resistance and difficult encounters, this story takes its audience through the ups and downs of living in a household where things never seem to go right. Where faith is tested, outcomes may be unforeseen.
  
  About the Artist
  

  Elijah Seay is a true native of Tampa, a city that has shaped his identity since his birth in 2001. From his earliest days of vocalizing and penning thoughts, the art of performing and writing has been a fervent and unwavering passion of his. As a child, he was wholeheartedly nurtured and supported in these endeavors, laying the foundation for his creative journey in poetry, acting, and scriptwriting.

  Elijah employs his writing as a means to eloquently explore profound and occasionally challenging subjects, which have either played a significant role in his own life or in the lives of those in his close circles. Infused with his vivid and evocative imagination, this approach has given rise to a body of work that is not only heartfelt but also rich with imaginative prowess, all while being deeply rooted in the raw emotions that fuel his creative expressions.

  Elijah proudly holds the status of a University of South Florida alum, having earned his bachelor's degree in psychology. As the youngest among three siblings, he treasures family bonds. A fervent enthusiast of superheroes, he reserves a special place in his heart for Spider-Man. Yet, it's the enigmatic allure and remarkable music of the late singer Aaliyah to which he deeply connects. However, above all, Elijah's unwavering commitment to his faith takes precedence in his life. He is deeply immersed in his church, with his spiritual beliefs serving as the cornerstone of his existence.

• Julia Izumi - APR 14

  Synopsis
  Miku wants to be a god. Ephraim wants to be an Olympian. Grandma Seiko wants to remember. And minor god Shara just wants people to include him in the conversation, you know? As they journey from the schoolyard to the river to the underworld and back again, Miku and company will learn what it actually takes to become a god. miku, and the gods. is an epic adventure that braids together friendship, death, memory, time, rhythm – and power beyond what one could ever desire.

  About the artist
  Julia Izumi (she/her) Plays include Regretfully, So the Birds Are (Playwrights Horizons/WP Theater), miku, and the gods. (ArtsWest), Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea (Rorschach Theatre), and others. Select development: MTC, Clubbed Thumb, New Georges, Berkeley Rep, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ojai Playwrights Conference, and more. Inaugural OPC Dr. Kerry English Award recipient. Current New Dramatists Resident. Current commissions: True Love Productions, MTC/Sloan, Playwrights Horizons, Seattle Rep 20x30. MFA: Brown University.

• Monique Mojica - MAY 26

  Synopsis
  

  Izzie M: The Alchemy of Enfreakment is a performance that explores a time in the not-too-distant past when “Indians” were considered freaks and exotics. Set during the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and performed by Monique Mojica and Barry Bilinsky, Izzie M reveals the ways in which things that are sacred in Indigenous societies became profaned for entertainment and profit.

  Mojica’s exploration of the freak show was sparked by her own family’s experiences. In the 1930s her mother and aunt (the future founders of New York’s Spiderwoman Theater) performed in the Side Show at the Golden City Amusement Park in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn, New York.

  About the artist
  

  Monique Mojica (Guna and Rappahannock)'s  theatrical practice is centered in land-based embodied research and the development of culturally specific Indigenous dramaturgies. She is a member of the newly formed Indigenous Dramaturgy Circle at Tarragon Theatre and was the inaugural Wurlitzer Visiting Professor at the University of Victoria’s Theatre Department in 2023. Her first play, Princess Pocahontas and the Blue Spots was produced in 1990 and is taught in curricula internationally. She founded Chocolate Woman Collective in 2006 to create the play Chocolate Woman Dreams the Milky Way. She is the co-editor, with Ric Knowles, of Staging Coyote’s Dream, vols. I & II and of the upcoming volume III, co-edited with Lindsay Lachance. Newly released is Chocolate Woman Dreams the Milky Way: Mapping Embodied Indigenous Performance, written with Brenda Farnell. Her most recent performances include My Sister’s Rage for Tarragon Theatre and The Unnatural and Accidental Women at the NAC. Monique has collaborated with Santee Smith since 2013 as the dramaturg for Kaha:wi Dance Theatre’s tryptic, Re-Quickening/Blood Tides/SKe:NEN and for Teneil Whiskeyjack’s Ayita for Edmonton’s SkirtsAfire Festival.