Theater Alliance Announces Third Annual ‘Word Becomes Action Festival’

Six provocative new works over 12 days about everyday revolutions and resilience.

By
News Desk
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The third annual Word Becomes Action Festival launches Theater Alliance’s 2019-2020 season with six new works that ask us to confront the revolutions and moments of resilience within our daily lives. Shining the spotlight on local theater artists, Word Becomes Action offers a dynamic glimpse into the themes and topics explored throughout Theater Alliance’s main-stage season.

Freshman Year by Moriamo Tẹmídayọ Akibu
Aug. 6, 2019
A time for new choices, new experiences, new opportunities to prove your the shit. Five young queers gather in a quad to rise up, get down, and make a whole lot of noise. (Quadrant Playwright Reading) 

Before Closing Time & The Devil’s Contract by Shalom Omo-Osagie
Aug. 7, 2019
In Before Closing Time, six people are held at gunpoint by a not-so-clever bank robber. The Devil’s Contract is a fast-paced thriller exploring what happens when we make deals with the devil. (Quadrant Playwright Reading) 

Blank by Nassim Soleimanpour
Aug. 8 – 11, 2019
Featuring Sisi Reid (Aug. 8), Lolita Marie (Aug. 9), Heather Gibson (Aug. 10), and Tiffany Byrd(Aug. 11)

Continuing the formal experiment that marked White Rabbit Red Rabbit, Nassim Soleimanpour brings us Blank. In a joint effort between audience and performer, the gaps in the script are filled in to reveal a story that celebrates the human imagination. As formally inventive as it is engaging, Blank reverses the typical theatre experience: A script riddled with blanks leaves the audience in charge of how the story will unfold. The concept might be simple, the result is nothing short of empowering as a random audience member sees his or her future determined by the imagination of others.

Follow the Money, This Is America by Kadijah Z. Ali-Coleman
Aug. 13, 2019
Indifferent to class, gender, race or age, capitalism shapes the ways we interact with ourselves and each other, often defining our concept of justice and inserting itself into every facet of our existence — from the mundane to the explicit. An episodic play fused with music, black comedy and dramatic build. (Quadrant Playwright Reading) 

Ghetto Symphony by Avery Collins
Aug. 14, 2019
Mike, an aspiring rapper/part-time drug dealer, grapples with how to navigate America as a Black man while trying to do what he wants with his life. Placed in a box by every external force he encounters, he has to decide if he’ll break the cycle of violence in urban communities and how it affects his survival. (Quadrant Playwright Reading) 

Diagnosed by Iyona Blake
Aug. 15 – 18, 2019
Penny Mitchell is an African American woman searching for her inner peace, both as a wife and a mother. In the past, her faith, community, and family were an enormous support and strength. However, as her mental health becomes challenged and events intensify, Penny is forced to go against cultural norms, traditions and instilled beliefs to seek professional help. With the aid of her therapist, she is able to come face to face with her childhood and present day demons. Will she heal?

Theater Alliance performs at Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Place SE, in Washington, DC. For tickets and more information, click here.
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