THE 2021/2022 SEASON
JUNE 24 - JUNE 25 @ 8PM VIA ZOOM
The Real Sappho
written by AIMEE SUZARA
directed by NAILAH HARPER-MALVEAUX
Will the real Sappho please come to the mic?
Welcome to Oak-Island, to a not-too-distant future, where this queer icon - the Original Lesbian, the poetess you thought you knew - finally reclaims her story.
Poet-playwright Aimee Suzara’s world premiere - The Real Sappho - is a confrontation, a celebration, and the new beginnings of a classic.
FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT
“As a queer-identified poet and teacher, I am drawn to Sappho. But rather than simply probe who she “really” WAS historically, I wanted to explore Sappho as mother, lover, queer, and a woman in her middle-age. If Sappho is indeed a legend and literary ancestor to us all, what if she were a woman of color, not Greek? Who would Sappho be, in our midst?"
- Aimee Suzara, playwright
AIMEE SUZARA - PLAYWRIGHT
is a Filipino-American poet, playwright, performer Aimee Suzara released her debut poetry book, SOUVENIR in 2014. A YBCAway awardee, her work has been presented nationally; selected for the Utah Arts Festival, One Minute Play Festival, United States of Asian America; and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts among other grantors. www.aimeesuzara.net pronouns: she/her
NAILAH UNOLE DIDANAS’EA HARPER-MALVEAUX - DIRECTOR
is a multidisciplinary theatre director focused on new play development and community engagement. She creates, facilitates and curates artistic engagements that center intersectional experience and celebrate the beauty, complexity, resilience, imagination, and joy of those living in the margins, particularly Black and Indigenous women and queer folks. Select directing credits include Dipika Guha’s world premiere of Getting There (postponed to Jan. 2022) and Loy A. Webb’s The Light at Shotgun Players. She is a Resident Artist at Crowded Fire and former Directing Fellow at Berkeley Rep and Community Producing fellow at A.C.T. She graduated with a B.A. in Theatre Studies and American Studies from Yale University. pronouns: she/her
A NOTE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
"The very best part of my job is meeting incredible artists, hearing their ideas, and getting to say “Yes, let’s do it!”
These last couple years have been full of obstacles (you know why) and now, as we – at last – return in-person, we return with that ferocious spirit of yes.
Yes, let’s tell these bizarre and brilliant stories.
Yes, let’s rally the Bay Area’s finest talents to bring them to life.
And, yes, let’s be together in the same room, because we’re at our best when we’re live.
Subscribe today and stay tuned to see what we’ve got coming up. I hope you’ll say an enthusiastic “yes!” to joining us this season."
- ARIEL CRAFT
Executive Artistic Director
Your safety is our priority! That's why proof of vaccination against COVID-19 is required to attend live performances in Cutting Ball Theater's 2021/2022 Season. To learn more, read our full COVID-19 Safety Plan.