MADMEN AND SPECIALISTS MAR 19 @ 6PM
by Wole Soyinka // directed by Rotimi Agbabiaka
Pitting a "madman" who leads a cult of beggars against his son, a former doctor turned army intelligence specialist, Nigerian playwright and Nobel Prize Winner Soyinka uses black humor and absurdism to reflect the inhumanity and corruption in our power structures.
creative team
WOLE SOYINKA / PLAYWRIGHT (he/his)
is a Nigerian playwright, poet, professor and novelist. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first sub-Saharan African to be honoured in that category. A member of the Yoruba people, Soyinka studied at University College in Ibadan, Nigeria, and the University of Leeds, England. Soyinka, who writes in English, is the author of five memoirs, including Aké: the Years of Childhood (1981) and You Must Set Forth at Dawn: A Memoir (2006), and 19 plays shaped by avant-garde traditions, politics, and African myth.
ROTIMI AGBABIAKA / DIRECTOR (he/she/they)
is an actor, writer, and director who uses humor, glamor, and drama to upset the status quo. He most recently originated roles in House of Joy (California Shakespeare Theater) and If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka (Playwrights Horizons). Acting credits include Tom Waits’ Black Rider (Shotgun Players), Bootycandy (Brava Theater Center), runboyrun (Magic Theatre), and several shows with the Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe. Rotimi penned the plays Type/Caste (Theatre Bay Area Award), MANIFESTO, and Seeing Red and has graced nightlife stages around the world as his alter ego Miss Cleo Patois. www.rotimionline.com
CAST
EDRIS COOPER-ANIFOWOSHE / THE OLD MAN (she/her)
is an accomplished actor, director, writer working in the Bay Area for almost 40 years. She is the Founding Artistic Director of the award-winning ensemble Black Artists Contemporary Cultural Experience (BACCE). She has directed locally and nationally at San Francisco Mime Troupe, Trinity Rep, Capital Rep, Southern Rep, Carpetbag Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, WaterTower Theatre, and more.
REGINA MORONES / AAFAA (she/her)
is a native Bay Area actor, singer, educator, a resident artist at the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, and a company member at the Oakland Theater Project. She was last seen in Cutting Ball's virtual world premiere of Utopia by Charles L. Mee. Bay Area credits include Word for Word, San Francisco Shakes, Shotgun Players, Oakland Theater Project, Central Works, and African American Shakespeare Company. Morones has a BA in Theatre Arts from Clark Atlanta University and an MFA in Acting from the University of Iowa. www.reginamorones.com
KENNY SCOTT / GOYI, PRIEST (he/his)
is an actor based in Oakland, California. He attended Morgan State University and was a member of the Laney College Fusion Theatre Project. Recent credits include Quantum Dragon Theatre (Ageless), New Conservatory Theatre Center (Mystery of Love and Sex), Forum (Sarafael), Idiot String (Port Stories), and Crowded Fire Theater (Inked Baby). Company member with Oakland Theatre Project (Hamlet, Mother Courage) and Shotgun Players (The Claim, The Light).
JASMINE MILAN WILLIAMS / SI BERO (she/her)
is thankful and grateful for her gift and ability of storytelling! Next up, she can be heard in Aurora Theatre’s audio production of The Bluest Eye written by Toni Morrison, adapted by Lydia R. Diamond. She thanks her family and friends for always encouraging her to follow her dreams, and for standing behind an artist that works to change the world through/with her art!
“It’s an Artist’s Duty to Reflect the Times.” - Nina Simone
AMY MARIE HAVEN / BLINDMAN, IYA AGBA (she/her)
is an acclaimed director, producer, actress, community builder, and the Associate Artistic Director of African-American Shakespeare Company. Directing and acting credits include Cal Shakes, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Magic Theatre, The Quixote Project, We Players, Alter Theater, Sleepwalkers Theatre, Theatre of Heart, and Four Larks Theatre in Melbourne, Australia; as well as youth street-theater in Tulum, Mexico and educational program creation at San Jeronimo Bilingual School in Cofradia, Honduras.
TROY ROCKETT / CRIPPLE (he/they)
discovered performance and playwriting through poetry. Troy is a VONA/Voices Fellow, Astraea Lesbian Writers’ grant recipient, and a 2021 Titan Award winner. He holds a joint MA degree in Creative Writing and Literature. Dyke Central, Oakland’s first Queer web series, is Troy's most prominent screen acting role. Other acting credits include Leaving the Blues and WAAFRIKA 123. His current theater families are 3Girls Theatre, TheatreFIRST, and Queer Cat Productions. He is currently on tour with Sister Spit featuring his poetry.
DREW WATKINS / BERO (he/his)
It's an honor to be working with Cutting Ball for the first time, and a pleasure working with the talented cast of this wonderful workshop production. Simply grateful to breathe, to play, to explore, and truly grateful for You.
TIERRA ALLEN / STAGE DIRECTIONS
TONI LYNN GUIDRY / STAGE MANAGER