BOSTON: Company One Theatre (C1) has announced Season 22, which will feature three productions and the return of the company’s Better Future Series.
“2020 has only confirmed what we’ve always known: we must use art as a tool to work toward justice,” said C1 associate artistic director Summer L. Williams in a statement. “Justice for Black lives stolen, brutalized, and victimized by white oppressive systems. Justice for immigrants terrorized by the specter of deportation. Justice for all those ignored by what’s perceived to be the dominant American culture. With Season 22, we hope to energize our community toward changemaking—and, after a year of heartbreak, to be intentional about making space for human connection and hope.”
The season will open with the digital world premiere of Downtown Crossing (streaming Oct. 22-25), by David Valdes, about seven undocumented Bostonians who cross paths on the Orange Line and share their hopeful and heart wrenching stories. This production, directed by Summer L. Williams, is a culmination of C1’s two-year Boston (un)Documented Project which involved Valdes interviewing current and former undocumented immigrants, DACA recipients, immigrant rights advocates, community organizers, and family members of the undocumented from the Boston area.
Next up will be the broadcast of a new cinematic recording of Idris Goodwin‘s Hype Man: a break beat play (winter 2021), about a hip-hop trio on the verge of making it big until the police shooting of an unarmed Black teen shakes the group to its core. C1 artistic director Shawn LaCount will direct.
The season will conclude with Black Super Hero Magic Mama (summer 2021), by Inda Craig-Galván, about Sabrina who, when her life is stricken by tragedy, launches herself into a technicolor universe where she gets to be the hero. This production, directed by Williams, is currently scheduled to be a socially distanced in-person event, should safety regulations allow.
C1’s season will also include the return of its Better Future Series, which will continue to celebrate the vibrancy of Black lives, experiences, and narratives. Included will be the launch of the Better Future: Joy & Wellness Program focusing on providing events and workshops geared toward health, relaxation, and artistically-fueled joy.
Company One Theatre, created in 1999, works to bring together the diverse communities of Boston through thought-provoking and politically relevant performances and by fostering socially engaged artists.
