USFSM will hold a preview performance of “The [M]others,” by playwright Nikki Yeboah, on Friday, Feb. 15, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Selby Auditorium. The performance will last 45 minutes, and it will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A conversation.
Students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend. Coordinator of Student Engagement Darren Gambrell encourages USFSM students to attend the stage reading and participate in the dialogue with the performers at this free “Lunch and Learn” event.
The event is a collaboration among USFSM’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, the PAInT Center at USFSM, and New College of Florida presented in conjunction with Black History Month.
| “These are the narratives of those who are left to put back the pieces after their
loved-ones are gone. These women’s stories are incredible and speak to a strength,
pain, and love that it takes to overcome an experience so harrowing.”
— Nikki Yeboah |
About the play (excerpted from the play’s Website): “‘The [M]others’ is a moving and powerful documentary performance highlighting four women’s oral historical narratives about the tragic loss of their children, police, social justice in marginalized communities and grief. The characters in “The [M]others” explore the unimaginable experience of losing a loved one at the hands of police.
“Dialogue appearing in ‘The [M]others’ is drawn from verbatim excerpts of interviews conducted by Nikki Yeboah. The audience is drawn closer to understanding the toll police violence takes on families.”
About the playwright: Yeboah is a playwright, oral historian, and solo performer whose work has been staged at The Hammer Theatre (San José), The Marsh (San Francisco), Links Hall (Chicago) and the Chicago Cultural Center. She holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and is an assistant professor in the communication studies department at San Jose State University.
About the performers: Performing at the stage reading are: Cabrini Austin (New College of Florida), Dr. Denise Davis-Cotton (Florida Center for Partnerships in Arts Integrated Teaching), Mary Robertson (New College of Florida), and Dr. Queen Zabriskie (Sociology, New College of Florida). The director is Dr. Diego Villada, assistant professor or theatre and performance studies at New College of Florida.