[hieroglyph] is part of Dickerson-Despenza's planned 10-play Katrina Cycle of plays focused on the effects of Hurricane Katrina in and beyond New Orleans.
Less than two weeks remain to stream Erika Dickerson-Despenza's [hieroglyph], co-produced by San Francisco Playhouse and Lorraine Hansberry Theatre.
The new work was fully produced and filmed on stage at San Francisco Playhouse, and is presented as an on-demand video stream through April 3, 2021. Patrons may support the organization of their choice by purchasing tickets ($15 - $100) from Lorraine Hansberry Theatre at lhtsf.org or from San Francisco Playhouse at sfplayhouse.org.
Critics and audiences alike have applauded this bold and honest play, which is part of Dickerson-Despenza's planned 10-play Katrina Cycle of plays focused on the effects of Hurricane Katrina in and beyond New Orleans. KQED called [hieroglyph] "electrifying," stating "It brings a richly evocative work about the Hurricane Katrina disaster to empathetic life." The Mercury News said [hieroglyph] is "a strong play, powerfully performed," while San Francisco Examiner commended its "strong acting and direction," claiming "a coproduction like this one augurs well for the future of relevant new plays in local theaters."
The cast of [hieroglyph] features Jamella Cross, Safiya Fredericks, Khary L. Moye, and Anna Marie Sharpe. All actors appear courtesy of Actors' Equity Association. The work is directed by Margo Hall, marking Lorraine Hansberry Theatre's first staged production since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the first production Hall has directed for the company since taking the helm in September 2020.
The compelling drama [hieroglyph] follows 13-year-old Davis, involuntarily displaced in Chicago two months post-Katrina, where she wrestles with the cultural landscape of a new city and school community while secretly coping with the PTSD of an assault at the Superdome. With her mother still in New Orleans committed to the fight for Black land ownership and her father committed to starting a new life in the Midwest, divorce threatens to further separate a family already torn apart. Will Davis be left hanging in the balance? [hieroglyph] traverses the intersection of environmental racism, sexual violence, and displacement, examining the psychological effects of a state-sanctioned man-made disaster on the most vulnerable members of the Katrina diaspora.
Learn more at sfplayhouse.org.
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