Theater Alliance Production Of THIS BITTER EARTH Centers Interracial Gay Love, Allyship

Continuing Theater Alliance's mainstage theater season, THIS BITTER EARTH by Harrison David Rivers, investigates who is allowed to participate in social causes, whose participation seems expected, and what happens when both contradict the purpose of a given movement.

Theater Alliance's productions center the stories of underrepresented and marginalized groups, and this season examines various perspectives on Black joy.

Under the direction of Otis Ramsey-Zöe, THIS BITTER EARTH is set against the backdrop of the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement. The two men have different views on what their roles and participation should be, but their love story affirms their activism. "Rivers' writing is gorgeous, honest, and deeply layered," says Ramsey-Zoe. "For me, the play blossoms in the tension between the visual, sonic, remembered, said, refused, unutterable, and joyful. The actors, designers, and I are all working to draw out the play's exquisite nuances."

The production opens on February 29, 2020, following a week of previews beginning February 22. It marks the regional premiere of this recent play.

"Sometimes the most revolutionary act is simply existing and being seen," says Theater Alliance Producing Artistic Director Raymond O. Caldwell. "Quiet revolutions, like what Rivers explores in this play, are no less revelatory. Indeed, the conversations between these two characters show us the most important ingredient in allyship: love."

The production also marks a theatrical homecoming for actor Justin Weaks, who made his DC debut in Theater Alliance's DONTRELL, WHO KISSED THE SEA in 2015. Weaks also starred in the Theater Alliance productions STILL LIFE WITH ROCKET and WORD BECOMES FLESH, the latter of which earned him a Helen Hayes Award.

Starring alongside Weaks is Noah Schaefer, who is the Artistic Associate at Prologue Theatre as well as an actor. He makes his Theater Alliance debut with this production.

The entire creative team behind THIS BITTER EARTH identifies as LGBTQIA+. Theater Alliance is partnering with organizations whose work echoes the themes and movements of the play for post-show conversations and other opportunities for involvement.
This production is made possible through the support of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, and the Paul M. Angell Foundation. Season 17 at Theater Alliance is generously sponsored by David and Jean Heilman Grier.

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