Reproductive Freedom for All, National Abortion Federation, If/When/How, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, DuPont Clinic, Hope Clinic, and The Brigid Alliance will come together on October 20 to inspire conversation in a format the reproductive rights movement has not tried before: a musical.
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Silhouettes is a new musical centering Black and Asian solidarity around reproductive justice, presented in concert at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Written by Jordan Ealey and Ari Afsar. Produced by Analog Media.
*Silhouettes*, a new work by composer-lyricist Ari Afsar (I & You: The Musical, Lyle Lyle Crocodile) and bookwriter Jordan Ealey (inaugural Black Women on Broadway Reading Series), receives a one-night concert staging at Woolly Mammoth Theatre — six blocks from the Capitol, and fourteen days before voters go to the polls. Like Afsar & Ealey’s own collaboration, the piece centers Black and Asian solidarity in the fight for reproductive justice. Five actors and a four-piece band tell the story of two women who meet in a waiting room, seeking abortion, reminding us that history is cyclical and equity is fleeting.
The performance stars Catrina Brenae (National Tour of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical) and Ashley D. Nguyen (Olney’s Waitress) as Naima and Ashley, respectively. Filling out the cast is Kara-Tameika Watkins (Signature’s Passing Strange), Tori Gomez (Signature’s In The Heights), & Helen Hayes Award Nominated Sally Imbriano. Directed by Theater Alliance’s Artistic Director Shanara Gabrielle, Music Directed by Angie Benson (National Tour of A Chorus Line), Orchestrated by Alex Gemignani, stage managed by Jessica Hagy, and music copy by Miu Sato.
The evening is produced by Analog Media – co-founded by Ari Afsar & Brad Jenkins, which builds live performance into civic organizing, and fiscally sponsored & co-produced by Pipeline Theatre Company. The musical is followed immediately by a talkback with Yvonne Gutierrez, Executive Director of Reproductive Freedom for All; Brittany Fonteno, President and CEO of National Abortion Federation; Karishma Oza, Chief of Staff of the DuPont Clinic and board member of the Abortion Care Network and the DC Abortion Fund, Christina Baal-Owens, Executive Director of The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum; Louise Marchena, Director of Client Services of The Brigid Alliance; Jen Girdish, Communications Director of If/When/How; and Chelsea Souder, Founder of Hope Clinic.
Immediately before the performance, principals from all organizations will hold a press conference on the state of abortion access heading into the election, joined by reproductive justice leaders, community leaders, and advocates.
Ari Afsar, co-founder of Analog Media and composer-lyricist of Silhouettes: “We believe art changes culture and culture changes policy. We are so proud to bring cultural awareness to the advocates who are serving and fighting for our communities every day.”
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