A.R.T. Announces Special Events Connected to Hear Word! Naija Woman Talk True
(photo provided by the production)
American Repertory Theater has announced a series of special events tied to its production of Hear Word! Naija Woman Talk True, currently running through February 11 at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Chief among these events is a series of post-performance conversations with cast members, scholars, creative team members, and additional guests that are part of A.R.T.'s Act II initiative. The schedule and roster of guests are as follows:
February 1, 7:30pm
Conversation with Ifeoma Fafunwa, director of Hear Word!; Jacob K. Olupona, professor of African Religious Traditions, Harvard Divinity School; and Susan Cook, executive director, Cambridge office, Harvard University Center for African Studies.
February 3, 2pm
Conversation with Joke Silva, Hear Word! ensemble member.
February 4, 2pm
Conversation with Uzodinma Iweala — author of Speak No Evil, Our Kind of People, and Beasts of No Nation, and editor in chief of Ventures Africa — and Ifeoma Fafunwa.
February 6, 7:30pm
Conversation with Ufuoma McDermott, Hear Word! ensemble member.
February 8, 7:30pm
Conversation with Caroline Elkins, professor of History and African American Studies at Harvard University, and Ifeoma Fafunwa.
February 9, 7:30pm
Conversation with Ifeoma Fafunwa and Timothy Patrick McCarthy, director of Culture Change & Social Justice Initiatives at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard Kennedy School.
February 10, 2pm
Conversation with Daniel Jordan Smith, Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence, and Professor and Chair of Anthropology, Brown University; moderated by Susan Cook, executive director, Cambridge office, Harvard University Center for African Studies.
In addition to these post-performance talks, A.R.T. is hosting a Hear Word! WOC Support Circle for women of color to talk about the show. These will take place on February 5, 8:30pm, at Loeb Drama Center, and February 12, 6:30pm, at Dudley Square.
Combining song and dance with intimate portraits of resilience and resistance, Hear Word! grapples with the issues that affect the lives of women across Nigeria — the factors that limit their potential for independence, leadership, and meaningful contribution in society, and the ways they have moved beyond established barriers to achieve meaningful solutions.
Included in the company are Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Joke Silva, Bimbo Akintola, Ufuoma McDermott, Elvina Ibru, Omonor, Zara Udofia-Ejoh, Rita Edward, Debbie Ohiri, and Odenike, as well as drummers Emeka Christian Anokwuru, Frank Ebisidor Asiyai, and Blessing Akpofure Idireri.
