Sept. 13 – Sept. 28
The Andy
ahostofpeople.org/cleopatra-boy.
"Cleopatra Boy" is an original play that uses the history of Cleopatra combined with music, choreography, bold design and spoken word to illustrate how women, people of color and LGBTQ individuals in positions of power risk losing control of their own images against the dominance of white patriarchy, resulting in false narratives and misrepresentations. The piece also pulls from restorative justice practices in order to reveal the motives of the western tellers of Cleopatra's story and address some of that misinformation, in service of a celebration of women, POC and queer leaders — past, present and future.
Theater ensemble A Host of People will present the world premiere of the original play at The Andy. A Host of People has a reputation for creating theater that is as challenging as it is inviting, and they continue to produce work that celebrates identity, self-expression and the complex nature of the human experience in this contemporary moment. Their latest original work, "Cleopatra Boy," is supported, in part, by the New England Foundation for the Arts' prestigious National Theater Project Creation and Touring Grant. This national recognition comes after previewing "Cleopatra Boy" at FURY Factory Festival of Ensemble and Devised Theater in San Francisco, Cleveland Public Theatre's Test Flight and the 7th Annual Sidewalk Festival Detroit.
"Cleopatra Boy" is conceived and directed by Sherrine Azab and Jake Hooker. The performance brings to light how women (and other non-straight/white/male) leaders' histories are rewritten, maligned or erased. The iconic Egyptian pharaoh's historic, mythic and fictional representations across time inspired A Host of People to create a performance that speaks to the present moment. A theatrical thought experiment that is part pageant, part courtroom drama, the audience will shape-shift from spectators, to community members, to witnesses as the piece collectively addresses the injustice of losing control of our own narratives in order to rethink and remake history.
