BLACK SUPER HERO MAGIC MAMA Comes to The Boston Public Library

Company One Theatre (C1) announces its first in-person production since February 2020: Inda Craig-Galván's Black Super Hero Magic Mama, directed by Monica White Ndounou and produced in collaboration with American Repertory Theater, Boston Public Library, and Boston Comics in Color Festival. Press opening will be Saturday, April 23, 2022 with a preview performance on Friday, April 22. Performances continue Thursdays - Sundays through May 21 in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square (700 Boylston Street, Boston). Tickets are available now at CompanyOne.org. As part of C1's commitment to uplifting Theatre As Public Art, all tickets are Pay-What-You-Want with no minimum.

A high-flying adventure that refuses to be held down by the gravity at its core, Black Super Hero Magic Mama is the story of Sabrina Jackson, a Black mother whose son is killed by a white police officer. Unable to step into the role society expects of her, she instead retreats into a technicolor world of her own creation, fueled by her son's love of comic books, where she gets to take charge as the hero of her own story.

"We're excited to finally host a live audience again with two of our strongest collaborators by our side in the American Repertory Theater and Boston Public Library, and to forge a new partnership with Boston Comics in Color Festival," said Shawn LaCount, C1 Artistic Director. "We thought we'd be producing Inda Craig-Galván's Black Super Hero Magic Mama in a very different world, when we announced the play for a 2020 production-but we believe this is exactly the right play for this moment in 2022. With the brilliant Monica White Ndounou onboard as director, we know this story is in good hands."

"Healing is built into the play," said Ndounou, "and Inda expertly balances the humor and hurt that's really emblematic of Black life, period. Even though it's material that can be very challenging for Black and brown people to witness and live through again, Inda lovingly empowers her characters to claim their rights to healing and joy as they survive a society that has been absolutely brutal."

"I'm so excited to be working with Company One Theatre, particularly because of their commitment to intersecting social change and art," said Craig-Galván. "I was inspired to write this play by the death of Tamir Rice. My son was 14 years old at the time, and I thought: how brave his mother was to stand in front of a press conference and lead a prayer. And then I realized maybe it doesn't make me weak that I couldn't do that. The expectations put on African American mothers during these traumas is ridiculous. What if a mother couldn't, or wouldn't? What would her story be?"

"A.R.T. is thrilled to continue our long-term collaboration with C1, which shares our belief in theater's power to catalyze dialogue, foster healing, and imagine collective pathways forward," says Mark Lunsford, Artistic Producer of A.R.T. "We look forward to working with these incredible partners to bring Inda's play to our community."

"Comics in Color is excited about the partnership with Company One in its production of Black Super Hero Magic Mama," said Cagen Luse, Co-Founder and Producer of the Boston Comics in Color Festival. "This powerful and important work will spark important conversations we desperately need to have about loss, grief, and the effect of racism and violence on our community. It seems like a natural fit with our organizations as we are both committed to supporting diverse voices in storytelling."

The production, C1's third to be mounted in Rabb Hall at the Boston Public Library's Central Library in Copley Square, will also inspire the event series Branch Out With C1, featuring local community gatherings across the library's branches in Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Grove Hall, and Roslindale. These events will include partners from Boston Comics in Color Festival, Wee the People, Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, The Theater Offensive, Leela Yoga + Wellness, and Dudley Cafe. See below for more information.

"Library spaces are cultural spaces, best brought to life with innovative partnerships," said David Leonard, President of the Boston Public Library. "We are delighted to partner with Company One for the third time bringing a fully pay-what-you-want production to the Boston Public Library and are excited to see this as a catalyst for connective engagement across the neighborhoods and communities of Boston."