Sacred Circle Theatre Company to Produce DUTCHMAN by Amiri Baraka and STOP KISS by Diana Son as a Double-Bill in June

Sacred Circle Theatre Company, the queer/feminist theatre company based in Bushwick, Brooklyn, announced its 2018 main-stage production: new stagings of Dutchman by Amiri Baraka and Stop Kiss by Diana Son presented in one evening as a double-bill.

"We have all always been intrigued by each of these plays," Company Leader Raymond Arnold said. "But once we realized they could be produced together, in conversation with each other, we realized this could be a really provocative night of theatre!"

Baraka's Dutchman was originally produced in 1964, and tells the story of Clay, a young black man, who is slowly seduced and subsequently harassed by Lula, a sexually flamboyant white hippie. When Clay finally asserts himself, Lula's desire becomes deadly.

"Dutchman is horrifying, necessary, and urgent," director Miranda Haymon was quoted as saying. "We need to encounter these characters head on in order to continue to uncover and reckon with this country's relationship with the black body"

Son's Stop Kiss was written in 1998, and tells the story of Callie and Sara, two seemingly straight women who fall in love, but have no way of speaking about their newfound attraction. When they finally dare to act on their desires, they are met with unspeakable violence. Both plays are set in New York City.

Sacred Circle has employed artists of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identities in service of this work. For this diverse company, the tension of producing these plays in 2018 is a frequent topic of conversation.

"Working on Stop Kiss, playing Callie, as a gender non-conforming person, is an experience like trying on a beloved sweater excavated from the bottom of a drawer," actor and Senior Artistic Associate Mia Longenecker shared. "I hope to bring the complex entirety of who I am now and who I have been in the past to a character who is struggling to name parts of themselves they don't yet fully understand."

"While these plays are dated, both are significant stories about things that are still happening today," actor Dontonio Demarco said of the production. "It is important to recognize the strides that have been made in society, but it is also important to know that the finish line is still ahead. How do we get there together?

The two plays will be presented as a double-bill at The Lab at The Alchemical Theatre Laboratory at 104 West 14th Street in Lower Manhattan. Shows will be June 20-23 at 7pm.

Tickets for Dutchman/Stop Kiss will go on sale in April. For more information, including behind-the-scenes photos and videos, follow Sacred Circle on Facebook and Instagram at @sacredcircletheatre.

Dutchman by Amiri Baraka is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French Inc. Stop Kiss by Diana Son is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Services, Inc.

Both shows will feature actors Mia Longenecker, Dontonio Demarco, Becca Travis, Cassandra DeMarco, Éamon Boylan, and Craig Porter, with live music composed and performed by Singer Joy and Sonja Einem.

Both shows will feature designs by Sarah Michelle Bedrick assisted by Denali Thomas, choreography by Anise, and dramaturgy by Marlee Miller. Dutchman will be directed by Miranda Haymon; Stop Kiss will be directed by Raymond Arnold.

 

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