Getty Villa Theater Lab Presents LETTERS FROM THE BLACK SEA This Weekend

Getty Villa Theater Lab presents Letters from the Black Sea, a play dedicated to the exiles of the world, past and present, and to the eternal flame of their hopes of returning.

Written by Oliver Mayer and directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela, the work-in-progress performances will take place at the Getty Villa on Saturday, November 12, at 3pm and 7pm, and Sunday, November 13, at 3pm. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased online here. The play is co-produced by Latino Theater Company.

Ovid is the famed poet of love in Rome-with more than a passing resemblance to Marvin Gaye-and no stranger to wielding fame and influence. But he's sideswiped by the news that Augustus Caesar has exiled him to the borders of the Empire. His journey is long and dangerous, and his arrival is totally without ballyhoo. What did he do to deserve exile, and how can he make it right? More to the point, why did he get cancelled? Will he ever get back home? And what will happen to his work?

"In ancient times, relagatio was the Roman form of cancellation - exile to the farthest reaches of the Empire," says Mayer. "It wasn't a death sentence, but it was a stern punishment for someone like Ovid, who firmly believed that "Roma is Amor" and vice versa, and who had been the most popular poet possibly ever. What exactly made him toxic to the powers that be? How might he be cleansed? Rehabilitated? Uncancelled? These are questions worthy of a play, then and now."

"In a divisive time when books are being banned across the world, and artists are attacked and canceled, it is my hope that exploring the ancient past can illuminate the present," says Valenzuela. "Artists must investigate our common humanity. It is our task to discover the universal in the specific, to build bridges to connect our differences. In bringing the ancient into the present, it is my hope Oliver's play - a comedy rooted in the tragic - can unite audiences as human beings through the power of drama."

The cast includes Ruth Liver, Will Dixon, Marlene Forte, Isaac López, Francisco Pryor Garat, Kelsey Siepser, Esperanza Americá, and Israel López Reyes.

For over a decade, Getty has hosted its Villa Theater Lab series, an exciting forum for the reinterpretation of classical theater. These workshops feature new translations of Greek and Roman plays as well as contemporary works inspired by ancient literature. Past performances have included Cassandra, an Agony, After Iphigenia, Cowboy Elektra, and more.