Sound Theatre Will Present Zharia O' Neal's ROOST, A Playwright Residency Capstone Reading

Reality television is everywhere. But behind gaffer-taped, sound-bite confessionals, what is life like after getting a final rose or being voted off an island? In the new play ROOST, Sound Theatre playwright-in-resident Zharia O' Neal chronicles various post-reality arcs of Black women. Tickets are now on sale for the ROOST public reading at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center. Aviona Rodriguez Brown will direct.

Talkback to follow, as well as a reception by Thyme Well Spent, a Black-owned business which will also cater Sound Theatre's Towards a Sustainable World gala on April 22.

The reading is a culmination of Sound Theatre's first William S. Yellow Robe Jr. Playwright Residency cycle, through the Making Waves New Works program. O' Neal, named its first playwright resident last September, has since drafted and further workshopped ROOST during an invitation-only staged reading last December.

"Seeing and hearing Roost in the mouths and bodies of the folks that I envisioned this play for (Black women) has led me to add and sharpen so much to the shades of the story and character journeys - but the number one thing that this residency's support has helped me do is rest," said O' Neal. "I've been able to let this piece marinate between each reading, make adjustments, and take comfort in the fact that it's touching the people that I've meant for it to touch - and is raising the right questions. Every facet of the residency has allowed me to do that."

The play's titular rehabilitation retreat and half-way house examines the lives of Black women who formerly starred in reality television. Roost, a program to de-program from reality TV's cattle-call machinery, is in dire trouble. Founder and Chief Sage Eliaza has a risky scheme to boost attendance - but faces fellow Queens questioning their faith, a newcomer questioning everything, and a siren song to return to their former world.

ROOST is a "healing space for Black women," said O' Neal, who comprise a demographic that has shaped the billion-dollar reality TV genre with iconic scenes, memes, and social media discourse. Their onscreen representation is also a widely-consumed one: according to a study, reality television is second only to drama in a genre breakdown of top 250 television programs in 2017.

Each residency cycle offers a $10,000 stipend, housing reimbursement, Sound Theatre's in-house play development support, and funds to travel: O' Neal was able to visit Seattle for the first time in December.

"This community just reverberates - even in the middle of a snow storm," she recalled. As a resident, she also facilitated Sound Theatre's "Writing Your Lightning" community playwriting workshop in February. "Teaching the workshop as they worked on their pieces electrified me," said O' Neal, rattling off the names of workshop students who presented 10-minute plays: Neve Mazique, Marcus Green, Kayla Brown, Dan Hurwitz, Nick Kuntzman, Clark Matthews, and ChrisTiana ObeySumner.

Sound Theatre launched the William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. Playwright Residency with a focus on intersectional storytelling from underrepresented playwrights. Support for the residency is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, City of Seattle Neighborhood Economic Recovery Fund, and the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation.

For future updates on the next cycle, follow the residency page: https://soundtheatrecompany.org/making-waves/william-s-yellow-robe-jr-playwright-residency

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