Monday, June 29, 2015

Reflection: MOTHER WIT & WATER BORN by Nina Angela Mercer at Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre, Nov 2014

In November 2014, I had the wonderful opportunity of having the 1st stage reading of my play MOTHER WIT & WATER BORN at Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre for the Keep Soul Alive Reading Series. For this reading, the play was directed by Maya James with choreography by Kimani Fowlin. I was absolutely inspired by this opportunity to share my work at NBT. It is an institution founded in love and deep-rooted purpose. It is home for many of us.



Synopsis: In 1795, a Girl-Child is born on the ship, Mary Mother of God, as it sails across the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Coast. The Baby Girl’s cries are fierce as machetes raining from the darkest night sky. Many believe She is more aberration than human, more curse than precious cargo. She certainly isn’t meant to survive. But She does …

MOTHER WIT & WATER BORN is a choreo-drama telling the story of 7 generations of women born from that Girl Child’s lineage as they fight to remember and forget the blood memory encoded into their DNA. It is the blood memory that birthed them into America and pushes them into an unknowable future. It is ritual and dance. It is Herstory.

The reading was well-received by the audience, and I look forward to developing MOTHER WIT & WATER BORN as a full production.




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