can i touch it?

SEASON 27

The Great Privation

a new play by
Nia Akilah Robinson

directed by Mina Morita

dramaturgy by Sonia Fernandez

a co-production with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

 

 

 

Jan 9 - Jan 31, 2026

The Modern Theatre at Suffolk University

Opening Night Celebration:
Saturday, January 10 at 7:30pm

All tickets are Pay-What-You-Want ($0 minimum)

 

 

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Charity and her mom both work as counselors at a sleepaway camp in Philadelphia. On the same grounds, almost two centuries earlier, a strangely familiar mother and daughter stand watch at the grave of a recently deceased loved one. As betrayals and buried horrors come to light, love holds fast across twisting timelines.

The Great Privation (How to flip ten cents into a dollar) is a darkly comic play which asks: how do we go on living with a history we cannot change?

 

Why This Play Now?

Set in 1832 and the present day, The Great Privation asks us to examine our country’s complex racial history through the parallel stories of a mother and daughter, who each embody the roles of both ancestor and descendant. This play interrogates our nation’s long practice of harming Black bodies in the name of progress, and demonstrates the necessity of joy as a form of resistance to racial violence and injustice.

Press and Buzz

Producing Partners

AMPLIFYING ACTION

Company One Theatre is producing The Great Privation to AMPLIFY:

  • the vibrant and essential stories of our Black American history, especially at a time when this history is actively being erased from textbooks and cultural spaces, and our community partners working to uplift and preserve these crucial narratives and legacies.

  • reparative action that confronts our country’s pattern of medical racism and exploitation, and prioritizes bodily autonomy and consent over scientific profit.

  • intergenerational relationships that create bridges for connection across experience and identity in order to inspire mutual understanding, foster communal healing, and build solidarity.

  • playwright Nia Akilah Robinson’s trailblazing artistic voice and fierce commitment to multi-dimensional Black stories that skillfully weave the past and present to unlock understanding about our collective legacy.

  • the partnership between Company One Theatre in Boston and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington D.C. and our shared commitment to championing social justice in the American Theatre and showcasing courageous new work that activates and transforms our communities.

Connectivity Partners

  • Check back soon for updates!

RESOURCES & ACTION STEPS

  • Check back closer to the production for a list of resources and action steps!