can i touch it?

SEASON 26

A New Era

a new play by Miranda ADEkoje

directed by Summer L. Williams

produced in partnership with Plays in Place and the City of Boston’s Office of Arts and Culture

Jul 18 - Aug 9, 2025

The Strand Theatre

All tickets are Pay-What-You-Want!

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

With liberation and Black Lives at stake, seven phenomenal leaders gathered for the First National Conference of Colored Women right here in Boston on July 31, 1895. Can they get in formation and navigate political divides in the fight to criminalize lynching? And will their ancestors carry on their legacy 130 years later? Miranda ADEkoje uncovers a powerful story of politics, passion, and perseverance with A New Era, a celebration of Boston’s Black feminist history across generations.

 

A New Era was commissioned and developed by the National Park Service. A New Era will first be produced June 19 – July 2, 2025 by Plays in Place at King’s Chapel Parish House for the National Parks of Boston.

Producing Partners

ABOUT THE TEAM

CAST

PLAYWRIGHT AND PRODUCTION TEAM

Miranda ADEkoje, Playwright

Summer L. Williams, Director

BIOS

Miranda ADEkoje

Miranda Austen ADEkoje is a writer for stage and screen, producer and actress. She attended Brown University where she graduated with a B.A. in literature and cultures in English, after which she trained in London at the Rose Bruford college for Drama and received a Master’s degree with Distinction in Theatre Practices. Her plays include The Come Up (BTM 2021), In any Face (Lyric Stage Walking Plays), Keyp-ing (New Rep Showstopper Series), Virtual Attendance (Huntington Theatre Dream Boston Audio play series) I Am This Place (Plays in Place/Revolutionary Spaces), Shelter of Last Resort (Front Porch Arts Collective Summer reading series, The Huntington Theatre Breaking Ground Reading Series, Company One XX PlayLab), 36 Days (Apollinaire Theatre New Play Night reading, Bob Jolly Fellowship Reading Series, Emerson College Student Workshop), The Strongest Shape (Paines Plough Future Perfect Finalist), Reply Please, Requests and Sugar Moth. Mrs. ADEkoje’s screen work includes Little Eyes (48-hour film festival semi-finalist), The Last Shot, Red Monster, and she was a member of the writing team for the webseries ByChance, and The Halls seasons 1 and 2.

Mrs. Adekoje has performed at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and Theatre Royal Stratford as well as being named the Farrago Central London Slam Poet champion. Stateside, Mrs. ADEkoje was a Playwright Fellow at the Tony award-winning Huntington Theatre and is currently a member of the MUTT play writing collective. Mrs. ADEkoje is an award-winning actress whose credits include Valerie in the world premier of Lydia Diamond’s Smart People for which she won an IRNE for best supporting actress in a large Production (The Huntington Theatre) and The Brother/Sister Plays (IRNE Award for Best Ensemble). In addition to playwriting, Mrs. ADEkoje is currently an Executive Producer and writer for the Boston-based Production company, Beyond MEASURE Productions. www.beyondmeasureproductions.com

Summer L. Williams she/her

Summer L. Williams is an award-winning director and Co-Founder/Associate Artistic Director of Company One Theatre in Boston. Her most recent directing credits include Jump by Charly Evon Simpson at Everyman Theatre in Baltimore, MD,  can i touch it?, a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere by Francisca Da Silvera at Company One Theatre, sandblasted by Charly Evon Simpson with Vineyard Theatre and WP Theater, Off-Broadway. 

Local/Regional credits: The Arboretum Experience at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T), Daddy Issues at Salt Lake City Acting Company New Play Sounding Series, the Digital World Premiere of Downtown Crossing at Company One Theatre, Wolf Play at Company One Theatre, School Girls, or The African Mean Girls Play at SpeakEasy Stage Company, Miss You Like Hell with Company One Theatre and OBERON at American Repertory Theater, the World Premiere of Leftovers at Company One Theatre, Wig Out! with Company One and OBERON at A.R.T.; Smart People at Kitchen Theatre Company in Ithaca, NY and Geva Theater in Rochester, NY; Barbecue at Lyric Stage Company of Boston—Winner of the 2018 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director; Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. at Company One Theatre; Bootycandy at SpeakEasy Stage Company; An Octoroon and Colossal with Company One Theatre—Winner of the 2016 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director for both productions. Intimate Apparel at Lyric Stage Company of Boston; Shiv as a part of The Displaced Hindu Gods Trilogy; Shelter of Last Resort by Miranda Craigwell as a part of XX PlayLab 2014; the New England Premiere of Jackie Sibblies Drury’s We Are Proud To Present A Presentation About The Herero Of Namibia, Formerly Known As Southwest Africa From The German Sudwestafrika Between The Years 1884-1915; Idris Goodwin’s How We Got On; Lynn Nottage’s By The Way, Meet Vera Stark at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston; The Brothers Size and Marcus; Or The Secret Of Sweet as part of The Brother/Sister Plays (2012 Elliot Norton Award nominated for Outstanding Production and winner of the 2012 IRNE Award for Best Play); Neighbors, Grimm; The Good Negro; Voyeurs De Venus (Winner of 2009 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director); The Bluest Eye (IRNE and Elliot Norton Award nominated); The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot; Spell #7 (IRNE nominated); Jesus Hopped The A Train (2004 Elliot Norton Award for Best Fringe Production); and Twilight: Los Angeles 1992 (IRNE nominated).

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association

^ Member of United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829

 

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