Production Quick Links: About the Production | Amplifying Action | Related Events | About the Team | Photos | Press
SEASON 25
Hoops
a new play by Eliana Pipes
adapted from The HOOPS Project by Nicole Acosta
directed by Tonasia Jones
dramaturgy by afrikah selah
in partnership with Boston Playwrights’ Theatre and the City of Boston’s Office of Arts and Culture
Jul 12 - Aug 10, 2024
The Strand Theatre (543 Columbia Road, Dorchester)
FREE with Pay-What-You-Want tickets!
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Hoop earrings are way more than just an accessory. They represent family, resilience, and self-expression. They represent the freedom to shine in a world that’s constantly trying to dim the lights. From Chicago to Oaxaca to right here in Boston, these earrings shout “I’m here, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Eliana Pipes brings 5,000 years of history to life with Hoops, a joyous celebration of Black, Latine, and Indigenous culture. Based on a series of intimate interviews, this vibrant and playful choreopoem-esque collage of self-adornment and heritage shows off just how much power a pair of hoops can hold.
Approximate run time: 1 hour 30 minutes
This production includes explicit language.
Press and Buzz
AMPLIFYING ACTION
Company One Theatre is producing
Hoops to AMPLIFY:
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our fourth year of Public Art for Public Good at The Strand Theatre, where we continue to premiere new work by BIPOC artists and create unique, dynamic events for all ages.
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unwavering expressions of self as powerful tools for resistance, ancestral reclamation, and collective and personal liberation.
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the intertwined personal and communal histories that have passed between generations and shape our understanding of culture, status, and evolution.
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community partners and organizations who expand our definitions of beauty, foster authentic gender expression, and celebrate a subversion of the dominant culture.
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accessible creative development programs like PlayLab (of which playwright Eliana Pipes is an alum) that create opportunities for emerging theatremakers to hone their craft and become civically-engaged artists.
RESOURCES & ACTION STEPS
- Check back closer to the production for a list of resources and action steps!
ABOUT THE TEAM
CAST
Brandie Blaze
Elijah Brown
Albamarina Nahar
Tiffany Santiago
Kaili Y. Turner
Karimah Williams
Beyoncé Martinez
Swing
PLAYWRIGHT AND PRODUCTION TEAM
Eliana Pipes, Playwright
Tonasia Jones, Director
Lois Roach, Artistic Advisor
Kimstelle Merisma, Assistant Director
afrikah selah, Lead Dramaturg
Raqael Duarte Hunt, Co-Dramaturg
Brandie Blaze, Composer
Sara Gorelkin, Performance Stage Manager
Erin Lerch, Rehearsal Stage Manager
Kit Verweij, Assistant Stage Manager
Eliana Zahalsky, Assistant Stage Manager
Paul Rescigno, Assistant Stage Manager/Audio Engineer
Jenny Oliver, Choreographer
Elijah Brown, Movement Captain
Peyton Tavares, Scenic Designer
Grace Kroeger, Projections Designer & Engineer
Mikayla Reid, Costume Designer
Malory Hartman, Lighting Designer
Anna Drummond, Sound Designer
Kelly Smith, Props Designer
Erica Schoenberg, Wardrobe Supervisor
Wesley Scanlon, Technical Director
Thomas Cappelli, Assistant Technical Director
Oliver Hawke, Master Electrician
Matilda Lee, Projections & Qlab Operator
Liz Ramey, Strand Technical Director/Textile Fabricator
Nick Walwer, Strand Sound Supervisor/Production Audio Engineer
Marquise Crawford, Strand Scenic Lead/Flyman
BIOS
Brandie Blaze, a multifaceted artist hailing from Dorchester, MA, is a force to be reckoned with in both the rap and theater worlds. Nominated for three Boston Music Awards and gracing the stage as a 2024 Celtics halftime performer, Blaze effortlessly blends her talents as a rapper, actress, writer, and composer. Influenced by the likes of Missy Elliot, Lil Kim, and DMX, her dynamic performances captivate audiences with her raw energy and lyrical prowess. Blaze has shared stages with legends such as GZA of Wu Tang, Souls of Mischief, BbyMutha and JPEGMAFIA, showcasing her versatility and range as an artist. Her presence on the 2023 Boston Calling lineup and starring role in the musical Come To Pass solidify her status as a rising star in both the music and theater scenes.
Elijah Brown they/heElijah Brown is so excited to be a part of this process, much love to the wonderful cast and creatives! <3 His recent credits include: Orpheus in the Overworld (Orpheus) with Fresh Ink Theater Company, Romeo and Juliet (Lady Montague) and Macbeth (Caithness) with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Power Play (Sarah) Artist’s Theater of Boston, Antigone (Creon), and As You like It (Duke Senior) with Emerson College. So much love to this beautiful cast who has spread such an immense amount of love throughout this process <3 Enjoy the show!!
Albamarina Nahar she/herAlbamarina Nahar is an Afro Latinx actress born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Nahar moved to New York City in 2013 to pursue her career in film and television. After returning home from a volunteer gap year program with Global Citizen Year in Brazil, Nahar attended the New York Film Academy to further her acting and film studies. Albamarina’s role in the film 250 won the Cultural Perspective-Independent Producer award at the Hometown Media Awards in Philadelphia. Nahar was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress at Jersey City’s Golden Door Film Festival playing Toni in the feature film Bus Stop. She relocated to Los Angeles, California in 2019 to further her career. Nahar is actively working on her own indie original projects. Her short film Phases of a Goddess was selected for The Bitesize Film Festival 2021, Dominican Film Festival in New York 2021, and Halifax Black Film Festival 2022. Nahar is actively building her bicoastal multifaceted career as an actress, writer, filmmaker, dancer, artist, and entrepreneur.
Kaili Y. Turner she/theyWhat a dream to be performing at the famous strand, as a Roxbury girl who cut her teeth in the Boston theater scene, this is a full circle moment. Some of my favorite credits include: 103 Within The Veil (Company One), Fires In the Mirror (ASDS), The Nosebleed (Lincoln Center, Woolly Mammoth, Tour), SNL/Second City Showcase (Second City), My Story is Gluskabe (Penobscot Theater). To learn more about Kaili and follow her journey visit www.KailiYTurner.com or @MadamnStarlight on IG.
Karimah Williams she/herLast seen in King Hedley II (Tonya) Actors’ Shakespeare Project. Chicken and Biscuits [u/s] (The Front Porch Arts Collective); can i touch it? [u/s], Black Super Hero Magic Mama (Company One); Onward, Votes for Woman (Birch Tree Productions); Coriolanus, For Colored Girls… (Praxis Stage Company). Film: Aftershock (The History Channel), Ye (Jagun Fly Productions). Web Series: Love Undone (Joseph Goncalves). Education: BFA in Theatre Performance from Salem State University. Karimah is a Boston Public School teacher.
Beyoncé Martinez she/herEliana Pipes is a playwright and filmmaker based in her hometown of Los Angeles. Her plays include BITE ME (world premiere off-Broadway WP Theater & Colt Coeur); DREAM HOU$E (world premiere co-production Alliance Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, and Baltimore Center Stage, published by Concord Samuel French); HOOPS (world premiere commission Milwaukee Chamber Theater). She holds commissions from Two River Theater and South Coast Repertory. Her work has been developed or presented at the New York Theatre Workshop Dartmouth Residency, Playwright’s Realm Scratchpad Series, South Coast Repertory Pacific Playwright’s Festival, NNPN National New Play Showcase, Old Globe Powers New Voices Festival, Fire This Time Festival, and Drama League DirectorFest. Her writing awards include the Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellowship, Alliance Kendeda Prize, Leah Ryan Prize, KCACTF Harold and Mimi Steinberg Award, National Latine Playwrights Award, and Dr. Floyd Gaffney Award. BA English Columbia University, MFA Playwriting Boston University. www.elianapipes.com.
Tonasia Jones she/herRegional Credits include BLKS (Speakeasy); 3Miles (Huntington); The Elephant in The Room (Central Square); Proclamation (A.R.T); Raza (Front Porch); Legends, Statements, and Stars (The Theater Offensive); The Tempest (Wittenberg University); It’s a Wonderful Life (Greater Boston Stage); Pay No Worship (Flat Earth); Octavia & Kleopatra. Assistant Director credits include How I Learned What I Learned (Huntington); The Revolutionists (Central Square); and Saturday Night/Sunday Morning (Lyrics Stage). Tonasia has a BFA in from Emerson College, and trained at Shakespeare Theatre Company D.C. She is located primarily in Boston and travels for freelance opportunities.
Kimstelle Merisma she/herKimstelle Merisma is a queer Haitian-American actress and emerging playwright based in both Boston and Providence. Kimmi currently works as the Assistant to the Artistic Director at Company One Theatre. She recently graduated from Emerson College, receiving her BFA in Theatre and Performance with a minor in African American & Africana Studies. Kimmi’s heart, mind, and craft exist at the intersection of theatre arts, storytelling, and community-strengthening. As an artist and C1 staff member, Kimmi’s focus is bringing under-represented stories to the stage and showcasing faces and bodies American theatre has previously denied. As a lover of humanity, Kimmi is devoted to bringing people together through makeshift art, unapologetic love, and rambunctious joy.
afrikah selah they/themafrikah selah is a Boston-based cultural worker specializing in dramaturgy, new play development, and arts journalism. With a passion for dialogue and a desire to explore new ideas in innovative ways, they value creative collaboration that strives to build community towards a more equitable world. Currently, they hold the position of NNPN New Work Producer in Residence at Company One Theatre, and are also a 2023-24 TCG Rising Leader of Color. You can find out more at itsafrikah.com
Raqael Duarte Hunt she/they/ellaRaqael is an Elliot Norton award-winning actor and the Education Program Manager for Company One. After a decade-long hiatus, they have returned to the production space as a dramaturg after joining C1’s Season 24 Volt Lab cohort. Melding skills of data integration from their work as an astrological and Ayurvedic consultant with the research and analysis lens they cultivated as a BA in Cultural Anthropology, Raqael brings deep heart empathy to the process of making meaningful theatrical experiences. It is an honor to support others to refine and accentuate their artistic voice. Mother to two amazing small humans, Raqael is deeply invested in caretaking the human relationship with our natural world and sincerely desires liberation for all. Step one: divest from the cop in the heart.
Brandie Blaze she/herBrandie Blaze, a multifaceted artist hailing from Dorchester, MA, is a force to be reckoned with in both the rap and theater worlds. Nominated for three Boston Music Awards and gracing the stage as a 2024 Celtics halftime performer, Blaze effortlessly blends her talents as a rapper, actress, writer, and composer. Influenced by the likes of Missy Elliot, Lil Kim, and DMX, her dynamic performances captivate audiences with her raw energy and lyrical prowess. Blaze has shared stages with legends such as GZA of Wu Tang, Souls of Mischief, BbyMutha and JPEGMAFIA, showcasing her versatility and range as an artist. Her presence on the 2023 Boston Calling lineup and starring role in the musical Come To Pass solidify her status as a rising star in both the music and theater scenes.
Sara Gorelkin she/herSara Gorelkin is a theatre artist and administrator from Long Island, NY. She is excited to be back at Company One after stage managing Hoops, and assistant stage managing Morning, Noon, and Night. Sara is a recent graduate of Boston University’s School of Theatre, holding a BFA in Theatre Arts-Design & Production with concentrations in stage management and dramaturgy. She currently works at SpeakEasy Stage Company as their artistic fellow for the 2024-2025 season. Other credits include: Pru Payne (assistant director) at SpeakEasy Stage, and Sugar (stage manager) at Fresh Ink Theater. For more: www.saragorelkin.com
Erin Lerch they/themErin is a Boston-based playwright and stage manager who can’t/won’t stop writing deeply queer sci-fi. They appeared on ArtsBoston’s July 2020 list of 10 Boston Playwrights You Should Know. Most recently, Erin produced their play Break, Break with Legion Theatre Project and Artists’ Theatre of Boston in September 2023. Erin’s play Shrike received its world premiere production with Fresh Ink Theatre in February 2022, directed by Josh Glenn-Kayden. Their first play, Crossing Flight, first in the Legion Cycle, received its premiere with TC Squared Theatre Company in January 2018. Erin is also the writer and co-producer of The Legion Tapes, a sci-fi podcast/audio drama series. As a stage manager and technician, Erin has worked with many Boston theatres including TC Squared, ART’s Institute for Advanced Theatre Training, Emerson College, Company One, Escena Latina Teatro, and more. They are excited to be back with Company One to help this spooky story come to life! Follow Erin on NPX or on their website at erinrlerch.com.
Kit Verweij they/themKit Verweij is a rising senior stage management major at Syracuse University. They are excited to be making their Company One Theatre debut!
Eliana Zahalsky she/herEliana Zahalsky is making her Company One Theatre debut! She is a rising third year student at Northeastern University majoring in Media and Screen Studies with minors in both Theatre and Music Industry. She is very excited to take on the role of an assistant stage manager for the first time. Break a leg Hoops cast and crew!
Jenny Oliver she/herJenny Oliver, a multifaceted artist based in Greater Boston, serving as an educator, performer, choreographer, and advocate for artistic integrity. Rooted in trauma-informed culturally responsive approaches, she weaves kinetic storytelling at the intersection of dance and collective collaboration, amplifying issues impacting marginalized communities. She has worked with an array of organizations including the City of Boston, MONUM, the Design Studio for Social Intervention, Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, Peabody Essex Museum, Masary Studios and WBUR CitySpace on a variety of movement based projects. Notably, she was the Creative in Residence with Castle of Our Skins 23/24. In addition to her art making practice she is the Head of Dance Performance at Tufts University and teaches weekly technique classes at the Dance Complex and Deborah Mason Performing Arts Center.
Elijah Brown they/heElijah Brown is so excited to be a part of this process, much love to the wonderful cast and creatives! <3 His recent credits include: Orpheus in the Overworld (Orpheus) with Fresh Ink Theater Company, Romeo and Juliet (Lady Montague) and Macbeth (Caithness) with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Power Play (Sarah) Artist’s Theater of Boston, Antigone (Creon), and As You like It (Duke Senior) with Emerson College. So much love to this beautiful cast who has spread such an immense amount of love throughout this process <3 Enjoy the show!!
Grace Kroeger she/theyGrace Kroeger is a Minnesota born, new to Boston engineer and designer in both audio and video. She earned her BA in German and Theater: Design & Technology at the University of Minnesota: Twin Cities. Their favorite aspects of theater are the puzzle of putting complicated systems together, creating system schematics, and (most importantly) programming within QLab. They are excited to be working again with Maria Servellón and Company One for Morning, Noon, and Night!
Recent credits include – Projections Technician: Interrobangers, Company One. Video Programmer: La Voix Humaine, Des Moines Metro Opera; A Thousand Acres, Des Moines Metro Opera. Video Engineer, La Voix Humaine, Des Moines Metro Opera. Assistant Video Designer: Interstate, Mixed Blood Theater; Hometown to the World, Town Hall.
Mikayla Reid she/herMikayla is excited to return to Company One, having previously worked on Black Super Hero Magic Mama. Other credits include Yellow Face, Thirst (Lyric Stage), Footloose (Theatre By The Sea), Orpheus in the Overworld, Shrike (Fresh Ink), and Fall Festival’s The Tempest, Cymbeline, Julius Caesar, and Hamlet (Shakespeare & Company). Guest Artist work has been seen at Merrimack College, Rhode Island College, and the University of Rhode Island. Mikayla’s costume design (Wild Thing at Umass Amherst) was displayed at the Siglo de Oro Festival in El Paso, TX and her body of work was presented at Design Showcase East. She holds an MFA from The University of Massachusetts Amherst. Website: www.mikaylareid.com
Malory Hartman she/theyMalory Hartman is a DC-based lighting designer who is excited by the musicality of lighting and how lighting can act as an instrument within the rhythm of live theatre. She is making her Company One debut. Malory has previously worked with Prologue Theatre, Annapolis Opera, Synetic Theater, Adventure Theatre MTC, Extra Credit Ensemble, and the Clarice Performing Arts Center. Malory is a graduate of the University of Maryland. For other upcoming projects: maloryhartman.com
Anna Drummond they/themAnna Drummond is a Boston-based sound designer specializing in live theatre and SFX curation for professional theatre companies and educational institutions. Credits Include: Front Porch Arts Collective – Chicken & Biscuits; The Huntington – K-I-S-S-I-N-G (Elliot Norton Award) and Dream Boston: 3 Miles; SpeakEasy Stage – BLKS and Pass Over; Company One (C1) – Leftovers, Black Super Hero Magic Mama, and can i touch it?; Fresh Ink Theatre – Shrike and Truth or Consequences; Trinity Repertory Company/Brown University – Eurydice, Prowess, soul tapes, and The Book of Lucy; Harvard University – Married or Made, Cells; Boston Conservatory at Berklee – Everybody, Machinal, and As You Like It; Northeastern University – Deferred, This Is Treatment, Problem Play, and Sisterhood of the Survivors; Emerson College – Paris. Anna holds a BA with Honors in Sound Design/Audio Post-Production from the Visual & Media Arts Department of Emerson College. Love to Dyl, Eleanor, Jeremy, and the Bad Luck Crew for everything, always.
Kelly SmithKelly Smith is a multi-hyphenate artist with a new work focus, having ushered in over 30 world premieres in New England. Selected credits include: Props: Company One/A.R.T. (GREATER GOOD, VIETGONE), Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING), Hub Theatre (WIT), Fresh Ink (SHRIKE, THAT TIME THE HOUSE BURNED DOWN), Legion Theatre Project (BREAK BREAK), Titanic Theatre, Sleeping Weazel, PF Pictures, and Brown Box among others. Writing: RESET, THE WHITE ROOM (Flat Earth Theatre), RAINING ALUMINUM (theatreKapow – Best Drama Finalist, NH Theatre Awards), ShotzBoston, StoryClub Boston, 1MPF, and others. Directing: Second Act Prod. (SISTER ANONYMOUS), Hub Theatre (ROBYN IS HAPPY), AKA Theatre (IN THE FOREST, SHE GREW FANGS), and shorts for Playbill Virtual Theatre Festival, Open Theatre Project, Boston Theatre Marathon, and 1MPF. In addition to stage managing all over, Kelly produced the raucous Irish backroom bar series Solas Nua, the heartwarming Grownup Storytime at Aeronaut Brewery, and founded Also Known As Theatre Theatre. www.kellyesmith.com `
This is Erica’s first show with Company One! Her previous theater work includes Muhlenberg Summer Music Theater, and in college at Trinity University (San Antonio, TX).
Wesley Scanlon he/himA gregarious ginger from Hawaii, Wesley is making their Company One Theater Debut as Technical Director— past TD credits include Chuang Stage, Central Square Theater, ATD w/ BEMF, & local freelance. A fun spirited scenic carpenter & fabricator, he also has a penchant for lighting electrics, rigging lofty elements, themed live events, & geeking out on artistic make-believe as he additionally plays his part as Assistant Director in film/TV production.
Matilda Lee she/herMatilda is currently a student at Berklee College of Music anticipating to graduate next year, pursuing Music Production and Engineering, and Performance focused in musical theater. With a passion in live sound for musical theater as A1/A2, she envisions a community of inclusivity and collaborative creative arts. Through opportunities to expand her passion with theatre around herself, Matilda hopes to take steps into sharing the depths of technical theatre.
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association
^ Member of United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829
PRESS & BUZZ
August 5, 2024: The Culture Show on GBH, “Morton the Sea Monster, The Indigo Girls, and HOOPS”
“Personal stories told with monologues and skits and music… this is so deeply engrained in the culture!”
July 24, 2024: Vanyaland, “Brandie Blaze styles ‘Hoops’ with her songcraft and storytelling”
“Blaze is the glue between Hoops‘ storytelling and immersive sound. Her critical role in the production might be the accomplishment that cements Blaze as a bona fide multi-hyphenate. Even her four-word chorus of ‘click click, bling bling,’ conveys multitudes: The sound of suiting up mixed with the echo of tradition.”
July 20, 2024: The Berkeley Beacon, “The colorful ‘Hoops’ production arrives at The Strand Theater in Boston”
“Before Company One Theater got its hands on the BIPOC-led stage gem Hoops, it began as a photography exhibition by Wisconsin-born photographer Nicole Acosta in 2019. As a member of the Art Collective LUNA (Latinas Unidas en las Artes), she produced a gallery with photographs of over 100 individuals nationwide and their stories answering the question; ‘What do hoop earrings mean to you?'”
July 18, 2024: WBUR, “In praise of hoops”
“For people of color, hoops are a visual representation of individuality. Whether they’re a delicate gold pair or the cheap ones you buy at the beauty supply store, hoops have a long cultural history.”
July 16, 2024: The Boston Globe, “The Power of ‘Hoops'”
“The best theater delights and disarms, making space for us to question our assumptions and see things differently. Eliana Pipes’s Hoops accomplishes all that and more.”
July 16, 2024: WBUR, “Company One Theatre examines the cultural significance of ‘Hoops'”
“A celebration filled with storytelling, dancing and nostalgia… soberingly beautiful and comedic.”
July 15, 2024: New England Theatre Geek, “Gold, Acrylic, Altar Work, Prayer, Selena & Janelle Monáe: ‘Hoops'”
“There aren’t many shows that feature revolutionary freedom fighter Angela Davis and modern dance choreography. It is telling intergenerational stories and promoting healing through laughter and tears. Hoops is a community good.”
July 10, 2024: The Bay State Banner, “Coming to the Strand Theatre: A love letter to hoop earrings and all who wear them”
“Just like the people who wear them, hoop earrings come in endless shapes, sizes and colors. Beyond a fabulous fashion accessory, they are a means of ethnic and ancestral expression, particularly for Black, Latine and Indigenous communities. This essential cultural signifier is the basis of Hoops, a vibrant, melodic show produced by Company One Theatre and opening at the Strand Theatre in Uphams Corner.”
June 19, 2024: WBUR, “11 theater productions to see this summer”
“Writer Eliana Pipes’ play Hoops is based on Acosta’s project and covers themes of joy, resilience, self-expression and power. The show features original music from local creative Brandie Blaze, who also stars in the show.”