Homegrown
HOMEGROWN, a collaborative performance project, brings local legends of DC’s spoken word scene together with Ward 7 and Ward 8 residents, through an innovative partnership between THEARC Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and Spit Dat, DC’s longest-running open mic.
Weaving together poetry, storytelling, hip hop, and verse, HOMEGROWN is an original performance piece that celebrates local spoken word artists and the resilience of DC, its people, and our communities. HOMEGROWN was developed through SPIT DAT Academy, a dynamic program that supports the growth of the city's next great performance artists, led by Woolly Mammoth Artists-in-Residence Dwayne Lawson-Brown and Drew Anderson. Come find strength in community and experience home.
homegrown
In Association with Spit Dat and THEARC Theatre
PERFORMERS AND WRITERS:
Hosts:
Drew Anderson
Dwayne Lawson-Brown
Featured Performers:
Charity Blackwell
Kenneth Carroll
O-Slice
Spit Dat Academy Members:
Shay Izegwire
Shehariah Johnson
Christian Parks
Kiarra Patterson
Yalan Sesay
Understudy:
Amiah McGinty
Creative Team
Director: Alina Collins Maldonado
Composer: Christylez Bacon
Scenic Designer: Tim Hache
Lighting Designer: Alec Sparks
Sound Designer: Cresent Hayes
Crew
Production Manager: Autumn Mitchell
Production Supervisor: Lauren Pekel
Production Assistant: Lücién Reubens
Light Board Operator: Doug Del Pizzo
Sound Board Operator: Cresent Hayes
iCAN Fellows: Anthony Powell (SM/Carp), Roman Bennett (Sound), Arianna Lofton (Sound), Thomas Tate (Carp/Elec), Donell Hooks (Electrics)
COVID Compliance Officer: Ian Claar
Production support for HOMEGROWN generously provided by Julie Rios
CONTENT TRANSPARENCY: THIS PRODUCTION CONTAINS DISCUSSIONS OF GENTRIFICATION, VERBAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE, MENTAL ILLNESS, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ABLEISM, AND DRUG USE.
+ SPIT DAT ACADEMY MEMBER BIOS
Shay Izegwire is a 30-year-old artist that people should look out for. She uses poetry as an art to express her own stories and stories that may help other people. Shay has been writing poetry since the tender age of nine, but did her first open mic at the age of 13. Shay was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and with poetry, she is able to let some of her emotions out in a creative way. Shay performs at a host of open mics in the DMV area and wants to use her poetry to help others.
Shehariah Johnson is a 28-year-old graduate of American University, class of 2014, with a major in Psychology and minor in Spanish. She is a domestic violence survivor and activist, merging art with her journey. She is a proud boy mom to a little being who has changed her Life for the better. She is also the new CEO/Founder of her 501(c)3 nonprofit organization called Silence Kills, which is dedicated to supporting survivors on their journeys of healing. She is on a journey of healing and recovery as she fulfills her role as a Wounded Healer. Since being reborn in 2015 due to Domestic Violence, it is her life's mission to empower, educate, and encourage speaking on the unspoken. She uses spoken word as a therapy tool and way to help manage her survivor-hood. She wants her Life to represent Hope, Resiliency & relying on Faith when it seems all else fails. She is that Phoenix that crashed and burned, now fluttering her magnificent wings out of the fire.
Christian Parks, B.A. in Theater and M.A. in Teaching, hails from Philadelphia. DC transplant living in the Great Ward 8. He holds that God is the giver of all things beautiful—even good art. He strongly believes that artistry is the talent that breathes new life. Christian is a poet, a novelist, a teacher, and a friend. Christian seeks to use those talents to bring healing and hope to a world full of pain and sorrow. Solidarity is his process and liberation is his goal. The art will speak for itself as the audience encounters a story unlike any they have heard before.
Kiarra Patterson, affectionately known as Ki, was bred and cornbread fed in Southeast DC. She is a graduate of the first HBCU, Lincoln University, and is completing her dual masters in Social Work and Sex Therapy at Widener University in May of 2021. She is a poet, self published author, and certified teaching artist, but she knows there is no limit to further developing her craft. Ki believes poetry is a healing power and continues to create the space for expression and release in inclusive spaces.
Yalan Sesay, hailing from New Jersey, is a 27-year-old vocal percussionist and poet who resides in the Ward 8 District of Washington, DC. From a young age, Yalan has been practicing and honing his craft of beatboxing in various street performances and open mics. He recently started poetry under the tutelage of the legendary DC Spit Dat founders Dwayne Lawson-Brown and Drew Anderson. When he isn’t working on his crafts, Yalan can be found working on his Martial Arts skills, practicing Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Most of the time, he can be found working hard for his community by positively influencing the lives of youth that are in transition from the streets as a Career Pathways Specialist for the Covenant House of Greater Washington. Through his artforms, Yalan wishes to positively inspire and expose others to different ideas.
+ FEATURED ARTISTS BIOS
Charity Blackwell is a spoken word artist, poet, emcee, motivational speaker, activist, and teacher who hails from South Carolina and now calls Washington, DC home. As a queer woman of color and daughter of a former NAACP president, Charity has always used her talents to uplift the LGBTQ and African American communities, as well as advocating for social justice, youth development, domestic violence awareness, and women’s rights. She’s performed on stages and media outlets near and far, including Lincoln Theater, The Kennedy Center, The Hirshhorn Museum, BBC News, Major League Soccer Network, TedxTysons, and more. Charity is a graduate of Trinity University in Washington, DC, where she earned a bachelor's and master's in communications.
Kenneth Carroll is a native Washingtonian whose poetry and prose has appeared in numerous publications including, Bum Rush The Page, In Search Of Color Everywhere, Potomac Review, Worcester Review, Obsidian, The Washington Post, Indiana Review, Beyond the Frontier and Gargoyle.His book of poetry is entitled So What: For The White Dude Who Said This Ain’t Poetry. He has had 3 of his plays produced including, Make My Funk The P-Funk, published by Ishmael Reed in Konch. He is former director of DC WritersCorps and the African American Writers Guild He is the 2021 Blood Orange Review winner in fiction. He was a writer for BET’s Story Porch program featuring Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. He has performed at the Kennedy Center, Nuyorican Café, Library of Congress, Beyond Baroque, Gala Hispanic Theater, and at universities and cultural institutions around the country. He is married and the proud father of a daughter and two sons.
Pg county, Maryland. Ibadan, Nigeria. The color blue. 90s television and cartoons. A lot of really good raps. A lot of songs that make you feel something. Uses words as a canvas. The show stealing bandit. O-Slice.
+ HOMEGROWN TEAM BIOS
Alina Collins Maldonado (Director) is an actor, director, theater educator, and playwright based in the Washington, DC area. As an actor, she has performed at The Lincoln Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Folger Theatre, 1st Stage, and GALA Hispanic Theatre among others. As a director, and bilingual theater educator, Alina has worked with youth arts programs in the DC area, guiding students in the creation and production of their own work. Alina has had the pleasure of creating theatre with students from ESOL classes and backgrounds as well. As a playwright, Alina is invested in telling authentic stories from the hearts of underrepresented communities. With her journalistic approach to writing, she seeks out stories of memories and truths that spin unexpected threads of connection between us as humans. Alina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, and in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, from Virginia Commonwealth University. Alina is a member of Actor’s Equity Association.
Drew Anderson is founder and co-host of Spit Dat, the longest-running open mic in DC, and co-creator of the critically-acclaimed stage production From Gumbo to Mumbo. Recipient of the prestigious DC Arts and Humanities Fellowship, Drew has recently merged his decade-plus of artistic acumen and educational expertise to develop Spoof School and C.R.U.N.K. Academy, two dynamic arts education integration programs which teach students of all ages how to make learning fun by “making fun” of their learning. Equal parts teaching artist and performing artist, Drew is on a mission to share his love of drama, comedy, poetry, parody, and hip hop with all who are within his reach.
Dwayne Lawson-Brown is one of the hosts of DC’s longest running open mic series, Spit Dat, the co-creator of the Helen Hayes Nominated From Gumbo to Mumbo, which premiered at Keegan Theatre in 2019, the venue host captain for Busboys and Poets 450K, and the recipient of several honors, including the 2019 Mary Bowman Award for Service Through Artistry from the International Conference on HIV Stigma, the 2013 Emerging Artist Award from Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., the 2012 Emerging Leader Award from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and the 2007 Presidential Community Service Award. Whether rapping about the changing face of Southeast DC, the joy of raising his son, or the ache Black communities feel every time another name becomes a hashtag, his work stands as an ambassador’s journal opened to the world.
Christylez Bacon (pronounced: chris-styles) is a GRAMMY® Nominated Progressive Hip-Hop artist and multi-instrumentalist from Southeast, Washington, DC. As a performer, Christylez multi-tasks between various instruments such as the West African djembe drum, acoustic guitar, and the human beat-box (oral percussion), all while continuing the oral tradition of storytelling through his lyrics.
Tim Hache is a production professional and tour manager new to the DC scene, excited to be serving as Interim Technical Director at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co, and Scenic Designer on Homegrown. Previous production manager and technical director credits include (NYC): Lincoln Center, MCC Theatre, NYU, Columbia Artists Managment Inc, Signature Theatre and many more. Previous Design credits (CT): Playhouse on Park, Capital Classics, UHartt.
Cresent Hayes (Sound Designer): In 2012, Cresent received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts Technology, with a focus in Sound Design. In 2014, she received her first theatre review for her work as Sound Designer on the production Not About Nightingales directed by Eric Ruffin, describing her sound design as “an omniscient, foreboding force, ambitious in scope…” Since then, her credits include: Fabulation (Mosaic Theater Company), HER-story (Kennedy Center), The Laramie Project (Duke Ellington School of the Arts), BLKS (Woolly Mammoth Theater), Three Cheers to Grace (YPT), Use All Available Doors (Pinky Swear Productions), Hope in the Hood (Amazing Grace Conservatory) and more. Cresent Haynes is also a freelance Live Audio Engineer and Visual Artist. She has aspirations to one-day design on Broadway and continue touring with various performing artists as their Live Audio Engineer, all while continuing to fill spaces with her original art exhibits and paintings. Training: Howard University.www.linktr.ee/cresentrochelle
Alec Sparks (@alecsparks) is a generalist theatrical maker and problem solver. In addition to his day job at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, he’s designed makerspaces, written software used for shows around the world, and runs an online reference for theatrical hackers – stagehacks.com
A NOTE FROM Kristen
In 2014, after over a decade away, accepting the position of Connectivity Director for Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company represented a return home to Washington, DC where I was born and raised. Woolly’s Connectivity Department was founded to pair the theatre’s artistic mission to produce invigorating and courageous new work, with its social mission to ignite dialogue and inspire social change. This often looked like a plethora of partnerships and programming based on the questions embedded in the plays Woolly produced. Over the course of my first few years at Woolly, I became eager to understand how we could focus our community partnership goals away from a breadth of relationships rooted in Woolly’s artistic choices towards a depth of relationships -- and how this might bring even greater resonance to the art we make.
This season’s launch of the Connectivity Core Partner Program represents a pivotal moment in my vision of Connectivity’s next evolution. These Connectivity Core Partnerships are long-term mutually beneficial relationships with organizations who share the same values around inclusion, anti-racism, social justice, and the power of art as a tool for advancing these values. Connectivity itself serves as a strategy for centering equity in our relationship-building, and creating connections between artists, audiences, and community organizations that are power and impact aware. Under the leadership of Woolly Mammoth’s Artistic Director, Maria Manuela Goyanes, we have come to see Connectivity as an approach woven into the fabric of the entire organization, and not just the work of one department.
HOMEGROWN is the product of a collaboration between Woolly Mammoth and two of our inaugural Core Partners – Spit Dat, DC’s longest running open mic and THEARC Theatre, a home for arts and culture east of the river. Work with our Connectivity Core Partners is central to our mission, not auxiliary -- it is deeply meaningful that Woolly’s first in-person performances following the Covid-19 pandemic are the result of a long-term artistic planning process with two of our core partners.
We hope this piece inspires you to think about the relationship between spoken word and theatre, and the ways in which each can serve as an entry point for the other. We also invite you to celebrate the citizen artists of Ward 7 and 8, who have been participating in SPIT DAT Academy workshops since March to hone their writing and performance skills, and whose work forms the backbone of this collaborative project. Their talents, commitment, and courage in sharing their experiences with us and each other serves as a welcome reminder of the essential role that art can play in building and bridging communities. HOMEGROWN honors the distinctive characteristics and layers of complexity we find both in this city, and within ourselves. It also reminds me how fortunate I am to have found a second home – Woolly Mammoth – that uses the arts to contribute to the health and well-being of my beloved hometown.
KRISTEN JACKSON
Connectivity Director,
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
A NOTE FROM Kimberly
“If you surrendered to the air, you can ride it.”
-Toni Morrison
As a Black artist, creative, and administrator I find power in advocacy. Access and opportunities for Black artists and creatives dwindled, or in many cases were non-existent, during the pandemic. We needed to surrender to that moment in time and were able to find strength and resilience to persevere. As we slowly reemerge, we at THEARC Theater are continuing to prioritize creating equitable opportunities for Black and Brown citizens to consume and train in the arts. HOMEGROWN showcases the best of our humanity through uplifting and nurturing the voices of the artists and sharing this work with the community and the world.
My journey as a Black youth artist in Washington, DC was extraordinary; and what a rewarding feeling to be celebrated for being Young, Gifted and Black. My love and joy of the arts inspired me to BECOME an Arts Administrator. Representation and access is key to make CHANGE.
Today and beyond we surrender to fierce advocacy to be SEEN, HEARD, and RESPECTED as Black artists, creatives, and administrators. THEARC Theater has employed, featured, and trained DC’s best and brightest community youth and emerging professionals in our 15-year history. Our journey to create pathways for the next generation is inspired by the free, joyful, and hopeful existence of future generations who ride the air of artistry and activism to bring about the necessary CHANGE we want and need in the arts and beyond. Unapologetically we must be unyielding in serving OUR communities with TRUTH and building a lasting legacy for Black artists.
KIMBERLY E. DOUGLAS
Director, THEARC Theater
Building Bridges Across the River (BBAR)
Thank you to our sponsors
+ Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Woolly Mammoth is “the hottest theater company in town” (Washington Post); priding itself on developing, producing, and making theatre that disrupts conventional processes and stimulates transformative experiences. For almost four decades, Woolly has held a unique position at the leading edge of the American theater, earning a reputation for staying “uniquely plugged in to the mad temper of the times” (New York Times). The co-leadership of María Manuela Goyanes (Artistic Director) and Emika Abe (Managing Director) is supported by a core company of artists that holds itself to a high standard of artistic excellence. Woolly is relentless in its desire to take risks, experiment, innovate, interrogate, and create a radically inclusive community. Located in Washington, DC, Woolly Mammoth stands upon occupied, unceded territory: the ancestral homeland of the Nacotchtank whose descendants belong to the Piscataway peoples.
Woolly Mammoth Board of Directors
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is proud to be supported by an active and engaged 26-member Board of Directors.
LINETTE S. HWU, PRESIDENT
J. CHRIS BABB, PRESIDENT ELECT
SCOTT SCHREIBER, IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
MICHAEL FITZPATRICK, 1ST VICE PRESIDENT
NANCY HARTSOCK, VICE PRESIDENT
JULIE RIOS, VICE PRESIDENT
STACY REED, TREASURER
BARBARA STRACK, SECRETARY
PAOLA ALLAIS ACREE
SWATI AGRAWAL
JUSTIN TYLER BERNSTINE
COLIN K. BILLS
JON BOUKER
KIMBERLY DOUGLAS
JANE GROVE FISHKIN
CLARENCE J. FLUKER
SARI HORNSTEIN
MARY MCINTOSH
PETE MILLER
DALE A. MOTT
LIZ NORTON
MICHAEL E. RAMIREZ
ERIC RUFFIN
KAITI SAUNDERS
SHELDON SCOTT
DAVID SHARMAN
Mammoth Forever: A Planned Giving Initiative
We would like to thank the farsighted group of donors who have included Woolly Mammoth in their estate plans:
Donna Ari
Jim Asp & Perry Streidel
J. Chris Babb & James Martin
Susan Barrett
Elizabeth & Paul L. Friedman
Renee Gier
David Gorsline
Nancy A. Hartsock
Linette S. Hwu
Thomas M. Leahey
Karen Lefkowitz & Allen Neyman
Jean E. Osburn
Julie F. Rios
Evelyn & Scott Schreiber
Howard Shalwitz
Linda W. Sorkin
To learn more about how to make a planned gift, please contact Moss Madigan at 202-312-5264 or moss.madigan@woollymammoth.net.
Woolly Contributors & Funders
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company remains more dedicated than ever to the evolution of the American theatre and we could not produce ground-breaking new plays and world class artistry without our fearless family of donors. We would like to thank the following contributors who made gifts of $75 or more from June 24, 2020 through June 24, 2021. Thank you!
(+) Recognizes donors contributing $10,000+ // (*) Recognizes in-kind contributions such as goods and services
2021 Soapbox Challenge
We would also like to give special acknowledgement to the Bold Builders — the winning team of our 2021 Soapbox Challenge raising the most money for Woolly Mammoth.
EMIKA ABE
SWATI AGRAWAL
KIMBERLY DOUGLAS
MICHAEL FITZPATRICK
WENDY HAGEN
LINETTE S. HWU
+ THEARC
Event Sponsor: Barbara Epstein Foundation
Annual Theater and iCAN Internship Program Supporters:
The Barbara Epstein Foundation
Bernstein Family Foundation
Building Bridges Board of Directors
Capital Impact Partners
Capital One
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Events DC
Graham Holdings LLC
Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation
Janet and Walter Stone
John & Judy Ritz
John E. & Mary E. King Family Foundation
Karen Thomas
Kay Kendall and Jack Davies
Lisa and Chris Smith
National Endowment for the Arts
Nora Roberts Foundation
Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment
Paul M. Angell Foundation
Sarah Glover
Smithsonian Tech-Teach
TD Bank
William S. Abell Foundation
+ SPIT DAT
SPIT DAT is the longest-running open mic in the nation's capital. A profoundly intimate artistic and spiritual experience which has fought to remain a safe space through nearly two decades of societal changes, Spit Dat combines world-class talent with a living room vibe. As much a "venue" as it is an "event", Spit Dat has won multiple awards for its contribution to the growth of generations of acclaimed international artists. But perhaps its most valued accolade lives in being renowned among its staunch community as no less than "Church".