Upcoming
Events
The Empty Seat:
"One Woman’s Virtual Journey to Self-Discovery"
Written/Performed by Briana Monet
Directed by Alric Davis
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Sankofa Collective has launched the Streaming Sankofa program, that will be a collection of theatrical, concert, film and dance productions, safe-space gatherings and community-based engagement tailored for virtual experiences. Our virtual experiences will range from a blend of theatre and film styles, meditative practices and individual artist development. To honor the resilience of our ancestors, we plan to forge ahead with arts transformation safely by providing online entertainment content, classes and more to fulfill community needs and provide arts enjoyment into the comfort and safety of your homes.
Streaming Sankofa’s second production will be The Empty Seat, a one-woman virtual play by Briana Monet.
September 4-6 , 2020
General Admission: $25
Streaming 8pm CST Nightly
SHOW SYNOPSIS:
Spring of 2015 at Howard University in Washington D.C. Graduating Senior Acting Major Briana Monet Lott is all geared up and ready to perform her one-woman senior thesis presentation when she peers into the audience and spots her long-estranged father in the front row. Our virtual play begins! The Empty Seat, based on Briana Monet’s senior thesis presentation at Howard University, tells her true-to-life story of moving from Houston to Washington D.C. to study acting and navigating her turbulent relationship with her estranged father. While learning a host of various acting techniques and principles from vibrant professors and colleagues, Briana is hit with familial and romantic obstacles that ultimately shape her and the world around her. The Empty Seat is a one-woman virtual play that addresses generational curses, addressing past trauma, spirituality and self-discovery through a wealth of color, comedy and most of all, spiritual conditioning.
The Sankofa Collective’s Streaming Sankofa is proud to present its first Video on Demand virtual production The Empty Seat, available September 4-6, 2020
What is Meet the Moment?
CALLING ALL
STUDENT CREATORS
6th Grade through First Year of College
IMPORTANT DATES
JULY 29 • Applications Due
AUGUST 3 • Acceptance Notifications
AUGUST 10-14 • 1-4 pm • Moment Work Training with Tectonic Theater Project
SEPTEMBER 8 • First Day of Class Fall Semester
JANUARY 5 • First Day of Spring Semester
APRIL 23 & 24 • PRESENTATION
Meet The Moment Class runs SEPTEMBER 8 – APRIL 22 • Tuesdays & Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm (All HISD Holidays and Breaks will be observed and no classes will take place on those dates).
All classes will take place virtually on Zoom until deemed safe to return to in-person classes.
Meet the Moment: A Collaboration Between Sankofa Collective & HITS Theatre
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Artistic Directors of The Sankofa Collective and HITS Theatre have been meeting to discuss a joint project focusing on devising an original piece of theater. Using the training from the Tectonic Theater Project in NYC, students will interview Houstonians and create “theatrical moments” based on interviews, newspaper articles, and more. Throughout the Fall, we plan to offer training in songwriting, playwriting, choreo poems, slam poetry and other forms of storytelling to capture this historic moment in Houston: exploring the teenage zeitgeist during a pandemic, virtual schooling, racial injustice & discrimination. In the spring, the project would turn to devising an original theater work (or multi-media installation if Covid-19 strikes again) with a virtual or in-person presentation in the style of “The Laramie Project.”
ABOUT HITS THEATRE
For 40 years, HITS Theatre has engaged children in high-quality, performing arts education. Led by Artistic Director Adam Wagner, our nurturing atmosphere and trained instructors give students the opportunity to grow and perform on stage, whether the children are novices or more seasoned. Our philosophy is to use positive affirmations and a safe learning environment to deliver professional arts training, enrich lives through cultural experiences and talent development, and provide a creative outlet for children, regardless of their financial background.
HITS Theatre’s MISSION and VISION is to empower youth through educational musical theatre programming with a holistic approach to acting, singing, and dancing. Please visit HITStheatre.org for more information!
ABOUT THE SANKOFA COLLECTIVE
Sankofa (noun) – Adinkra word that expresses the importance of reaching back to knowledge gained in the past and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress.
The Sankofa Collective (Formally known as The Bayou Theatre Company; BTC) is a Texas non-profit organization with the purpose to expose, educate and enrich the lives of at-risk youth and adults to theatre. It was established to utilize the performing arts as an outreach and entertainment source to the underserved population of the Greater Houston community and beyond.
Founded by three young performers, (Alric Davis, Trey Morgan Lewis and Yesha Benjamin), the Sankofa Collective will serve as a pre-professional and professional avenue of creative expression and artistic development. The programs offered will provide a positive alternative to otherwise negative activities and associations. The Sankofa Collective hopes to do that with artistic expression through theatre, design, dance, film and visual arts in order to re-ignite the passion to create lasting theatrical memories by building upon those who came before us and create room for artists to secure promising futures in the arts.
ABOUT TECHTONIC THEATER PROJECT
Based in New York City and guided by founder and artistic director Moisés Kaufman, Tectonic Theater Project develops new plays using the company’s trademarked theater-making method, Moment Work™, and through a rigorous process of research and collaboration in a laboratory environment.
Since its founding in 1991 the company has created and staged over twenty plays and musicals, including Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, The Laramie Project, Doug Wright’s Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife, and the Tony Award-winning 33 Variations.
This project is committed to being inclusive of all students regardless of their ability to pay tuition.
Tuition for the Tectonic Theater Workshop & Fall Semester will be $355,
Spring Semester will be $300 + a $25 annual registration fee per family.
Your total obligation would be $680 for the entire year.
Partial and full scholarships are available by request.
What is Moment Work?
Q&A with Mr. Adam & Mr. Alric
The Sankofa Collective presents “Color Me With Words”: A Virtual Poetry Slam. We are now holding an open call for BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) poets of all ages! Email us a video (self taped or past live performance) of you performing your original work to be considered for the Poetry Slam! Original works should be no more than 5 minutes! Send all applications to sankofacollectivehouston@gmail.com!
The Sankofa Collective
