Bankers Hill woman takes charge of theater company
By David Dixon
The Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company is known for producing shows that emphasize different cultures and relevant issues, and the new executive artistic director, Lydia Fort, is eager to uphold that tradition.
The 2015-16 season is the first one programmed by Fort, a new resident of Bankers Hill.
“Cell,” the opening play directed by Fort, focuses on the timely subject of illegal immigration.
Featuring an all African-American cast, “Cell” stars Craig Noel award-winning actress Sylvia M’Lafi Thompson, as Rene, a corrections officer. Thanks to her efforts, Rene’s sister Cerise (Monique Gaffney) and niece Gwen (Andrea Agosto) work at a detention center for illegal immigrants. Although they are not supposed to become emotionally attached to the undocumented detainees, Gwen begins to sympathize with those waiting to be deported.
Fort acknowledges that working on a world premiere can be a liberating experience.
“It’s amazing how you can be hand-in-hand in creating something, and it doesn’t happen very often,” she said.
The script was written by New York City playwright Cassandra Medley, and Fort has been working with her during rehearsals to make the tale as powerful as possible. “I feel it is incredibly exciting to help shape something while it’s being made,” Fort said.
Fort believes Medley’s script is important for several reasons.
“It challenges what we think of others,” she said. “We have had a lot of discussions about Black Lives Matter recently, and this is an opportunity to ask what are the results? The interesting thing about the text is that it looks at how we can dehumanize each other, even as people of color.”
Casting Thompson in the lead was an easy decision for the director to make.
“Everyone knows and loves Thompson,” she said. “Being a newcomer [to Mo’olelo], I talked to people and described the character of Rene. Hands down, everyone said Thompson” should play her. Instead of auditioning for Fort, Thompson got the part after the two of them had a discussion over lunch.
Once “Cell” closes, Mo’olelo has two other shows lined up for the new season. The National New Play Network world premiere of “in a word” is a collaboration between UC San Diego alumni Lauren Yee, the playwright, and Larissa Lury, the director. The story examines how a couple come to terms with their son’s kidnapping during the two-year anniversary of the tragic incident. “It’s haunting, beautiful, powerful and funny,” Fort said.
For their final selection, Ion Theatre Executive Artistic Director Claudio Raygoza has been tapped to direct the West Coast premiere of “Pinkolandia,” written by bilingual artist Andrea Thome. The adventure deals with two Chilean-American sisters in the 1980s who go on imaginary journeys together. “The play has a beautiful fantastical nature about it, that reminds me of what theater can do,” Fort said.
With “Cell” and future narratives, Fort wants to tell stories that leave a profound impact on audiences. “I feel like when [I see theater], I have come to a sacred space and have borne witness to something with other people,” she said. “That to me is what makes theater so incredible.”
Fort hopes that people do not view the dramas that she stages as mindless entertainment: “My objective is can I create something that challenges people to talk afterwards? Can I create something that inspires people to go home and get on the Internet to research [the topic of a play]?”
Amy Elizabeth Oliveira, marketing coordinator for the theater, agrees with Fort about the company’s mission.
“One of MPAC’s values,” she said, “is to explore and examine life in all of its complexity and diversity to seek new experience and overcome prejudice.”
—A fan of film and theater from a very young age, David Dixon has written reviews and features for various print and online publications. You can reach him at [email protected].
