*We understand ritual as circular, intentional, collective, and multi-dimensional. Together this creates a particular rhythm that disrupts the confines of linear narratives found in Western tradition. Through the process of ritual, we have the agency to create alternative modes of existence and realities.

We believe that current institutions of theatre are removed from the art form’s origins as centers for community gathering, building, and imagining – rituals for radical healing and solidarity. Our commitment is to return to that ritual of theatre and challenge what it can be, all within established theatrical spaces as a process of decolonization.

As creators and collaborators, we focus on developing new work that foregrounds identity, collectivity, and celebrations of dreams and near-futures. We’re interested in not only what it looks like to create a piece that shamelessly centers Blk-ness, but also what it means to ask non-Blk individuals to engage with decentralizing themselves. We listen when bell hooks tells us, “The function of art is to do more than tell it like it is – it’s to imagine what is possible.” So while we create utopian environments, we still engage critically in the here and now by offering our Blk audience with tangible tactics for actualizing their Afro-future.

We thank and honor the ancestors, community leaders, and mentors who have guided us to this point. Because of their work, we stand on a solid foundation that we aim to only add to – whether that be continuing the work or finding new ways that lead us to the ultimate goal: the liberation of Blk people. We proudly consider ourselves theory-hoes in training and ground our work in theatrical and theoretical conversations of Blk-ness in an anti-Blk society.

One of our main sources of inspiration is the “Mundane Afrofuturist Manifesto” by Martine Syms which looks toward Blk humanity and community as the means of speculation in order to (re)imagine the future. How this translates to our artistic practice is that instead of using science fiction technology as the access point to imagination, we use the “now” space of theatre – what we have in this present moment to build our Afro-future(s).

We are also charged by the last line of the Mundane Afrofuturist Manifesto: “… to burn this manifesto as soon as it gets boring.” It keeps us accountable to the people who we wish to service, for if our rituals no longer respond to the needs of the community – or worse, work in antithesis to the needs of the community – for sure burn it down! We hope that the future ancestors rise from the ashes anew.

Ultimately, what we share with the world wants to reflect our process, one that is highly collaborative and challenges, encourages, and pushes others to confront the aspects of reality we want to change. For every project, we maintain the following values: (1) the belief in community, (2) the magic of theatre, (3) the power of bodies, (4) the importance of visibility and sharing, and (5) the beauty of multiplicity, ambiguity, potentiality, and complexity.