SheNYC Arts presents two, new BIPOC voices in theater --- September 23 to October 14 @ A.R.T/NY Mezzanine Theater at 502 West 53rd Street

Playwright Ailema Sousa Fort Huachuca 

Pay attention, Broadway theater producers. Wake up, Hollywood film and television development executives. SheNYC Arts, the organization dedicated to promoting the world of writers from marginalized genders, has embedded a promise into the very core principles of their organization, and that is to challenge perspectives and ignite imaginations.

The brainchild of Danielle DeMatteo, Artistic Director, the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization is devoted to producing plays, musicals, and adaptations by writers of marginalized genders to prove that these works are meaningful, high-quality, and commercially viable.

Helping them keep that promise from September 23 to October 14 at the A.R.T/NY Mezzanine Theater at 502 West 53rd Street will introduce two new voices: Ailema Sousa, the playwright who wrote Fort Huachuca, and Elinor T. Vanderburg, who wrote Bloodshot.

Fort Huachuca (Ailema Sousa) kicks off the theatrical showcase on Thursday, September 28, with a deep-probing play set against a historical backdrop on a WWII Army Base. And on Friday, September 29th, get prepared to be scared with Bloodshot (Elinor T. Vanderburg).

Fort Huachuca might not seem, at first, like a bold play, but the impact lies in the small, important, and gripping details. The central artery is about the enduring social issues of racism and sexism. Set in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor (1940), the narrative follows the journey of Mayvee, Georgia, Elinor, Majorie, and Thelma, who enlist to serve their country and are stationed at Fort Huachuca, an army base camp in Arizona. As African-American nurses, they face the challenges of segregation, prioritizing white soldiers during emergencies, and the ever-persistent notion of unity in the face of adversity.

Ailema Sousa (playwright) is an Angolan-born British actress and writer, known for her outstanding work at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and as a winner of "The Most Promising Playwright" Award at the Los Angeles Fringe Festival (2018).

Playwright Elinor T. Vanderburg (Bloodshot)

Bloodshot is going to grab the audience by the throat and will not let go. It’s a twisted journey through a noir-inspired mystery. The tale, unreliably narrated, explores a world plagued by a mysterious disease that causes chronic sleeplessness and sudden death. Set in a city eerily similar to our own, yet laced with unsettling unease, Bloodshot promises a darkly humorous exploration of the human condition. Notably, the production features an original score performed by the band The Mombs.

Elinor T. Vanderburg (Bloodshot) is an African-American writer, performer, and voice artist renowned for her thought-provoking and imaginative plays. The director Nigel Semaj has directed such notable productions as Spell No. 7 and The Baltimore Waltz.

Here is what Ailema Sousa (Fort Huachuca) and Elinor T. Vanderburg (Bloodshot) had to share about presenting their new plays with the support of SheNYC Arts, the organization dedicated to promoting the world of writers from marginalized genders.

AMSTERDAM NEWS: What was the inspiration behind your play, Bloodshot?

AILEMA SOUSA (FORT HUACHUCA): Most people have seen World War II through the British perspective, the German perspective, even the American perspective, but never through the perspective of African American women. In 2016, after I graduated from drama school, and I was in New York, I got inspired. The Army base Fort Huachuca is where the African American soldiers trained.

AMN: Why do you think it’s important to tell this story now?

AS: It’s important to keep memory alive.

AMSTERDAM NEWS: Ms. Elinor T. Vanderburg, there are descriptions in your play, Bloodshot, that I cannot shake. They are literally living rent-free in my mind.

ELINOR T. VANDERBURG (BLOODSHOT): LOL. Really. Thank you.

AMN: Trust me. It’s a compliment.

ETV: My husband and I always talk about how when we do theater, we want people to be able to go to the bar and over a drink to be like but wait, you thought that I thought this? And to really break it apart, the worst possible things. If you walk out of a play and you're like, oh, wow. Okay, well, what's on the next thing? You want it to kind of nag at people a bit?

AMN: Bloodshot: a mysterious disease that causes chronic sleeplessness and sudden death. Set in a city eerily similar to our own. Yes, people will talk.

The interviews have been edited for length and clarity. 

Learn more at www.SheNYCArts.org.