By Penumbra Theatre Company

Playwright Christina Anderson returned to Penumbra Theatre Company’s New Play Development program, OKRA, with a new piece entitled “Hollow Roots.” The play was part of The Gym: a weeklong developmental workshop for ideas that are not yet in script form.

Penumbra’s Associate Artistic Director-New Play Development Dominic Taylor directs the OKRA program:  “This challenging, one-woman play examines the particulars of language and stasis. The playwright, Christina Anderson, was exploring language as action; the woman sits in a chair and does not get up.  We brought in sound designer Katharine Horowitz to help Christina re-conceptualize the work, using sound to challenge the lack of activity. A very fruitful week working with culturally specific artistic collaborators helped the playwright build a script that was presented on September 10th as part of the New Work Now! festival at The Public Theatre in New York.

The Penumbra workshop was directed by Faye Price, Artistic Director at Pillsbury House and Penumbra company member. The actor was Ivey Award winning Sonja Parks.

The OKRA program is a unique opportunity to develop the artistic voice of the African American community and create a system to get new plays produced.  OKRA means ‘spark of life’ to the Akan people of Ghana.  The program nurtures the voice of emerging playwrights while it honors the historical and cultural aesthetic from which that specific voice comes. The program has three components:  the expansion of early ideas, a reading series, and a week-long workshop, which culminates in Penumbra’s Word(s)Play! Festival.  The ultimate goal of the program is moving new plays onto the main stage.