Marissa Harrington says that Face Off Theatre, the company she co-founded, has always based its seasons on what's going on in the community, the country, and the world. This season's theme is "Intersectionality." Originally coined in the 1980s to describe the combined effects of racism and sexism on Black women, the definition has been expanded to include economic status, ageism, and other factors affecting groups of people who have been historically disadvantaged.
In the 2022 season, opening Feb 18 with Yellowman, "We're unravelling it, exploring it, introducing [intersectionality]," says Harrington.
Lead actress Tanisha Pyron, also a co-founder of Face Off Theatre, says that conversations about colorism and classism are happening right now in the African-American community. She says playwright Dael Orlandersmith does a masterful job at touching on these issues as the story unfolds through two realistic, complicated characters who have been drawn to each other over a lifetime.