Plays

"don't wanna dance with ghosts...", by TS Hawkins, is a choreopoem experience of how past poisons taint the future when love strips you of closure.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

*First appearance courtesy of The Bridge PHL, an annual play festival which strives to foster healing connections between rich and diverse communities by encouraging openness and dialogue about perspectives on racial prejudice, privilege, inclusion, and bias. Cast/Crew: TS Hawkins (Playwright), Katrina Shobe (Director), and Charlese D. Hawkins (Assistant Director).

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AGAIN, by TS Hawkins, is a choreopoem experience highlighting the black and brown voices that exclaim “stop killing us” while white supremacy and toxic masculinity retort “why?”.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

*First appearance courtesy of The Bridge PHL, an annual play festival which strives to foster healing connections between rich and diverse communities by encouraging openness and dialogue about perspectives on racial prejudice, privilege, inclusion, and bias. Each autumn, the annual festival welcomes both experienced and new artists wishing to engage in the mission to further the endeavor to BUILD THE BRIDGE PHL! Cast/Crew: TS Hawkins (playwright) & Katrina Shobe (director). Featuring: Ciani Barclay, Niya Colbert, Cynda Purnell, Joshuah Simpson, and James Whitfield.

TESTIMONIALS

*Gina Renzi: Excellent performance!
*Frank Lewis: Love, love, loved the performances! TS, you nailed it! I’m awed by your talent and your mission bringing awareness to social ills of society by your  poetic justice; brought forth humor, sadness and nuances of today’s society to the stage! A must see!

*Juliet Stams: Such an amazing piece of work. Very powerful. Thank you!

*Nicole Stacie: "AGAIN," was a siren of hard hitting fact and sizzling in your face poems that served as a mirror to all who watched.

*Susan Chase: Very moving performance!

*Kalif Troy: That moment when it became the TS Show AGAIN! That moment when you know what's coming cuz you know the playwright and directed for the playwright and still balled because blackness is weaponized in Murica.

*Heather Chonoles: Thank you for sharing with us. The way you have with words...

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#SuiteReality, by TS Hawkins, is a choreopoem experience that touches upon Women's Rights, Black Lives Matter, and #SayHerName; a campaign that highlights womyn who have been killed by the fragility of masculinity and police brutality.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

*First appearance courtesy of Brief (Political) Encounters, a premiere 10-minute play festival hosted by ReVamp Collective, focusing on gender roles and stereotypes in the political world. Cast/Crew: Playwright TS Hawkins, Director Kalif Troy, Dramaturg Tiffany Bacon, and Choreographer Karina Banks. Featuring: Ashley Adams, Tiffany Barrett, Ashley B. Spearman, and special appearance by Aliyah Isis.

TESTIMONIALS
*Bonaly Review: Well, obviously #SuiteReality, I think was far out of the league of the other work. #SuiteReality is a choreopoem about the #sayhername movement, which has struggled to gain recognition for black women murdered by the police even as the country focused on the stories of black men. When Tiffany Barrett, Ashley Ayanna, Ashley Spearman and Aliyah Isis took the stage, it was like suddenly we were in a completely different world; the real world, where real things happen to real people. TS Hawkins poem was beautiful. She’s incredibly deft with words, and her cast understood them in their bones. #SuiteReality follows knowingly in the tradition of for colored girls. And that really amplified the feeling of a litany. As each of the names of the murdered women is listed, the connection to previous work sends the list backwards in time to encompass black women throughout. This play understood not only the political context that it exists in but also the theatrical context. The staging from Kalif Troy was bare and effective, nothing distracting from the words and emotions. There was just such a strong contrast between the hypothetical, hyper-acted and low stakes worlds of all of the other pieces and the honest immediacy of this one. All three actresses were deeply compelling and deeply individual. But Aliyah Isis was riveting. The combination of her composure and innocence with the reality of what it is to be a little black girl in this American moment did not allow emotional distance. It’s hard to know if Hawkins and Troy did this on purpose, but I think #SuiteReality ended up being a smart, necessary retort to the navel-gazing work that preceded it. When Isis says “This is for white folks” I knew I had been seen and called out. Hawkins knew who her audience would be, and she meant to take the opportunity to speak to them. Hawkins came to pop the bubble...and thank god.
*Heather Chonoles: #SuiteReality was awesome. You have a musical understanding of language. The actresses delivered the lines like they were incantations, and each woman radiated power and presence. The staging provided balanced support for the piece and the minimal nature hit the perfect note. The way the women came in laughing, then shifted gears while pinning down the audience with direct eye contact was an awesome choice. And the implementation of the child actress was smart, controlled, and done to the greatest effect. You are making art that matters, and I want to see everything you create. This is what theater can do. This is why we need to see live theater. Thank you for what you do!
*Gabrielle Corsaro: TS, your piece was gorgeous and completely unforgettable. I will be replaying it in my mind for a very long time. Congrats to you, the cast, and your creative team!
*Cara Blouin: I swear to God, you're going to save us all. You made it so worth it!
*Greg Nanni: I loved your piece. Looking forward to the next time I get a chance to see your work!
*Nick Palazzolo: Always excited to support you and your creative brilliance! Absolutely stunning tonight! You wrote some lines that are continuing to echo in my heart, challenging me.

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The Secret Life of Wonder: a prologue in G, by TS Hawkins, journeys through the lives of seven girls being escorted into womanhood. Embracing multiple levels of play, the girls teach one another ways to interact with the world at large. Using poetic dialogue, these girls introduce that their similarities expand beyond their assigned genders while exploring how their differences bring them together. Positioning itself as a foreshadowing to Ntozake Shange's work "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf", The Secret Life of Wonder: a prologue in G highlights the embryonic spark of when all girls gather; soothing one’s aches, sorting each one’s puzzles, and sharing one’s triumphs with her chosen collective.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

*First appearance courtesy of Mz. Fest, a premiere festival hosted by Plays & Players, that brings multiple local theatre companies together for a week to explore, question, and celebrate female stories. This year, Mz. Fest 2015 attempts to answer “Who are women in today’s world? In yesterday’s world? And in tomorrow’s world?” Cast/Crew: Playwright TS Hawkins, Director Amber Emory. Featuring: Nastassja Baset, Marisol Custodio, Jackie DiFerdinando, Kimie Muroya, Kaitlyn Pribulsky, Zoe Richards, Rebekah Sharp, and special guest appearance by Steve Wright.

*Second appearance courtesy of (re)FOCUS FEST, a premiere festival of four collaborators; Kaleid Theatre, Power Street Theatre, [redacted] theater company, and emerging playwright TS Hawkins who wanted to showcase work that explores the power of “privilege”. Cast/Crew: Playwright TS Hawkins, Director Cheyenne Barboza, Assistant Director Katrina Shobe. Featuring: Leah Holleran, Maria Beltre, Kaitlin Pribulsky, April Rose Davis, Bianca A. Davies, Nastassja Baset, Katrina Shobe, and special guest appearance by Donnell  Powell.

TESTIMONIALS:

*Dr. Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon: Envisioning what might have come before Ntozoke Shange’s for colored girls...Hawkins’ new play The Secret Life of Wonder: a prologue in G is engaging and honest, lyrical, grim and real; but more than that, it is a must see!

*Alonzo Delaine: My daughter and I enjoyed it immensely plus had great conversations....thanks for creating such great work....We are indeed Temple Made!!!!

*Frank Lewis: I truly enjoyed SLW! Awesome, raw emotion released on stage…instantly pulled in by the artistry of the words. It was bold, it had sass, it tugged at my emotions as is it spewed many thoughts one might wonder. I love Hawkins' work and how it's evolving... Kudos to the actors who brought your efforts to fruition. Anyone who has an opportunity to experience this great piece of work should do so!

*Tara Lessard: Such a beautiful play! "The Secret Life of a Wonder a Prologue in G" made me laugh, cry, sweat, ponder, dream & smile…Hawkins is the best!

*Sandra Toney: Well written and Hawkins’ vision is true to life of what embodies the evolution of girlhood into womanhood!

*Brandy Bones: Powerful performances, beautiful language, and captivating choreography! Thank you for inviting the public to check out this work!

*Alex Davis: Thought-provoking and interesting. A very unique piece that should be largely produced!!

*Cheryl Williams: It’s like watching Shakespeare! Brilliant linguistic energy and emotional connection via brain power! Awesome production!

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#RM2B, written by TS Hawkins, desires to answer "Do we give ourselves room to be ourselves? Or do we allow societal structures to solely shape how we navigate and exist in the world today?" Using W.E.B DuBois work as a template, these six women explore how the concepts of "to be the problem" and "to live in privilege" collide, survive and thrive physically and linguistically in everyday life.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

#RM2B was created as part of "The Souls of Black Folk" project facilitated by Cara Blouin and housed in the Painted Bride Art Center. Cast: TS Hawkins, Rachel O’ Hanlon Rodriguez, Cheyenné Barboza, Nastassja Baset, Tamara Woods & Adrianna Branin.

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They'll Neglect To Tell You, written by TS Hawkins, poetically paints an unfortunate truth of Philadelphia's current social political landscape. With educational budget cuts, prisons on the rise and white flight profiting off of black bodies struggling in the margins, Hawkins pens the reality of a war brewing in the City of Brotherly Love.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

They'll Neglect To Tell You, was created as part of "The Souls of Black Folk" project facilitated by Cara Blouin and housed in the Painted Bride Art Center. This solo production was written and performed by TS Hawkins.

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Too Late To Apologize, written by TS Hawkins, is a theatrical-poetic vignette rimming a tale of wonderlust for strangers who meet at a bar.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

*First appearance courtesy of BRAT $HIT CRAZY for Brat Productions "The Diary of Lisa Q" in 2013. Cast/Crew: TS Hawkins (playwright), Madi Distefano (director), and featuring: Sarah Schol.

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Cartons of Ultrasounds, by TS Hawkins, unpacks how the societal machine churns embryos, girls, and womyn, into seclusion; waterboarding their freedom and manufacturing their wombs with assembly-line legislature. Prisoners to their gender, society has become the parasitic conjoined twin of the dogmatic cycle extending life sentences of female identified invalidation. With scantily clad images, pejorative song lyrics, and abusive homes heightening the maltreatment of the female form, we teach womyn to be the missing, the raped, and the forgotten.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

*Cartons of Ultrasounds debuted November 2012 at the Trestle Inn. Cast/Crew: André Brown (Director), Christina May (Assistant Director), and TS Hawkins (Playwright/Actor).

*Second appearance courtesy of Alphabet Arts “Puppets & Poets” Residency showcase at the Brooklyn Arts Exchange in December 2012. “Puppets & Poets” consists of hybrid performances blending poetry and puppetry; two of the world's oldest and most diversely practiced artforms featuring an eclectic array of poets, puppeteers, musicians, and other artists. Cast/Crew: Kyla Kollmer McHale (Mask, Puppet & Direction), and TS Hawkins (Playwright/Actor).

*Third appearance courtesy of (re)FOCUS FEST. (re)FOCUS Fest 2018 brings together four theatre makers to explore what it means to reclaim and to celebrate diversity through shared performance. Through poetic dialogue, immersive soundscapes, and lyrical movement, Kaleid Theatre, Pratima Agrawal, Alma's Engine, and TS Hawkins meditate on gender, race, sexuality, class, and everything in between. (re)FOCUS Fest is a chance to (re)focus on themes that are all around us, but difficult to see, explore, and discuss. It is a celebration of our ability to confront ourselves, learn from each other, and rejoice in the myriad of experiences that make us who we are. Cast/Crew: Cheyenne Barboza (Director), TS Hawkins (Playwright) and Iman Aaliyah (Actor).

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Seeking Silence, written by TS Hawkins, questions "if" and "where" silence rests in the everyday landscape.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

*Seeking Silence debuted as part of the Puppets & Poets residency in 2011 in NYC. Puppets and Masks were created by Kyla McHale and Joesph Therrien. Designed & Performed by TS Hawkins, Kyla Kollmer McHale, Joseph Therrien, Renee Dumouchel, Katie Issel Pitre and Kathryn Wilkening.

TESTIMONIALS:

*Theatre Alliance Reviewer: "Seeking Silence" raises thoughtful questions and respects its audience enough to not provide overly simplistic answers. As the masked performers join together at the piece’s conclusion to become a sort of communal body, collectively breathing life into a giant puppet who has been sleeping at the foot of the stage, there is a sense of hope and unity, but it is not naïve or easy. There is a “library of thought” and work to be done by all of us seeking to build a true democratic community.

*Amber West, MFA, PhD, & co-founder of Alphabet Arts NYC: Alphabet Arts created Puppets & Poets in part to test our theory that mixing seemingly-disparate art forms can create something new that is perhaps more expressive and more effective in communicating and connecting with audiences. "Seeking Silence" proves this theory correct. It is an impressive feat (and a rare treat) to see poetry, puppetry, mask, and dance/movement fused so beautifully on stage.