By: Federico García Lorca

New Version By: Ursula Rani Sarma

Directed By: Ally Poole

TIME

Act I - Now

Act II, Scene 1 - Three Years from Now

Act II, Scene 2 - Ten Months from Then

Act III - Five Years Passed

SETTING

Appalachia, Ohio

DATES

April 13 - 15, 18 - 22 @ 8pm, with a 2pm matinee on 4/22. The Forum Theater located in The Radio & Television Building.

American Sign Language interpreted performance on Thursday 4/20.

Talk-back after the shows on Saturday 4/15 and Friday 4/21.

Clarissa Raybon will play the part of Yerma on Tuesday 4/18 and Saturday April 22nd @ 2pm.

CONTENT WARNING

Sexually explicit content, violence, strong language, fog

SYNOPSIS

A woman in a passionless marriage, who wants nothing more than to have a child. A community that measures a woman’s worth by their ability to bear children. Yerma, for anyone who has ever desperately wanted something and found that it was just beyond their reach.

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR

When producing work in the School of Theater, there are two questions that are frequently asked. “Why here?” and “Why now?” These are the questions that I asked myself when Vibrancy Theater first approached me to direct Yerma in Fall 2021. Internally I was hesitant. I wasn’t sure if I could connect to the heart of the play, Yerma’s desire to have a child.

I do not have children, but societally, I am at an age where I should. I am also at the age where I’ve been asked more than once, “When are you going to settle down and have some kids?” And when I remembered that immense pressure, that question, I realized that what Yerma experiences in this play is not unfamiliar. This realization stoked a desire to direct this play and led to more questions. Why does Yerma need Juan to have a child? Why doesn’t Juan want a child? Why is their community adding to the pressure for Yerma to have one? 

The themes within Yerma are contemporary issues for women. In our production, both actors portraying Yerma are Black women. There are risks for Black women having a child, due to race and the fact that there is a Black maternal morality crisis in this country. The world watched on June 24, 2022, as the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. When that piece of legislation was overturned it made clear what has always been there, that the rights of women, of all women, are under attack. After Roe v Wade was overturned, “Women’s Bill of Rights” also began popping up around the country. This legislation would create a legal definition of womanhood based upon the capacity to produce human eggs. This definition of “woman,” purposefully excludes trans women and would make it impossible for them to live their lives freely. 

Every production of Yerma that I have previously seen has been adapted and/or directed by a white man. As Vibrancy leadership and I searched for the version of the text that we wanted to work with for this production, it was very important to me that the adaptation was written by a woman, and a woman of color preferably. This is how we came to find Ursula Rani Sarma, an Irish/Indian playwright, whose text embraced the poetry of the Spanish language that Lorca first wrote Yerma in.

So, “Why here?” “Why now?” Because the world for women has not changed from when Federico García Lorca wrote Yerma in 1934. But this is not just a story for women. Everyone at some moment in their life has desperately wanted something that they cannot have. Everyone has felt pressure; from loved ones, society and even themselves. This desperation and pressure can lead to dire consequences. As Lorca wrote, “To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves.” 

We made a supportive community during the development of our Yerma. The rehearsal room was one that was led by the spirit of true collaboration, filled with music, movement, and laughter. It was a pleasure and an honor to work with these immensely talented students. Yerma is for anyone who has ever desperately wanted something and found that it was just beyond their reach. Thank you for joining us.

Green, Erica L. “'I Don't Want to Die': Fighting Maternal Mortality among Black Women.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Jan. 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/18/us/doula-black-women.html. 

Mar, Ria Tabacco. “Trans Rights Are Women's Rights: ACLU.” American Civil Liberties Union, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/trans-rights-are-womens-rights. 

Ally Poole, Director

Land Acknowledgement

We, The School Of Theater and Vibrancy Theater, acknowledge that, from the time of Ohio University’s founding in 1804, it has occupied the traditional homelands of the Shawnee people, as well as the Wahzhazhe (who are also known as the Osage), who lived in Southeast Ohio before them. As the first federally legislated public university in the United States of America, Ohio University was an integral part of the U.S.’s westward expansion and empire building. 

Our Mission 

Uplifting and broadcasting the Black, Indigenous and People of Color in theatre at Ohio University and beyond.

Create a playground for student theater-artists.

Vibrancy Theater generates a space for Black, Indigenous, Students of Color to develop artistic leadership skills. 

Our Vision

Through conscious, inclusive, and ethical staging of new and re-imagined classics, we aim to explore major themes of humanity that challenge the dominant narrative. Vibrancy Theater hopes to build community with other marginalized groups through explicit Anti- Racist procedures/practices in efforts to share a myriad of unique and culturally relevant theater that is reflective of the world we live in and of the world we’ve been dreaming of. We promote BIPOC playwrights, actors, designers, stage managers and directors in order to give students of color and black students an authentic outlet for creative expression. 

 Executive Leadership

Alina Nichol Rosado

Co-Artistic Director

As Co-Artistic Director, Alina (she/her) spearheads the creative direction of Vibrancy Theater. She is a third-year BFA Musical Theater major from San Juan, Puerto Rico. This year she hopes to improve sustainability within Vibrancy by creating strong bonds throughout the greater Appalachian area. Alina also serves Vibrancy as an actor and dancer. She had been featured in roles such as: Hailey Hudson in Macbitches, Rosa Gonzalez in Summer and Smoke, among others.

Clarissa Raybon

Co-Artistic Director

Clarissa Raybon, a graduate of the University of Georgia, is an actor/educator who has travelled internationally to share her passion for theatre. She has been featured in roles such as Beneatha from A Raisin in the Sun and Agave from The Bacchae. Clarissa currently works as an MFA Actor in Ohio University’s Professional Actor Training Program. Having taken part in Vibrancy Theater’s production of Absentia, she is excited to work with the collective as Co-Artistic Director.

Luis Silva

Co-Executive Producer | Treasurer

Luis Silva is a Venezuelan-born Technical Director. An MFA candidate at Ohio University’s class of 2023, holding a BA from Florida International University, and with professional experience both in Venezuela and the US. His work is focused on safety and the accurate production of designers’ ideas. To achieve this goal, he works to create a communicative, honest, and trusting environment, where new ideas are welcomed. Luis is excited to create Vibrancy productions and events that highlight the diversity and strength of the community, and more specifically, OU’s School of Theater student body.

Rhys Carr

Co-Executive Producer | Treasurer

Rhys (they/them) is a Caribbean American artist from Athens, Ohio. As a senior in OU’s musical theater track with a dance minor, they dream of combining song, text, and movement in traditional theater spaces in order to push the boundaries of what theatre can be. Rhys works closely with Co-Executive Producer, Luis Silva, to better expand the opportunity for representation of BIPOC groups of all abilities within the theatre community. As a co-founder of Vibrancy, they hope to see the collective flourish and thrive long after they graduate.

 Felipe Luz

Community Outreach and Engagement Coordinator

Felipe Luz (he/they) is a performer from Southern Brasil, land vastly occupied by the Mbyá Guaraní people before colonization. Bachelor of Acting by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, his work is founded on the body’s possibilities and its social and political implications – especially regarding gender, sexuality, and ethnicity. They’re fond of limitrophe creations that exceed labels and blur the lines between conventional drama/post-dramatic art, fiction/reality, feminine/masculine, and any other dichotomic concept. Most of their experience in Brasil was rooted in devised and physical theater. He’s currently in his 2nd year as an Acting MFA candidate and is also Community Outreach and Engagement Coordinator for Vibrancy Theater. He firmly believes that we all should be free and live our lives as a work of art – which he doesn’t always get to do, but certainly tries. 

Aisha Mahon

Social Media Coordinator

Aisha Mahon (She/her ) is a fourth year BFA Stage Management major from Sayreville, New Jersey. Aisha is very proud to serve as Vibrancy’s Leadership Liaison and looks forward to all the amazing work that Vibrancy is currently doing and will continue to do in the future.

 Kay Collins

Leadership Liason

Kay Collins (she/her) is currently a fourth year in Ohio University’s BFA Acting Program. Kay also works with Vibrancy as a dancer and a photographer. As an actor she has been featured in roles such as Goodman from Men on Boats and Trevy Ford in The Berry Hotel. She is delighted to join Vibrancy’s leadership team as the Social Media Coordinator.

Timothy Oh

Scribe

Timothy Oh, 오 통훈, is a young Korean-American actor and writer devoted to making change through stories that matter and creating and holding space for BIPOC and AAPI voices.

Vibrancy Theater Founders

Founding Faculty Mentor: Charles Smith, Distinguished Professor of Playwriting

Co-founding Artistic Directors: Janai Lashon and Keshawn Mellon

Co-founding Executive Directors: Roberto Di Donato and Ri Moodie

Founding Scribe: Daniela Chaparro 

Co-founding Community Outreach Coordinators: Rhys Carr and Taylor Roberts

Co-founding Social Media Consultants: Kaleb Jackson and Laurettia Weakly

For Your Information

FIRE NOTICE

Illuminated signs above each door indicate
emergency exits. Please check for the nearest
exit. In the event of an emergency, you will be
notified by theater personnel and assisted in
the evacuation of the building.

SEATING POLICY 

Everyone must have a ticket. Sorry, no
children in arms or on laps. Patrons who
leave the theater during the performance
will be reseated at the discretion of house
management. Those who become disruptive
will be asked to leave the theater.

ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES

The ForumTheater in the Radio & Television building is
fully accessible to those with mobility issues.
When booking tickets, please let our Box
Office know if you require a ticket that will
accommodate a wheelchair. Please call Ledger
Free, Director of Audience Services, at 917-
733-0081 if you need any assistance during
your visit. We are here to help you!