Narika – Ritual Art Troupe

You Too

Update: Video Release Party!
Update: Report on our final performance.
Update: Report on opening night.
New: Media Release

Actors/Crew: please go here.

Theatre Makers is co-creating a new play called You Too. The play is about abuse, the #metoo movement, and hope for the future.

You Too tells the story of a female Senate candidate running against a former Hollywood director accused of harassing women. The media orchestrates the race between the two candidates and manipulates the reaction from the audience, playing with true and false accusations, and questioning the whole nature of harassment. Throughout the course of events in the play, our characters evolve and learn to find their own ground. Join us for a thought-provoking and inspiring theater experience!

Join us just after the play for a live panel discussion with the director/co-playwright, cast members, and representatives from nonprofit organizations such as SAVE and Narika. You’ll be able to ask questions (confidentially if you prefer) and get the latest info on both the play and the resources available for victims of workplace harassment and domestic violence.

This original play will have a limited run of performances in Fremont and Oakland. Produced by the Theatre Makers project of Ritual Art Troupe, a small non-profit organization, the play employs a diverse cast of actors and creative personnel living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Iryna Lymar will direct the play, which she co-wrote with Stardust Doherty.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Adult language, scenes of domestic and work abuse, and simulations of slapping and harassment. No nudity. Parents, please consider the maturity level of your teenager before bringing them to the play — no pre-teens please.

Performances

You Too will have a limited run of performances in the San Francisco Bay Area:

7:00pm on November 9, 2019, at Fremont Community Center, 40204 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA
8:00pm on November 14, 2019, at First Unitarian Church, 685 14th Street, Oakland, CA
8:00pm on November 15, 2019, at First Unitarian Church, 685 14th Street, Oakland, CA

The Fremont venue is accessible to wheelchair users (and we are trying to verify that the Oakland venue is also accessible). Captions will not be available at these performances.

Tickets

Ticket sales beyond expenses benefit our non-profit community partners.

Tickets no longer on sale for this play.

Publicity

You Too Cast and Crew Headshots and Bios

You Too Show Photos and Videos

You Too Media Release

Facebook event for Fremont performance and for Oakland performances.

Community Partners

Theatre Makers is grateful for the support of the following community partners for the You Too production:

	Helpline 1-800-215-7308
	24-HOUR HOTLINE (510) 794-6055

These non-profit organizations are doing amazing work in the area of domestic violence prevention, advocacy, support, education, healing, and wellness.

Volunteer

We are seeking set designers, painters, prop master, wardrobe master, roadies (rental truck driver), sound and light crew, funders, venue staff, sign language interpreters (ASL), and other volunteers to stage this new woman-directed play.

To volunteer and participate in production of the You Too play, please send an email to iryna@ritualart.org

The best way to find out about volunteer opportunities is to join the Theatre Makers Meetup group. More info at http://ritualart.org/theatremakers/

Please volunteer, donate funds, or donate venue, food, materials or equipment to make this show possible!

Activities

Playwrights Circle reading and critique session of the You Too play at the St. James School in San Francisco on November 14, 2018.

Recruitment for the You Too play at the Women’s Marches on January 19, 2019, in Oakland and San Francisco.

Kick-Off Meeting for the You Too play from 7pm to 9pm on Monday, March 18, 2019.

Auditions for the You Too play took place on August 25, 26, 27, and September 14, in San Francisco.

Rehearsals for the You Too play have taken place on September 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, and 30, October 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, and 28, and November 3 and 8 in Fremont, Oakland, and San Francisco.

Opening night of the You Too play took place on November 9 at the Fremont Community Center in Fremont, CA.

Performances, including our final performance, of the You Too play took place on November 14 and 15 at the First Unitarian Church in Oakland, CA.

Donate to Theatre Makers Revolutionary Theatre for the “20/20” Library Tour!

Dear Friend,

Please support community-based revolutionary theatre and include Ritual Art Troupe and the Theatre Makers project in your giving this season!

Summary: Donate to our “20/20 Play Library Tour” crowdfundraiser We reached our initial goal for January 1, 2020. Now, we are trying to raise funds for the actors’ and stage manager expenses by the end of February 2020.

Ritual Art Troupe has accomplished a lot recently– you may have experienced some of our shows!

You Too: a play about the #metoo movement with 3 performances in Fremont and Oakland in partnership with local domestic violence prevention nonprofits Narika and SAVE (November 2019)
2 0/20: a play speculating about the re-election of the President where the audience chooses from eight scenarios to complete the action with 4 performances (with a Sold-Out Opening Night award) at the San Francisco Fringe Festival (September 2019)
Animal Factory Farm and Ecopocalypse: plays addressing climate change in 4 performances as part of the global Rise for Climate in San Francisco (September 2018)
Regular Playwrights Circle meetings where playwrights share new work and receive constructive criticism (SF Bay Area)
Theatre Makers Mixers where everyone who co-creates theatre is welcome to come socialize (SF Bay Area)
Orchestra of the Moon and Rag on a Stick Puppet Theatre performances (Portland, OR)

Ritual Art Troupe has beautiful plans for the upcoming year:

“20/20 Play Library Tour” offering the 20/20 play to new audiences for free at local public library branches… please contribute to make this possible at https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/2020-play-free-library-tour
Where We Love play chronicling the stories of LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers in English and also as Donde Amamos in Spanish (recipient of a CA$H Performs grant with performances slated for Queer Freedom month in June 2020 and community partners Rainbow Street, Russian LGBT Network, and AsylumConnect)
“SPEEC Play Reading Series” for casual readings of historic plays with social, political, economic, and environmental change (SPEEC) themes (SF Bay Area throughout 2020)
Regular Playwrights Circle meetings and Theatre Makers Mixers (SF Bay Area throughout 2020)
Other projects — including an opera! — TBA

The Theatre Makers Project provides common ground for diverse communities to collaborate on, incubate, and stage both newly created and historically relevant audience-participatory plays based on social, political, economic, and environmental change (SPEEC) themes. Theatre Makers is a project of the nonprofit Ritual Art Troupe, fostering and developing inclusive, participatory, and community-based arts.

Please donate to our “20/20 Play Library Tour” crowdfundraiser !

Or if you prefer, you can donate with a check or to other projects of the Ritual Art Troupe.

In solidarity,

Stardust Doherty
Theatre Makers Co-Founder
Ritual Art Troupe

You Too Premier Success – Two Oakland Shows Nov. 14 & 15

The opening night show of the “You Too” play on November 9, 2019, in Fremont, was a smashing success!

It’s not too late to join us for the Oakland shows on November 14 and 15. You can buy tickets here.

During much of the performance, not a pin drop could be heard as the audience was mesmerized by the compelling and emotional drama exploring harassment, abuse, and the #metoo movement. In other scenes, the audience waved protest signs and hollered right along with the actors.

You Too play audience participation in rally scene

After the performance, representatives from local non-profit organization Narika and SAVE participated on a panel discussion, along with the director and co-author Iryna Lymar, actor Alia Rose, and actor Nadeem Anjum.