Klytmnestra: An Epic Slam Poem

Written and Performed by Dane Figueroa Edidi
Directed by Danielle Drakes

May 21 – June 16, 2019

A priestess enters a cemetery suffused with the shades and apparitions of black culture. Yet she conjures the spirits of a different sort—Orestes, Iphigenia, and Klytmnestra. This dynamic one-woman slam poem is a saga of strong women, the men who seek to destroy them, and the dangerous extremes this kind of society can reach if left unchecked. Fusing Kabuki, African dance, and Greek myth, Klytmnestra: An Epic Slam Poem is a dynamic retelling of the classic tale written to vindicate a mother slain by her own son’s hand.

Cast

Priestess/Various Dane Figueroa Edidi
Drummer Autumn Angelettie

Production Team

Director  Danielle A. Drakes  
Assistant Director  Sisi Reid
Stage Manager  Ayesis Clay
Stage Manager  Ricky Ramon
Lighting Designer  Niomi Collard
Scenic Designer  Debra Kim Sivigny
Costume Designer  Debra Kim Sivigny
Sound Designer  Kenny Neal
Technical Director  Chris Foote
Master Electrician  Elliott Shugoll
Dramaturg  Otis Ramsay-Zoe

Press

What They Say

“The long-form spoken word poem is massive in scope, ranging from the sack of Troy to the Black Power Movement. Figueroa Edidi recasts the story as a narrative about white colonization of Black bodies and Indigenous homelands, men’s abuse of women, and the power of Black women to persevere despite physical and emotional devastation. In a story where men kidnap, rape, and kill women, Edidi finds inventive ways to grant each woman agency.”

DC Theatre Scene

“Edidi’s telling Klytmnestra’s story is itself political…”

Washington City Paper

“Edidi’s performance is centered squarely on amplifying Klytemnestra’s voice, and the result is a compassionate, multi-layered race to the end of her life. Her story is often framed between that of her husband Agamemnon and her son Orestes, but here, she takes front and center, and Edidi – as Klytemnestra and everyone in her orbit – rightfully relishes her life, and her ability to connect with us through her art. “

Broadway World

“With song, expressionistic and ritualistic movement, poetic soliloquies and arch direct address, Edidi recasts Greek tragedy to emphasize the strength and agency of female characters.”