Season 17

by Harrison David Rivers

Directed by Otis Ramsey–Zöe

“In the dream I was at a party
In a penthouse somewhere
And everyone was black.
From the darkest night to caramel to white chocolate
Every shade and hue.
Size and shape
The variety!
The hair!
And EVERYONE was in costume!
Lorraine was dressed as Josephine Baker.
Ralph Ellison as Alex Haley.
Even Langston
Beautiful, elusive ephemeral Langston was present and accounted for and dressed as
Gregory Hines!
Queen Latifah was there dressed as you know who
And Jimmy
Dear Jimmy Baldwin
Who I’ve always had a little crush on, but could never seem to work up the nerve to ask out for
coffee, was there“

Jesse, an introspective black playwright, finds his lack of activism questioned by his white boyfriend, Neil, an impassioned member of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Tensions between them continue to grow with each headline announcing another extrajudicial killing. But the human heart can hold complex and often contradictory things, and the two men find themselves at a crossroads. This Bitter Earth explores the quiet revolutions of normalcy, reminding us of the intractable bind between the personal and political and the strength of love in today’s turbulent world.