I See You. You're Seen.
by The Vortex

Feb. 25 - Mar. 05, 2023
Thursdays-Sundays

“Hey little black girl, feeling invisible and all so visceral. Staring up at the heavens, as vast as your potential. i see you. you’re seen”. 

Told through the lens of a former little black girl, i see you, you’re seen is a solo work composed of a collection of poetry and vignettes that investigates what it means to “see and be seen, to see and be forgotten” through the lens of healing, Blackness, and self-reflection, while also challenging others who “look the other way”. What does it mean to be hyper-visible AND also invisible?

                         "Don’t you see us?" 

A fusion of art, poetry, music, and movement, this choreopoem explores the interlocking oppressions of Black women, while also illuminating love and relationships, family and ritual. Oktavea LaToi brings on the Revolution, inviting us to bask in beauty and acknowledge our own sacredness. There’s a galaxy inside of you, too. This memoir is in equal parts a love story, war cry, conjuring, and family photo album. 

                       "Can you see us now?" 

                        "How ‘bout now?" 

This 2023 premiere is the culmination of several years of development.  Created over the pandemic and workshopped in August 2021 through April 2022 at The VORTEX Oktavea LaToi and Simone Raquel Alexander shaped the bones of the show and explored design elements.

Written and performed by Oktavea LaToi. Directed by Simone Raquel Alexander. Assistant Director, Valerie Johnson. Stage Manager, Cortney DeAngelo. Assistant Stage Managers, Catherine Kenner and Joi Green.

Scenic Design by Maggie Armendariz. Costume Design by Paris Hermosillo.  Lighting Design by J Mwaki. Sound Design by Johann Solo. Cinematography by Jeremy Rashad Brown. Video Design by Jackson Cobb. Original music by The Foxtones, Johann Solo, and Edward Traví. Choreography by Kitty McSparkles.

Production Manager, Katie Hamilton. Box Office Manager/Keeper of the Butterfly Garden, Alex Cogburn. Butterfly Bar Manager, Emma Robertson. Financial Director, Krystle Cline. Managing Director, Melissa Vogt. Producing Artistic Director, Bonnie Cullum.

Oktavea LaToi is a writer and performer based in Central Texas. She holds a dual degree in Theatre and Dance with a concentration in Performance, and African and African Diaspora Studies with a focus in critical race, gender, and sexuality studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She won B. Iden Payne Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Small Cast for Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven (The VORTEX). Other credits include Rap Unzel (The VORTEX), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Austin Shakespeare), The Odyssey (The VORTEX) good friday(New Manifest Theatre) SEVEN (Trinity Street Players), black girl love (GenEnCo/VORTEX), WHITE (Permanent Record Productions), Performance Park (The VORTEX), and TWENTYEIGHT (Gale Theatre). 

Simone Raquel Alexander (she/her) is a freelance artist, arts administrator, and arts advocate.  She serves as Producing Artistic Director and Founder of New Manifest Theatre Company, Development Director of Ground Floor Theatre, and Visitor Relations Manager at The Contemporary Austin Museum. Simone's artistic vision is dedicated to sharing the art of the people of today through storytelling from a diversity of uniquely specific voices, styles and perspectives in contemporary theatre. 

i see you, you’re seen is funded and supported by VORTEX Repertory Company, Six Square Austin’s Black Cultural District, a District grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.  

The VORTEX Mission: We conjure urgent, unashamed art to create action in a shifting age. We embrace diverse communities, break down barriers, and elevate inclusive discourse from our cultural harbor in Austin, Texas. We enliven humanity with magical green new theatre at our Butterfly Bar and Sanctuary.

The VORTEX Core Values: Our core values are encompassed by the Pentacle of Integrity: Transformation, Magic, Community, Diversity, and Earth. Integrity lives at our core. We engage in radical transformation through edge-walking artistic creations and innovations. Magic emanates from our cultural harbor, engaging Spirit. Our space and our culture support expanding circles of inclusive community. Our art reflects diversity of people and voices from the global majority. Sustainability and environmentalism center Earth at our foundation.      

 

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I See You. You're Seen.
by Oktavea LaToi
The Vortex

February 25-March 11, 2023

Thursdays-Saturdays 8 pm   Sunday at 6 pm

Live-Streamed Thursday, March 2, 2023

ASL-Interpreted Saturday, March 4, 2023

Wednesday, March 8, 2023 8pm “Industry Night”

 The Eloise Brooks Cullum Stage @The VORTEX

2307 Manor Rd. Austin, TX 78722

COVID Safety Protocols: Masks recommended inside the theatre.

Free Parking. Bus Route.

The Butterfly Bar @ The VORTEX opens nightly with a full bar, hand-crafted cocktails, and snacks. Patrizi’s @ The VORTEX opens nightly with delicious homemade Italian food.

Tickets: www.vortexrep.org  or 512-478-5282

Reserved Seating.

Tickets: $37-$15

$37 Benefactor

$27 Supporter

$15 Discount/Child/Artist/Student/Senior

www.vortexrep.org  or 512-478-5282

Advance Reservations Recommended.  

Blue Star Theatre: Discounts for Military, Veterans, and their families.

2-for-1 admission with donation of 2 cans for SAFE Austin (Wed. Thurs. Sun.)

Radical Rush Free Tickets: Limited free tickets for each performance in the spirit of sustainability, accessibility, and the gift economy. Radical Rush tickets released one hour before the show--in-person only.