Episode 257: Dr. Ayodele Nzinga

Norman and I are thrilled to have Dr. Ayodele Nzinga as our next guest for The Yay. Dr. Nzinga is an actress, director, playwright, poet, educator and community advocate. She is the director of the Lower Bottom Playaz, Inc., Oakland's oldest North American African Theater Company and founder of Lower Bottom Playaz Summer Theater Day Camp. She was the director of 3Girls Theatre’s Tasha. We talk about the state of bay area theatre, activist theatre, her life as an artist and activist and where she sees herself in the future. Dr. Nzinga can be reached directly via Instagram and Twitter: @wordslanger SHOWS: Aren’t You… (The Marsh) April 7 – May 5 Fred Pitts’ One Man Show ShawnJ West (Episode 146) directs the show https://themarsh.org/shows_and_events/marshstream/fred-pitts-arent-you/ Home (Z Space) LAST SHOW TONIGHT Norman Gee & Brian Rivera (Episode 154) are in the show http://www.zspace.org/wfw-home The Nigger Lovers (Magic Theatre) May 3 – May 21 Takika Baptiste (Episode 253) is in the show https://magictheatre.org Grand Horizons (San Jose Stage) April 5 – April 30 Nick Mandracchia (Episode 43) is in the show https://www.thestage.org Best of Playground 27 (Playground-SF) May 13 & 14 Bridgette Dutta Portman (Episodes 75 & 236) has her play “Gallows Humor” in the show https://playground-sf.org/festival/ To Master The Art (Contra Costa Civic Theatre) April 21 – May 21 Anne Yumi Kobori (Episode 192) is in the show https://ccct.org/to-master-the-art/ Chinglish (SF Playhouse) May 4 – June 10 Sharon Shao (Episode 176) is in the show Michael Barrett Austin (Episode 133) is in the show Jeffrey Lo (Episode 153) is directing the show https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/2022-2023-season/chinglish/ Becoming Robin Hood (Berkeley Playhouse) May 26 – June 25 Paul Plain (Episode 125) is in the show https://tickets.berkeleyplayhouse.org/Online/default.asp Crumbs from the Table of Joy (Town Hall Theatre) June 3 – 24 Tanika Baptiste (Episode 253) is directing the show https://www.townhalltheatre.com/crumbs A Midsummer Night’s Dream (SF Shakes) March 1 – May 6 in various locations – see website for details Alan Coyne (Episode 29) is in the show Evan Held (Episode 226) is in the show https://www.sfshakes.org King Lear (Silicon Valley Shakes) – an ALL WOMAN CAST July 28 – Sept 1 Cynthia Lagodzinski (Episode 96) is directing the show https://www.svshakespeare.org/lear Barry Graves (Episode 104) has a new podcast out! The Black Man’s Heart On Spotify and all your podcast apps Our wonderful consulting producer Mallory Somera (Episode 151) produces two podcasts for KCBS radio: As Prescribed, a weekly conversation with leading medical experts at UCSF Medical Center; and It’s Generational, a deep dive on how each generation looks at things differently. Each episode features subject matters from perspectives of the Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z. Check out As Prescribed and It’s Generational on all podcast apps. Central Works Script Club is a podcast where you download and read a play script and then listen to an audio interview with the playwright. Delivered semi-annually. You can find the Central Works Script Club on any podcast app. Also, Bindlestiff Studios has a podcast called the Fobcast, exploring Filipino American immigrant stories. Check out The Fobcast in any podcast app. The Yay (Twitter: @TheYay3) Reg Clay (@Reg_Clay) Norman Gee (@WhosYrHoosier)