cats for change | April 2024
Honored to be working with the Waterwell Drama Program Class of 2024 in their New Works Lab for the premiere of Cats for Change. Each year Waterwell commissions a new play written specifically for actors in their senior year in the Waterwell Drama Program at the Professional Performing Arts School. Directed by Josiah Davis, Cats for Change is a play that reflects on what we are meant for in this life, what is required of us in this world, and who we relate to along the way.
The limited engagement runs April 3-6. Tickets are available here.
WIND IS IN THE CANE. Come Along.
It’s here! The new critical edition of Cane, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Jean Toomer’s groundbreaking Black modernist work is available from The 3rd Thing, publisher of The Math of Saint Felix. This new edition, which I am proud to have co-edited, comes with a companion guide and beautifully designed oracular deck complete with offerings from more than forty artists, writers, thinkers, and makers. Find out more about this special collection, including how to order here.
2023 NYSCA/NYFA ARtist Fellow: Poetry
Happy to announce that I am a 2023 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Poetry! Excited for the peer recognition and to be part of a program that has supported artists of all disciplines across New York State for 38 years. Thankful to have this kind of support for my work. Many thanks to the New York Council on the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts! Full details at nyfa.org.
(Writ)Ual Mix: Traditions of the Diaspora | August 2023
Thrilled for my play Good Blood to be included in this year’s MixFest at the Atlantic Theater, an annual free reading series exploring and celebrating the abundance of diverse stories in the theater. This year focuses on traditions of the diaspora in a series of readings of new work co-curated by theater artists Daaimah Mubashshir, NSangou Njikam, and Awoye Timpo.
Good Blood tells the story of a Haitian family living in Brooklyn and their return to Haiti as they work to cure their history in the hopes of securing a future. From the journey of immigrants to the spread of a global epidemic, language, time, and an ocean are crossed in an interrogation of the contracts we make, the conditions under which we live, and what it means to reach for a love that might outlive you. More info at www.atlantictheater.org.
Bernarda’s Daughters world premiere off-broadway | Spring 2023
Flatbush goes Off-Broadway in this world premiere co-production from The New Group and the National Black Theatre. Amid gentrifying construction, street protests, and a sweltering summer in Flatbush, the Abellard sisters take refuge in their family home. Simmering in the losses of their father and their neighborhood, they clash over how to contend with the legacy of their parents in a city that is no longer theirs. Inspired by Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba with a breathtaking immediacy, this play paints an entrancing portrait of a family at a crossroads.
A limited Off-Broadway engagement, performances run May 4 - June 4. Tickets and more information available at www.thenewgroup.org.
Cane: 100th Anniversary Edition & Oracular card deck
Honored to deepen my relationship with The 3rd Thing, publisher of The Math of Saint Felix, as a co-editor of a new edition of Jean Toomer’s 1923 visionary book Cane. To celebrate its 100th anniversary, we are creating a faithful reproduction of the book accompanied by an oracular deck with offerings from a spectacular group of Black writers, artists, and scholars.
Support the project and secure your copy with a Kickstarter pledge!
BERNARDA’S DAUGHTERS on Audible
Bernarda’s Daughters in now available for downloads and listening through Audible. In a sweltering summer in Flatbush, with streets overrun by wrecking crews and new construction, the Abellard sisters take refuge in and attempt to escape from their family home. The audio play, directed by Dominque Rider, features Amara Brady, Jasmin Walker, Lorraine Toussaint, Malika Samuel, MaYaa Boateng, Zenzi Williams. Listen to the play here.
This production is part of Audible’s Original Theatre Titles initiative and is creatively produced by The New Group, as part of their Off-Stage Series.
Conversations in Atlantic Theory
A deep thinking and feeling podcast interview for Conversations in Atlantic Theory. Reflecting on The Math of Saint Felix and engagement with themes of mourning, remembrance, poetics, and more. Listen to the episode here.
Conversations in Atlantic Theory is a podcast dedicated to books and ideas generated from and about the Atlantic world.
The MAth of Saint felix - Available for PRe-Order | Fall 2021
“This book is ledger and legacy.” —The Math of Saint Felix, a series of attempts, is now available for pre-order at The 3rd Thing Press.
“In a lyric enlivened by elements of theatre and the play, Exavier wrestles with notions of labor, care work and the sacrificial body of the Black mother.” —Desiree C. Bailey, What Noise Against the Cane
With an official launch on November 9, 2021, stay tuned for news about events on the book’s dedicated page: dianeexavier.live/math.