Parable Path
Join Woolly Mammoth and Strathmore on the Parable Path, a rich, exciting series of events that explore the world of Toshi and Bernice Johnson Reagon’s Parable of the Sower. Click here to purchase tickets to Parable on Strathmore’s website, running April 28th and 29th, 2022.
Read more about the Parable Path offerings below.
Arts and Social Justice Fellowship
Strathmore and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s Arts and Social Justice Fellowship supports youth leadership and vision at the intersection of arts and social change. The fellowship centers youth leadership, young people’s vision of the future, and building community in the face of crisis—key themes in Octavia E. Butler’s Parable novels and Toshi and Bernice Johnson Reagon’s stage version. The Arts and Social Justice Fellowship seeks to identify the next generation of artists whose activism reflects Butler’s dynamic lineage.
Learn more about the inaugural cohort of Arts & Social Justice Fellows here.
Cosmic Couch: Parable of the Sower
Connectivity Core Partner Black in Space produced a special episode of Cosmic Couch: Creative Conversations in Space, featuring Captain Sam G and Michele in discussion about Octavia Butler and afrofuturism.
EVENTS
Octavia Butler’s Parables: A Welcome and Orientation with Alexis Pauline Gumbs
April 5th, 7:00-8:30pm
Free
On Zoom
Get ready for the Parable of the Sower performance with a deep-dive into the world of Octavia Butler and her Parable novels. Join Alexis Pauline Gumbs for an exploration of Butler’s overall oeuvre and legacy, as well as the books’ themes and their context in black feminism and Afrofuturism. You’ll get a glimpse into how the books were transformed into the stage adaptation by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon, and discuss how the works have surged in popularity in recent years. Join us! Register on Strathmore’s website to receive the Zoom link.
Meet the Artist: Doudgy “Dew the Artist” Charmant
April 25th, 6:30-8:00 pm
Free
In the lower lobby at Woolly Mammoth
I AM/BECOME: Weighing my Options is a collection of work by Doudgy “Dew the Artist” Charmant, currently on display at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. This collection was curated in connection with Woolly Mammoth and Strathmore’s co-presentation of Parable of the Sower, Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon’s stage version of Octavia Butler’s seminal science fiction novels. Join Dew for an intimate conversation about his artistic influences, and the way his work contributes to Butler’s afrofuturist legacy.
Spit Dat in Residence: Parable of the Talented in Partnership with Black in Space
April 25th, 8:00-10:00pm
Free
In the rehearsal hall at Woolly Mammoth
Join us for a melodic extravaganza in celebration of Parable of the Sower, featuring performances by the incredible Asha Santee and Black Assets! Get ready for an unforgettable evening of musical magic and extraterrestrial expression, including a transmission from the outer galaxy. Sign up for the open mic or just sit back and enjoy the show.
The PARABLE Effect: How Black Feminist Art & Afrofuturism Influence Social Change
Aishah Shahidah Simmons and Michelle Parkerson in conversation
April 28th, 6:30pm
Free with performance ticket
At Strathmore’s Bernard Family Foundation Pavilion
Art and cultural work are integral components for transforming radical and liberatory visions into realities. For generations Black feminist artists have been a part of that vanguard creating courageous works that present the possibility of compassionate and radical social change that centers the margins of our society.
Join cultural worker Aishah Shahidah Simmons and writer/filmmaker Michelle Parkerson for a conversation examining Octavia E. Butler’s novel, Parable of the Sower, and Toshi Reagon and Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon’s transmigration of Butler’s written words into an opera. Simmons and Parkerson explore how Black feminist art serves as a catalyst for social change and moves the now into the new. RSVP on Strathmore’s website.
When Goddesses Change: Listening for an Ancestral Octavia
Lecture with Alexis Pauline Gumbs
April 29th, 6:30pm
Free with performance ticket
At Strathmore’s Bernard Family Foundation Pavilion
Want to know what happened when Alexis Pauline Gumbs tried to visit Octavia E. Butler’s grave? How do we think about Octavia Butler’s active afterlife? This pre-show lecture engages Octavia Butler’s legacy as a form of life that is still changing us as we change it. RSVP on Strathmore’s website.