MASTER
 
 

can i touch it? by Francisca Da Silveira

By Company One Theatre (other events)

14 Dates Through Aug 13, 2022
 
ABOUT ABOUT

can i touch it?
by Francisca Da Silveira
directed by Summer L. Williams
dramaturgy by Afrikah Smith
in partnership with the City of Boston’s Office of Arts and Culture

Jul 22 - Aug 13, 2022
The Strand Theatre (543 Columbia Road, Dorchester)

All tickets are Pay-What-You-Want, with $0 minimum!

Shay Solomon is many things — a business owner, a single mom, a community leader — but there’s one thing she’s definitely not: a pawn in Patron Bank’s efforts to buy up foreclosed real estate in Roxbury and Dorchester. At risk of losing her beauty supply store to the bank, she’s caught between the personal fight for her family’s livelihood and the systemic fight against gentrification. When pushed to her limits, Shay finds herself in the fantastical, peaceful place women of color have to recede into when they get asked stupid ass questions. 

A hyper-local conversation-starter by Boston’s own Francisca Da Silveira, can i touch it? examines Black hair politics, the racial inequities faced by Black-owned businesses, and the tangled web of approaches necessary to create real social change.

Company One Theatre is producing can i touch it? to AMPLIFY:

  • community-centered development and affordable housing as paths to address gentrification in Boston’s historically BIPOC neighborhoods, including Uphams, Nubian Square, and Roxbury.
  • the organizations and activists whose work sustains the wellbeing, culture, and small economies of these same neighborhoods.
  • the CROWN Act, which bans race-based hairstyle discrimination in the workplace and in schools, as part of the ongoing fight against policing of Black women’s bodies and behavior.
  • the unapologetic, politically-comedic voice of Boston-raised, Cape Verdean-American playwright Francisca Da Silveira, whose work is being supported by the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere program.
  • [local narratives] + [local artists] + [city-owned cultural spaces] = vital, neighborhood-based public art for all.

 

Covid Safety Protocols

Masking 
In order to keep our artists and audiences safe, all audiences and staff are required to wear a well-fitted mask that fully covers their nose and mouth at all times while at the Strand. We strongly recommend wearing an N95, KN95, or KF94 mask, or double-masking. The only exception to this requirement is for performers while performing.

Vaccination Requirements

  • Visitors must present proof of full vaccination (two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna, or one dose of J&J). Booster doses are highly recommended.
  • Visitors ineligible for vaccination, or unable to present proof of vaccination, must take a rapid test to enter the theater. 

Need to take a test to see the show?

  • A limited number of rapid tests will be available for purchase at the door for $5 each. 
  • When reserving your ticket, be sure to click the checkbox “I anticipate needing a test at the door.”
  • Rapid tests take at least 15 minutes. Please be sure to arrive 30 minutes before curtain so that you don’t miss the start of the show! 
  • Patrons will administer rapid tests themselves,with a theatre staff member on hand to observe, time the test, and let the patron know when they are able to enter the theatre.
  • In order to make sure negative results are as recent as possible, photos of test results will not be accepted in lieu of testing on-site.

If you can’t join us in person, don’t worry – we are working to make sure a video recording of the production will be available to stream soon!

Protocols are subject to change.

Mailing Address

539 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02116