Live Theater

Two Big Black Bags

A group of actors stand on the stage in Two Big Black Bags.

James, an Argentine veteran of the Malvinas/Falklands War, wakes one morning to a big surprise in his living room: two big black bags containing ten million dollars. Determined to turn his life around, James embarks on an adventure from Seattle to South America. But is he willing to face the ghosts of his past in order to transform his future?

Based on an overlooked but deeply significant moment in Latin American history, this fast-paced drama by Julieta Vitullo draws on music, movement, and magical realism to craft a universal story about the devastating effects of violence and the long and winding road to healing and redemption.

Visit Two Big Black Bags’ website.

Don’t Call it a Riot

Two actresses perform in DCIAR.

In Don’t Call it a Riot!, local playwright – and 2019 Emerald Prize finalist – Amontaine Aurore explores the history of Seattle activism from the height of the city’s 1960s Black Panther Party to the 1999 WTO protests while uncovering the toll that a commitment to social justice can take on the day-to-day lives of activists. The play’s limited-run debut led R. Barron of Seattle Gay Scene to write, “As playwright, Aurore deftly wove activism and values playing both in the streets and in living rooms.”

Don’t Call it a Riot! focuses on Reed, a 20-year-old college student who is expecting her first baby while also being an active member of Black Panther Party. The story explores the effect that fighting for liberation has on the foundations of her home life and follows the character’s 31-year journey to discovering the forces responsible for the turmoil that challenged the Black Panther party and at the root of a dream deferred.

Visit Amontaine Aurore’s website.