backstroke boys
October 27 - November 4
154 Christopher Street
Written by Xavier Clark
Directed by Sivan Battat
This venue is wheelchair accessible.
Every Sunday matinee will have Closed Captioning on your smart phone courtesy of GlobeTitles
Feel free to contact us with any questions on accessibility.
Synopsis
On his first day of swim practice at a brand-new high school, and country, Quentin befriends Zia, the captain of the swim team, and through their growing relationship they open up a whole can of worms. A coming-of-age story that grapples with the question of how can you hold on to your faith when your faith is showing grace and acceptance towards everything else but your own self?
Runtime: 90 minutes (no intermission)
Performed By
Anthony Adu *
Ayse Eldek *
Mark Yowakim *
Production Stage Manager: Nat Kelly Dimario *
Set Design: Tristan Jeffers
Costume Design: Asa Benally
Lighting Design: Xiangfu Xiao
Sound Design: Chad Raines
Props Supervisor: Addison Heeren
Movement Director: Alex Might
Wardrobe Supervisor: Max J. Kelly
Assistant Stage Manager: Giselle Andrea Raphaela *
Production Manager: Kyle Daniels
Technical Director: Rudi Utter
Script PA: Mitchell Rossini
Front of House: Catherine Sholtis & Mitchell Rossini
* These Actors and Stage Manager(s) are appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association
Playwright
XAVIER CLARK [he/him] is a multidisciplinary theatre artist, born and raised in Turkey. As a playwright, his full-length plays include: Where Angels Fear to Tread (Workshop: Echo Theatre Company, Los Angeles), supper (Workshop: National Black Theatre, Semi-Finalist: 2021 IATI Theatre Cimientos), retrofit(s) (Semi-Finalist: 2020 O’Neill Center NPC, 2020 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, Finalist: 2019 Mitten Lab, The Lark 2019 Playwrights' Week) and backstroke boys (Finalist: New Harmony Project 2020 Spring Conference, 2019 Theatre Viscera Queer Playwriting Contest). He was a semi-finalist for The Civilians’ 2020-21 R&D Group, a finalist for the National Black Theatre’s 2020-21 I AM SOUL Playwright Residency and was a member of Echo Theatre’s 2020 National Young Playwrights Residency. He has worked at many theaters across the country in various capacities including: Williamstown Theatre Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Ojai Playwrights Conference, The Civilians and more. He earned his B.F.A. from NYU Tisch and his M.F.A. from UC San Diego.
Director
SIVAN BATTAT [she/they] is a theatre director & cultural organizer, and the Director of New Work Development at Noor Theatre. Sivan has developed work with companies including Roundabout, the Park Avenue Armory, NYTW, Drama League, Atlantic, Ars Nova, National Queer Theatre, New Georges, Goodman, New York Stage & Film, Cape Cod Theatre Project, Mercury Store, Long Wharf, MCC, and more. Recent credits include: Layalina (World Premiere, Goodman Theatre), Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Studio Theatre), Brass Knuckles (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Trouble in Mind (AD, Broadway). Fellowships include: Roundabout Directing Fellow, Drama League Musical Directing Fellow, TCG Rising Leaders of Color, The Workshop JOCSM Arts Fellowship. As an organizer, Sivan works regularly with Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ) and has curated several iterations of Salon Al-Mahjar صالون المهجر, a performance salon for queer & trans MENASA artists.
