Theater Alliance Cast (2022) L-R: Llogan Peters, Ezinne Elele, Lisa Danielle Buch, Adrienne Torf, Sophia Early, Anna Shafer, Shana Oshiro
Poetry for the People
The June Jordan Experience
2023 Winner of the Helen Hayes Charles MacArthur Award
for Outstanding New Play
A theatrical celebration of the life, poetry, and activism of African-American poet, essayist and teacher June Jordan.
Productions
Washington DC – March 2022 | Washington DC – June 2024 | Los Angeles – January 2026 | Berkeley – February 2026
Co-devised by Raymond O. Caldwell and Adrienne Torf and directed by Raymond O. Caldwell, the show fuses spoken word, music, movement, audience participation, media projections and photo collages to create an immersive experience.
Jordan’s belief is that poetry is a tool for social justice and communal engagement.
The ninety-minute, one-act show is performed by six multi-cultural women actors and Adrienne Torf on piano, blending biography, poetry readings, writing exercises, and songs with lyrics by Jordan, including many for which Torf composed the music during their nineteen-year artistic collaboration.
Fountain Theatre Cast (2026) L-R: America Covarrubias (partially hidden), Mackenzie Mondag, Kita Grayson, Savannah Shoenecker, Janet Song, Naseem Etemad
Photo by Areon Mobasher