axes, herbs, and satchels
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About the Show
Black and brown birthing bodies are in danger. Can the silenced traditions of Black midwives hold the key to saving them? When Kamara, a journalist, loses a sister to childbirth, she seeks the Black midwife wisdom that might have saved her. What follows is a journey through time to rediscover the wisdom of the ancestors, in order to reclaim the future.
axes, herbs, and satchels: open the archives is a tribute to the traditional wisdom of the Black midwife community and offers a powerful look at maternal mortality. This performance is an act of restorative history, providing a space for collective learning, reflection, and healing. Devised by The Anthropologists. Co-Directed & Co-Written by Sandie Luna and Melissa Moschitto.
FREE CHILDCARE MATINEE: Sunday, May 11 at 12 PM
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
Meet The Team
Co-Directed & Co-Written by Sandie Luna and Melissa Moschitto
Featuring performances by:
Jan Andree as Beulah / Josephine
Qianna Brooks as Alice / Trudy
Enette Fremont as Cynthia
Sandie Luna as Imani
Genevieve Ngosa Daniels as Kamara
Costume design by Calypso Michelet
Sound Design by Miranda Sage Rhode
Lighting Design by Matías Ulibarry
Stage Management by Verena Lee and Miranda Sage Rhode
Anthropologist-in-Residence Nadia N. Mbonde
Contributing Artists: Nazlah Black, Dr. Haile Eshe Cole, Jalissa Fulton, Miranda Hall,
Asha John, Brianna Johnson, Jayda Jones, Nadia N. Mbonde and Devynity Wray (contributing writer).
Watch the Trailer
Field Notes
Press +
Media
"There was a beauty to this draft, and the dialogue it prompted, that left me thinking for days afterward."
- The Theatre Times, July 26, 2023
"The investigative theatre troupe will work with anthropologist Dr. Haile Eshe Cole to create a play about doulas and Black motherhood."
- American Theatre Magazine, March 15, 2023
The Empowered Artist Collective Podcast, June 2023
Production
History
EAG Winter 2024 Residency
Co-Directors/Co-Scriptors: Sandie Luna and Melissa Moschitto
Ensemble: Nazlah Black, Jalissa Fulton, Asha John, Brianna Johnson, Sandie Luna
Lead Deviser: Jalissa Fulton
Contributing Writers: Devynity Wray, Melissa Moschitto, Sandie Luna
Assistant Director/Line Producer: Jayda Jones
Research Assistant: Shreyaa Suresh
Anthropologist-in-Residence, 2024-2025: Nadia N. Mbonde
Anthropologist-in-Residence, 2023: Dr. Haile Eshe Cole
Contributing Artists / Devisors: Nazlah Black, Jalissa Fulton, Miranda Hall, Asha John, Brianna Johnson, Sandie Luna and Nadia N. Mbonde.
DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY
FEBRUARY 2024
Open Stage Residency - Episcopal Actors' Guild
OCTOBER 2023
Presented at Prelude '23, Invisible Dog Art Center
SPRING 2023
PHASE 1: Investigative Workshop & Research & Development, in partnership with American Anthropological Association.
Work-in-Process Performance: June 30th, 2023, 14 Y Theater
2025 Tour
Art House (NJ), Arts Garage (FL), Wabash College (IN)
Co-Directors/Co-Writers: Sandie Luna and Melissa Moschitto
Ensemble: Jalissa Fulton, Shakerria Breonie Henderson, Asha John, Brianna Johnson, Sandie Luna
Stage Manager: Crys Pascale Clemente
Assistant Stage Manager: Melyanet Suarez
Costume Designer: Calypso Michelet
Sound Designer: Miranda Sage Rhodes
Research Assistant: Shreyaa Suresh
Anthropologist-in-Residence, 2024-2025: Nadia N. Mbonde
Executive Producer: Melissa Moschitto
Assistant Director/Line Producer/Tour Manager: Jayda Jones
Contributing Artists: Nazlah Black, Jalissa Fulton, Miranda Hall, Asha John, Brianna Johnson, Sandie Luna, Nadia N. Mbonde and Devynity Wray (Contributing Writer)
The United States has a maternal mortality rate that is three times higher than any other high-income country. Black and Indigenous birthing people are particularly at risk, with death rates up to three times more likely than their white counterparts. Modern medicine may be at our fingertips, but did it come at the cost of losing the ancient practices of doulas and midwives?
This play was devised from an array of research materials; first hand accounts, medical textbooks, ethnological studies, and primary sources documenting grand midwives and the history of midwifery.
Photo Gallery
This project is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, a New York Women's Fund Grant and support from the Puffin Foundation. Previous support was provided by NYSCA/A.R.T./New York, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and the Episcopal Actors' Guild.
