Cullud Wattah
Director: Danielle A. Drakes Scenic Design: Nadir Bey
Lighting Design: Hailey LaRoe
Costume Designer: Brandee Mathies
Wig Designer: Larry Peterson
Sound Designer: Navi
Props Designer: Luke Hartwood
Stage Manager: Shayna O’Neil
Intimacy and Violence Director: Sierra Young
Movement Director & Culture Consultant: Dane Figueroa Edidi
It is 2016 and it has been 936 days and counting since Flint, Michigan, has had clean water. Third-generation General Motors employee Marion finds herself on the cusp of a promotion until her sister begins participating in protests accusing the company of poisoning the water. Forced to confront their past and weigh their limited options for the future, the family finds their tight-knit unit threatened by more than just the toxicity of the water.
This powerful new play by Princess Grace Award winner Erika Dickerson-Despenza deconstructs the linear passage of time to ponder the choices we make for the sake of our survival. cullud wattah’s “lively and warmhearted characters” honor the people behind the headlines (New York Times). The play won the 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.
Reviews
“… stellar performances, bold design, and visionary direction—transforms art into a weapon. A weapon that cuts through American apathy.” - MD Theatre Guide
Lead in the Water: Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s cullud wattah Examines the Dire Water Crisis in Flint- Washington City Paper
'cullud wattah' is a Compelling Drama About Flint's Toxic Water- Metro Weekly
A poetic play about the Flint water crisis- The Washington Post
In Mosaic Theater’s ‘cullud wattah,’ a moving chronicle of a city in crisis- DC Theater Arts
Theatre Review: ‘Cullud Wattah’ by Mosaic Theater Company at Atlas Performing Arts Center - MD Theatre Guide