Romana Isabella
Producer, playwright and performer from Kyiv, Ukraine.
Plays & productions
HYENA! is an uncompromising examination of intimacy, vulnerability and sexuality that challenges the audience to figuratively and literally unlock the beast.
Provocative and devilish, writer and performer Romana Isabella flirts with the dichotomy of public and private self as she throws the middle finger up to society’s rigid framework of femininity.
Awards
#5, Manhattan with a Twist: Top 10 Off and Off-Off Broadway Productions of 2016
Winner, Best Experimental Show, 2016 United Solo Festival
Winner, Best Lighting Design: Cecilia Durbin, 2016 United Solo Festival
Winner, Best Sound Design: Gareth Hobbs, 2016 United Solo Festival
“HYENA BLURS EVERY BOUNDARY THAT IT STUMBLES UPON... ROMANA SOUTUS ENTRANCES AND TERRIFIES, RELISHING IN CREATING ART FROM WHAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD RATHER NOT THINK ABOUT.”
“ROMANA SOUTUS GIVES US A PRETTY SMILE, BUT BY THE END OF THE PERFORMANCE IT FEELS LIKE SHE HAS EATEN US ALIVE”
“⭑⭑⭑⭑ ... HYENA IS A FREE-WHEELING, DIFFICULT, OFTEN UNCOMFORTABLE AND SOMETIME REVELATORY EXPERIENCE”
“YOU WILL MISS OUT ON SOMETHING TRULY REMARKABLE IF YOU DON’T SEE THIS SHOW”
“GLEEFULLY GROTESQUE AND (LITERALLY) BLOODY… A CONFRONTATIONAL PERFORMANCE YOU WON’T SOON FORGET”
Production History
Touring Production: United Solo Festival, September & October 2016
Touring Production: Edinburgh Fringe Festival, August 2016
World Premiere: La MaMa, March 2016
Written & Performed by Romana Isabella Soutus
Developed with and Directed by Rachel Levens
Gareth Hobbs // Composer & On-Stage Musician
Cecilia Durbin // Lighting Designer
Lizzie Donelan // Costume Designer
Joey Mendoza // Set Designer (La MaMa)
Kate Meister // Stage Manager
Vincent Gunn // Associate Set Designer/Scenic Painter (La MaMa)
Amy Surratt // Production Manager
Paola Pagano // Illustrator & Graphic Designer
Theo Cote // Photography (La MaMa & United Solo Festival)
Paradise Green // Photography (Edinburgh Fringe Festival)
Martyrs is a convent slumber party turned upside down as tensions rise and relationships erupt.
In the shadow of #MeToo, Martyrs is where the body is battleground and sisterhood offers shelter.
The project was developed, directed, designed, written and performed by an all-female team.
Reviews
“SOUTUS HAS HIT UPON SOMETHING VITAL HERE, AND THE WEIRD, VISCERAL, FEMALE-INFUSED MAGIC MARTYRS CONJURES IS THE SORT OF THING MORE THEATRE CREATORS WOULD DO WELL TO EMULATE.”
“THE STRENGTH OF THE PLAY LIES IN THE COLLABORATIVE NATURE OF THE PRODUCTION. [...] THE ACTRESSES HAVE A NATURAL, EFFORTLESS CHEMISTRY, ENCOMPASSING ALL OF THE INTENSE EMOTIONS INHERENT IN RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN WOMEN.”
Production History
World Premiere: La MaMa, April-May 2018
Written by Romana Isabella Soutus
Developed with and Directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh
Featuring Madison Fae*, Shea Kelly*, Kayla Jackmon, Kimiye Corwin*, Lexi Lapp*, Amira Nader*, Lindsay Rico*, Jenna Bosco and Shelley Fort. (*Appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association)
Jordana De La Cruz // Associate Director
Cecilia Durbin // Lighting Designer
Emily Auciello // Sound Designer
Brooke Cohen Brown // Costume Designer
Carolyn Mraz // Set Designer
Lianne Arnold // Projections Designer
Marcs Goldberg // Props Designer
Pamela McCaddin // Stage Manager
Alaska Caleo // Production Manager
Paola Pagano // Illustrator & Graphic Designer
Theo Cote // Photography
Updates
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