AfroSolo Theatre Company presents… HOPE IN OUR HEARTS

AfroSolo Theatre Company presents…
HOPE IN OUR HEARTS

MAY 8-10, 2026
Limited Engagement – Three Performances Only!
General Admission Seating In-person and Live Streamed:  $0 – $35
No one turn away due to lack of funds

Show Dates (All performers included in all shows):
Fri. May 8, 2026 – 7 PT, 9 CT, 10 ET
May 9, 2026 – 7 PT, 9 CT, 10 ET, post performance discussion
May 10, 2026 – 3 PT, 5 CT, 6 ET
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In times of challenge and change, hope begins within—and grows when it is shared. “Hope in Our Hearts” brings together voices, stories, and experiences that remind us of our resilience, our history, and our collective strength.

Featured Artists:

Tony Dejon Cyprien performs The Bus Ride, an autobiographical work that is a gripping coming-of-age story shaped by both humor and heartbreak. The work follows a teenage boy’s journey from the courtroom to state prison, where he is forced to confront a new and uncertain reality. Along the way, he encounters authority figures and environments that challenge his sense of self, survival, and trust. With moments that disarm us through laughter and others that demand our attention, the story reveals the complexities of a system that promises rehabilitation while often falling short. At its core, this is a powerful reflection on justice, transformation, and what it means to grow up under pressure.

Michael Warr performs excerpts from Black in San Francisco, a deeply personal, multidisciplinary work that weaves together poetry, memory, and image to honor Black life in San Francisco across generations. In this piece, Warr brings to life a series of poems inspired by Polaroid photographs taken by his parents, Alcide and Gaynell Warr, in the 1950s through the 1970s in Hunters Point, Visitation Valley, and the Portola District. Warr shares his poetry while projecting the original family images alongside his own contemporary photographs—captured in the very same neighborhoods decades later. The result is a powerful dialogue between past and present, memory and place, offering a living archive of Black San Francisco. This project is generously funded by the San Francisco Arts Commission.

Nikki Thomas performs Soul of the Bay, an intimate storytelling experience where Bay Area media personality Thomas traces her roots and the seeds planted across generations that led her to become one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most recognizable live radio voices. Through music and personal narrative, the piece explores memory, identity, love, and self-liberation, creating an intimate, emotionally resonant journey. Grounded in the region’s cultural heartbeat, this piece honors community while embracing personal transformation. It is a moving reflection on legacy, self-discovery, and the power of claiming one’s voice with clarity, purpose, and authenticity.

Thomas Robert Simpson presents I Was There: Norma Kathleen Simpson’s Civil Rights Journey, a heartfelt podcast performance based on Thomas’ firsthand interviews with his sister, Norma. Blending courage with pride, joy, and determination, it shares the story of Ms. Simpson, a seventeen-year-old who joined the Civil Rights Movement in Nashville in 1964. Through her experiences in sit-ins, demonstrations, and protests, we witness both the challenges and the deep sense of purpose that underscore the lasting impact of her contributions, marked by honesty, resolve, and a commitment to creating lasting change.

AfroSolo Theatre Company
AfroSolo mission is to nurture, promote, and present African American art and African Diasporan culture through solo theatre performances, visual, digital and literary arts. Our programming seeks to illuminate the diverse range of styles, disciplines, and perspectives of Black artists, using art to address issues of relevance to the Black community that empower and counteract negative stereotypes.