cullud wattah
By ERIKA DICKERSON-DESPENZA
DIRECTED BY DANIELLE A. DRAKES
april 3–april 27, 2025
“Laced with humor! Haunting and eye-opening.” -The New York Times
“A searing, intimate portrait of a family and city in crisis.” -Arts ATL
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.
cullud wattah is sponsored by Partners Circle Visionaries David O. & Joan P. Maxwell, Believers Dianne & Herbert Lerner and Cathy MacNeil-Hollinger & Mark Hollinger, and Advocates Jeffrey & Stacie Lee Banks, Robert & Irene Harriet Blum, Debbie Goldman, Sari Hornstein, and the Phillipps-Murray Foundation.
"Lyrical! Laced with humor!"—The New York Times
“A searing, intimate portrait of a family and city in crisis.” —ARTS ATL
CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST
FROM ART TO ACTION: THE REFLECTION SERIES
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES AND OPEN CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES
Saturday, April 5 after the 7:30 p.m. Performance — Curious about what went into the making of cullud wattah? Come join playwright Erika Dickerson-Despenza to hear about the process behind the play and her artistic practice.
Thursday April 10 at 11 a.m. — Intergenerational Matinee. After watching cullud wattah together, students and seniors will engage in a post-show conversation with Mosaic’s artists and one another.
Saturday April 12 at 7:30 p.m. — Masked Performance. Patrons attending are required to wear face masks to encourage accessibility.
Sunday April 13 after the 3 p.m. Performance — Black Futurities and Urban Space. How have Black people made space for their futures in light of persistent assaults on their lives and livelihoods? What restorative ecological practices might we excavate from the past or elevate from the present that will better support Black life and living? How and where might Black futures take place? Join Georgetown University's Dr. Amani Morrison alongside members of the cullud wattah creative team for a conversation exploring themes of Black urban space and futurities. This conversation continues a two-year inquiry at Georgetown University on the themes of "Creative Placemaking, Black Restorative Ecologies, and Black Spatial Futures
Thursday April 17, 2025 at 11 a.m. — Intergenerational Matinee. After watching cullud wattah together, students and seniors will engage in a post-show conversation with Mosaic’s artists and one another.
Friday April 18 after the 7:30 p.m. Performance — DC’s Water Story. cullud wattah tells a story intrinsically tied to Flint, Michigan, but DC has a complicated water story all our own. Come join Mosaic alongside the Anacostia Watershed Society and their network of grassroots organizers to dive into DC’s water history and the fight for water justice here in the district. Panel curated in partnership with the Anacostia Watershed Society.
Saturday April 19, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. — Open Captioned Performance
Sunday April 20, 2025 at 3 p.m. — Open Captioned Performance
Sunday April 20 after the 3 p.m. Performance — Artist Conversation. Curious about what went into the making of cullud wattah? Come join members of the cullud wattah cast to hear about the process behind the production and their artistic practice.
Thursday April 24, 2025 at 11 a.m. — Intergenerational Matinee. After watching cullud wattah together, students and seniors will engage in a post-show conversation with Mosaic’s artists and one another.
Friday April 25 after the 7:30 p.m. Performance — Environmental Justice - Race, Policy, and Law. The environmental justice movement argues that everyone has the right to a decent, safe quality of life for people of all races, incomes and cultures in the environments where we live. Come join Howard University’s Professor Carlton Waterhouse, Vernice Miller Travis, Co-founder of the Metropolitan Group, American University’s Professor Ken Conca, and environmental justice attorney Maggie Ellinger-Locke as they reflect on the environmental justice themes present within cullud wattah on the 9th anniversary of the Flint Water Crisis, and discuss the state of the environmental justice movement going forward.
Saturday April 26, 11:00 a.m -1:00 p.m. — Earth Day Anacostia River Cleanup. Mosaic sits within the Anacostia River watershed, alongside more than 800,000 DC and Maryland residents. Come join a cohort from Mosaic in taking the themes of cullud wattah from the stage into our community at the Anacostia Watershed Society’s annual Earth Day Cleanup. Registration and further details to be announced soon.
TICKET PRICES
PREVIEWS: THUR & FRI $42 · SAT & SUN $56
REGULAR PERFORMANCES: THUR & FRI $53 · SAT & SUN $70
TICKET DISCOUNTS
In the spirit of welcome, Mosaic is proud to remove financial barriers to our work via senior, student, military, and need-based discounts, plus a limited number of rush tickets for every show.
RUSH TICKETS
A limited number of rush tickets are available via walk-up cash purchase at the box office beginning one hour before the start of each performance.
SENIOR RATE (65+)
Save 10% with discount code: SENIOR
STUDENT RATE
$20 tickets with discount code: STUDENT
EDUCATOR RATE
$20 tickets with discount code: EDUCATOR
MILITARY AND FIRST RESPONDER RATE
Save 10% with discount code: HERO
UNDER 30
Patrons 30 and younger can access $25 tickets to Mosaic mainstage performances. Use code UNDER30. Restrictions: One ticket per order. Discount is not available on weekend matinees.
Type your discount code into the box where prompted during the checkout process.