I'm pleased to announce the release of Fricatives: Short Plays to Nourish the Mind and Soul by Cesi Davidson, as the eighty-second volume in Aqueduct's Conversation Pieces series. Her second collection of Short Plays to Nourish the Mind & Soul, Fricatives positions Cesi Davidson as a champion of brevity and depth in playmaking. Her years of listening to the collective us, her unconstrained imagination, and her linguistic flexibility result in unusual interpretations of the complexities of American life. Fricatives follows her first book, Articulation, with an eclectic mix of storytelling, providing challenges to performing artists and a roller coaster ride of entertainment for the reader.
Fricatives is available now in both print and e-book at www.aqueductpress.com.
Praise for Fricatives
“Don’t be deceived by what may appear to be delightful, soft spoken
‘playlets’ which could easily be developed into full length plays. The
Fricatives anthology dives deep and extends wide into complex
dilemmas of race, class, gender, and spirituality. Cesi Davidson
crafts this inquiry with characters ranging from inanimate objects, to
food, to animals. When her characters are human, their authentic
dialogue is flavored with magical realism that entrances the reader
and spirits them to the end of the tale. Actors are challenged to live
the truth of a Green Pea. Directors must create an ensemble which can
ferret in and out of time, transporting the audience beyond their
wildest imaginings. Designers are invited to build worlds both
minimalist, or whimsical, and every way in between. Don’t be afraid to
surrender your soul, naked to the depth in these plays. Whether read
or performed, it’s an unforgettable trip.” —Tonya Pinkins, Tony Award
Winning Actor and Award winning filmmaker of RED PILL
“Cesi Davidson’s creativity knows no bounds. Wildly imaginative in
style, hilarious, moving, and often disturbing, her plays illuminate a
wide range of real-life experiences—human, vegetable, and
beyond. Whether seen in production “or read in the privacy of your
home, Davidson’s plays will introduce you to voices you’ve never
heard, make you think about the world in ways you’ve never considered,
and stir up emotions you never knew you had. What more can you ask of
this wonderful writer?”
—Zachary Sklar, Oscar-nominated screenwriter for JFK (with Oliver Stone)
“Cesi Davidson’s words are musical notes on paper. She creates stories
with a composer’s tools: rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, dynamics,
texture, and form. Some plays in her anthology Fricatives, have the
emotional feel of a familiar ballad. Others are complex
symphonies. Still others jump off the page with the energy of boogie
woogie. Cesi has found a way to be guided in her writing by the
universality of music and language, and the marriage is
beautiful.”
—John ‘JT’ Thomas, musician and composer
“The words come through me,” says a character in one of Cesi
Davidson‘s marvelous new plays. “I don’t own them… or do I?” This
character is channeling the spirit of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat,
and, in turn, being channeled by the author. Such moments abound here,
moments of wonder and wondering. The human voice—that most rich and
varied of instruments—breaks through again and again, riffing on our
shared reservoir of bliss and heartache and hilarity. These little
plays are big.”
—John Gould, author of The End of Me
“Cesi Davidson’s compelling plays in the anthology Fricatives are
grounded in forgiveness and resilience, permitting emancipation and
the freedom to be one’s true authentic self. As always, Davidson’s
work asks us to examine and transform the “nonhuman” aspects of our
humanity, liberating ourselves from the poison in our hearts and
allowing us to see the full extent of human joy, excellence, and
magic.”
—Tobie S. Stein, author, of Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the
Performing Arts Workforce
“Cesi Davidson’s short plays will intrigue, delight, move, and shock
you. You might be drawn to her whimsical creatures residing in the
animal kingdom or the country of fruits and vegetables. You might be
drawn to her human characters, the real-world issues of lack of
opportunities, discrimination and racism. Whatever your preference,
you will be entertained, you will learn from these plays and you will
think about them long after you have finished reading/watching
them.”
—Anna Steegmann, bilingual writer and translator
“The plays in Cesi Davidson’s anthology Fricatives are small bites
that satisfy a five course gourmet literary palate.”
—Celeste Rita Baker, author of Glass Bottle Dancer, De MotherJumpers, and the short
story collection Back, Belly and Side
“In this kaleidoscope of plays, you’ll meet many characters, human and
non-human, that collectively shine a light on humanity with honesty,
heartache, and humor. Cesi’s imaginative, playful and courageous words
are golden for a performer. I especially appreciate the diverse
casting that offers fresh perspectives on our shared human
experience. These unique voices remind us that the world is full of
wonder, and I’ll never look at pasta the same way ever again.”
—Rachel Lu, actress, Chingish and Front Cover
“From a pair of frozen peas who take themselves too seriously to an
activist cow to an old friend of Jean Michel Basquiat, Cesi Davidson
spotlights people and things that may never have otherwise seen the
light. You can think you understand a character’s motivation, but in
an instant they will transform and astound you, leaving you
breathless. In this latest collection of Cesi’s plays, a reader will
find in every piece the “audible friction” that is the title of the
book. Many of the darker plays have an incredible lightness, and her
lighter pieces offer deeper glimpses into subjects like grief, abuse
and greed. She can broach these topics with ease because she knows how
to encase them in love. Her cows are righteous, her peas are
hard-working, and her words point us towards a more truthful version
of ourselves.”
—Kim Chinh, actor, screenwriter, playwright, author of Reclaiming Vietnam