From the kitchen to the stage - Harvard Gazette

"Food can tell stories that the history books leave out. That was the message of an A.R.T.-hosted conversation about a forthcoming stage adaptation of Jessica B. Harris' book "High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America." The production, conceived by American Repertory Theater Associate Artistic Director Dayron J. Miles and co-created by movement-based artist Mayté Natalio, aims to bring the history of African American cuisine to life through all five senses."

"The show, which is still in development, will be a tactile, immersive experience, Natalio said. "I want moments of people actually putting their hands into black-eyed peas or putting their hands into rice. ... There's that concept of lineage and passing down that we're trying to do subtly." The performance will drop audience members into critical moments in African American history, from slave ships crossing the Atlantic to Revolution-era Philadelphia to the Great Migration."

American Repertory Theater is developing an immersive stage adaptation of Jessica B. Harris' High on the Hog to animate African American culinary history through all five senses. The production, conceived by Dayron J. Miles and co-created by movement-based artist Mayté Natalio, will incorporate tactile elements that invite audience participation, including touching and sampling ingredients. The performance will place audience members in pivotal historical moments—from slave ships crossing the Atlantic to Revolution-era Philadelphia and the Great Migration—culminating in a shared, family-style meal designed to transform audience engagement into communal experience.

Read at Harvard Gazette