top of page

Sarahjeen François

Artist Statement

My creative work extends between theatre and movement-based performance art. With these practices I explore story telling through non-verbal communication and gestures of the body to interrogate how the body manifests text into a physical representation. I highlight the bodies of women of color and social power because I am interested in how those bodies have occupied space historically and how that has evolved into present-day socially accepted constructs.
I am influenced by my experience of living in the United States as a black woman as well as by my Haitian heritage. When generating work, I draw on elements of Haitian art such as ideas of rebellion, dance, ritual, and the divine. Additionally, I am drawn to tell stories centered around the experiences of women of color as they face marginalization, patriarchy, and constant gender-based attacks on their bodies.
I am fascinated by these intersecting ideas and the way they eloquently tie into one another to create stories that inspire. While this is a society that seeks to control women, my creative work is meant to encourage them to channel the strengths of their ancestors and rebel against systematic oppression.

HEADSHOT 8.JPG

Sister, Braid My Hair

Atlanta Fringe Festival 2022 | SheATL Arts Festival 2022 | REDCAT NOW Festival 2022

Sister, Braid My Hair is about four sisters who exist as figures in a living tableaux but find reasons to escape the monotony of their frame… for a good time in the real-world. However, the sisters quickly discover that the real-world ain’t as pretty as their picture, and that their real-world Black and Brown counterparts are being over policed.  

Winter Lab Fest 2020 | Core Apprentice Residency 2021-22

LOUVERTURE

What happens when a hero is lost in the midst of a revolution? A new one ascends from the unsung, finding the courage to persist, and the fortitude to overcome devastating obstacles– a feat performed by Suzanne Louverture in this fictional reimagining of the Haitian Revolution. Toussaint Louverture– Suzanne’s husband and the Founding Father of Haiti, is fatally attacked by an agent of the French Monarchy. Under the guise of her late husband, Suzanne takes the helm of the Revolution to carry out Toussaint’s work and ultimately to avenge her beloved. 

Emulating the aesthetic of Afro-Mythicism, Louverture invites audiences to embark on an epic Shero’s Journey filled with lore, revelation, and rebellion.

Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019

CASUALTIES OF WAR

The fate of Femineity hangs in the balance as six feminine deities are forced to come together to win the battle of the sexes waged by the gods. 

Casualties of War explores the timeless and insidious nature of internalized misogyny. Through the stories of goddesses from around the world, themes of sexual assault, power, and solidarity are interrogated. The notion of internalized misogyny serves as the baseline that connects these characters to the infighting they experience in Casualties of War and draws parallels between the mighty gods of old (Zeus, Poseidon, etc…) and present-day titans of industry (Harvey Weinstein, R. Kelly, etc…). The cyclical nature of misogyny is highlighted by the nonspeaking character roles through movement and gestures of the body.

Atlanta AppCo Alumni Series Play Festival - 2017

SURPRISE, YOU'RE A HASBIAN!

Elle is engaged to be wed and her best friends, Yasmeen and Morgan, are setting up her extravagant bachelorette party. The evening begins pleasantly, but when Morgan’s girlfriend makes a comment about Elle’s bi-sexuality, tensions rise and lines are drawn.

bottom of page