SFBATCO presents
Sign My Name to Freedom
The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin
March 28 to April 13, 2024
on Z Space’s Steindler Stage
How do you chronicle 102 years of life? Flood survivor, racial integrator, World War II defense worker, business owner, activist, revolutionary, songwriter, and… park ranger? Bay Area icon Betty Reid Soskin has survived it all. In this World Premiere musical based on her life, acclaimed playwright Michael Gene Sullivan weaves Soskin’s original music in and out of dialogue between The Four Bettys - Little Betty, Married Betty, Revolutionary Betty, and Ranger Betty as they take us through a century of the Negro, Colored, Black, and African-American experiences of this amazing woman. Conceived by Jamie Zimmer, the production boasts choreography direction by laura elaine ellis, aerial choreography by Joanna Haigood, and direction by Elizabeth Carter.
Based upon the life, music, and writing of Betty Reid Soskin
Book by Michael Gene Sullivan
Directed by Elizabeth Carter
Concept by Jamie Zimmer
Angie Doctor - Music Supervisor, Vocal Director, and Arranger
Daniel Savio - Music Director, Arranger, and Additional Music Composition
laura elaine ellis - Choreography
Joanna Haigood - Aerial Choreography
Mikiko Uesugi - Scenic Design
Tiersa Nureyev - Costume Design
Claudio Andres Silva Restrepo - Lighting Design
Jules Indelicato - Sound Design
Starring Cathleen Riddley* as Betty Reid Soskin
*The Actor appears through the courtesy of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
