In ancient Greek myth, the character Clytemnestra is a tragic figure: a queen who killed her husband after he sacrificed one of their daughters for divine favor at the beginning of the Trojan War, and later was murdered by her own son, who sought revenge for his father’s death.

But in the new one-woman show Klytmnestra: An Epic Slam Poem, playwright and performer Dane Figueroa Edidi sets out to reclaim the tale, re-shaping it as a theatrical story about the experiences of black women facing down the forces of colonization, sexism and white supremacy.

Edidi joins us to talk about creating the piece, which is D.C.’s first mainstage production created and performed by a local trans artist of color.

Produced by Margaret Barthel