Pieces of Me
Written and Performed by Bo Petersen
Musical accompaniment by Chris Peteren
- Date: Wednesday, April 15
- Time: 12-1:30 p.m.
- Location: Binghamton University | IASH Room, LN 1106
Performance followed by discussion.
"Pieces of Me" is an autobiographical play that reckons with the immense cost of living secretly as a mixed-race family under the racist apartheid regime.
The play explores how Bo's father's decision to pass as white has shaped her life. Under apartheid, Bo's family could not legally exist. At 19, Bo accidentally discovered her father's racial background—and therefore her own, as well—and she became custodian of her father's secret.
"Pieces of Me" is Bo's renegotiation with history and with her father. Focused on a specific South African history, Bo's play resonates with experiences of discrimination, passing, and silence throughout the world.
About Bo Petersen: Bo has worked as a professional actor in South Africa for more than 40 years, working on stage, TV, and film. She has also made a name for herself as a director. Bo currently resides in the US where she continues to write, direct, and perform.
Organized by the Department of Comparative Literature; co-sponsored by the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention and the Translation Research and Instruction Program.