Ivy Omere's 'My Story, My Voice' Comes To SCC

Actress and playwright Ivy Omere grew up in what she describes as a classic Dickensian childhood. She was born in London, the child of Nigerian immigrants, but her parents’ turbulent relationship landed her in a children’s home and with multiple foster parents before she was returned to the troubled home of her birth parents.

The tale of Omere’s journey is shared in “My Story, My Voice,” her one-woman play which she will perform at the Southampton Cultural Center’s Levitas Center for the Arts on Saturday, June 4 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 5, at 5 p.m.

Set in 1970s England, “My Story, My Voice,” follows the main protagonist as she struggles to find acceptance in an environment of hostility and child abuse. The play brings into focus some of the issues and pressures experienced by children of immigrants in Western society. It highlights the more universal experience of the vulnerability of childhood and the ways in which children are completely at the mercy of adults, often internalizing all the misplaced messaging they receive about their identities. The play reminds audiences that even in the bleakest of beginnings, there is hope and even triumph.

The performance will include the sharing of candy with the audience as a symbolic return to childhood. For more information on Omere’s play, visit mystorymyvoicetheplay.com.

Tickets for “My Story, My Voice” are $25 ($15 for students) at scc-arts.org or at the door. Southampton Cultural Center is at 25 Pond Lane in Southampton.