Moriamo Akibu

Moriamo Akibu in Longacre Lea's The Interstellar Ghost Hour

Longacre Lea

Moriamo Akibu and Dallas Tolentino in Arts on the Horizon's Outside the Lines

Ryan Maxwell Photography

Moriamo Akibu, Reginald Richard and Katrina Clark in Barabbas Theatre's Exit, Pursued by a Bear

Barabbas Theatre

Catch Longacre Lea’s The Interstellar Ghost Hour through September 9 to witness MORIAMO AKIBU's latest step toward achieving her dream job, which is the inspiring: “Insecure meets Black Panther meets transcendental Black queer femme exploration.” Get the inside scoop in this week’s Take Ten.

1) What was the first show you ever saw, and what impact did it have?

I saw my first play when I was in the third grade. We went to see an opera; I don’t remember the name or the language they were speaking. But, I remember the sound of thunder they made on stage and how it transported me.

2) What was your first involvement in a theatrical production?

The first play I ever did was The Princess Bride; I was playing the grandfather—turned grandmother. The director kicked me off the production two weeks before opening. I was as devastated as my 12-year-old body could handle.

3) What’s your favorite play or musical, and why do you like it so much?

My favorite musical is, hands down, Chicago. The women in that show dominate! Everything about it just excites me.

4) What’s the worst day job you ever took?

I used to be a secretary for a commercial property management company. The papers, the copies, the emails, the EMAILS. I’m grateful to all the people who backed me up when I chucked the deuce.

5) What is your most embarrassing moment in the theatre?

So freshman year of college I took a three-day gig as light board op for a production directed by a world-class director. We’re teching the show, and I hadn’t gotten a break, but I had to go…real bad. When I got back the director was waiting for me in the booth, pissed.

6) What are you enjoying most about working on The Interstellar Ghost Hour at Longacre Lea?

Kathleen [Akerley] is here for it. For the conversations, the minutia, the ideas, the awkward time when actors (read—me) ask themselves “do I have any idea what I’m doing?” I owe the commitment to my character, as she emerged, to her fearless compassion and space.

7) Other than your significant other, who’s your dream date (living or dead) and why?

You know that picture, “Strong Black Lead,” that Netflix put out? I want to chill with all of them, have tea, and discuss all things BBP. That and queen mother, Viola Davis. Because it’s Viola Davis.

8) What is your dream role/job?

Insecure meets Black Panther meets transcendental Black queer femme exploration. Yeah. 

9) If you could travel back in time, what famous production or performance would you choose to see?

Ah! I would see The Lion King, original cast. Again, and again and again.

10) What advice would you give to an 8-year-old smitten by theatre / for a graduating MFA student?

I would ask the smitten 8-year-old to write down the dream they have in that state of smitten and then go on about their merry life. If it’s a dream that lasts, they’ll get it back

MORIAMO AKIBU is currently appearing Longacre Lea’s The Interstellar Ghost Hour as Sam. Regional credits include MK Abadoo: Wake Up!. Ping Chong and Company: Coffeehouse Chronicles #124 (La MaMa ETC); Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: Menstruation: A Period Play (Women’s Voices Theater Festival); Mosaic Theater Company: Isms: A Tragicomedy; Forum Theatre: Love and Information; Smithsonian National Museum of American History: The Nation We Build Together; Discovery Theater: African Roots Latino Soul/Fabulas Fairy Tales. Her dance credits include Octavia’s Brood: Riding the Ox on Home; Temidayo; How do You Spell Femaphobic?; A Curious Invasion: Governor’s Island; and Spring Awakening. She received her B.A. in Theatre from University of Maryland, College Park. Instagram: @see_momo.

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