can i touch it? — Francisca Da Silveira

Suzen Baraka and Iesha Daniels in Rogue Machine's production – Photo by Jeff Lorch

Safiya Fredericks and Suzen Baraka in Rogue Machine's production– Photo by Jeff Lorch

Suzen Baraka and Scott Victor Nelson in Rogue Machine's production – Photo by Jeff Lorch

Scott Victor Nelson, Iesha Daniels, Safiya Fredericks, and Suzen Baraka in Rogue Machine's production– Photo by Jeff Lorch

Schanaya Barrows, Chris Everett, and Jada Saintlouis in Company One's production - Photo by Christian Ruiz

Jada Saintlouis and Schanaya Barrows in Company One's production. Photo by Christian Ruiz.

The cast of Company One's production - Photo by Christian Ruiz

Jada Saintlouis, Chris Everett, and Schanaya Barrows in Company One's production - Photo by Christian Ruiz

Schanaya Barrows and Jada Saintlouis in Company One's production. Photo by Christian Ruiz.

Francisca outside the Strand Theatre during Company One Theater's production of "can i touch it?"

Francisca photographing billboard for Company One Theatre’s production of “can i touch it?”

Francisca’s sister Ester spreading the word about Company One Theatre’s production of “can i touch it?” in Dorchester, MA

Francisca with the cast of Rogue Machine Theatre’s production of “can i touch it?”

Francisca with the poster for Cleveland Public Theatre’s production of “can i touch it?”

Francisca with post-show guest
Ladosha Wright (@haircareauthority) and director India Nicole Burton at Cleveland Public Theatre’s production of “can i touch it?”

Cleveland Public Theatre's production

Francisca with the team of Cleveland Public Theatre’s production of “can i touch it?”

Poster for Rogue Machine's production

Poster for Company One's production

Poster for Cleveland Public Theatre's production

about the play

Shay is many things — a business owner, a single mom, a community leader — but there’s one thing she’s definitely not: a pawn in Patron Bank’s efforts to buy up foreclosed real estate in the heart of Boston’s black community. At risk of losing her own store to the bank, she is forced to choose between a personal fight for her family’s livelihood and a moral fight against gentrification. When pushed to her limits, Shay finds herself in the fantastical peaceful place where women of color have to recede into when they get asked stupid ass questions. Using devices like double casting through onstage wig changes, can i touch it? examines themes of black hair politics, social exclusion and the racial inequity black owned businesses face every day.

production history

rolling world premiere, Rogue Machine Theatre, Los Angeles - 2023
rolling world premiere, Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland - 2023
rolling world premiere, Company One Theatre, Boston - 2022
workshop & reading, Company One Theatre, Boston - 2021
digital reading, National New Play Network Showcase - 2020
workshop & reading, Fire This Time Festival, NYC - 2020

interviews

“Playwright Francisca Da Silveira, a Cape Verdean American, is based in Boston and calls both Dorchester and Roxbury home… Now, she is seeing her dream of having a play at the Strand come true.” — Dorchester Reporter (full interview)

“It’s so exciting to see a local woman bringing something special to the community. And the fact that they’re offering pay-what-you-want is incredible, making it accessible to so many people.” — Pebbles, Hot 96.9 Boston (full interview)

“Da Silveira hopes that the production starts a broader dialogue about the neighborhood. ‘A play like this is about the place, for the place, in the place.’”
— The Bay State Banner (full interview)

“I am from Cape Verde, a group of 10 islands off the west coast of Africa, a former Portuguese colony. My last name, Da Silveira, means "of the Silveira family." Everyone in my family spells it differently - some capitalize the d, some the s, some use the space, some don't. My use of lowercase is in an attempt to neutralize the power of the colonial connotation it holds.” — Francisca in Broadway World Los Angeles (full interview)

reviews

“Sharply written, with strong performances across the board, 'can i touch it?' is grounded in the kind of human consequences that lie beneath, but are often obscured by, the powerful forces of development and finance... This playwright has arrived.” — The Boston Globe, Critic’s Pick (full review)

“Urgent and resonant… the play succeeds in finding credible, organic ways to deal with large social issues in a personal way.” — Joyce Kulhawik (full review)

“The strength of Da Silveira’s play lies in the story of a woman, her daughter and her niece, and how powerful they are when they defy expectations to make change.”— WBUR (full review)

“A great production... very moving.” — GBH Arts Editor Jared Bowen (full review)

"For Black people our hair is more than an aesthetic. It is personal. It is political. It is history and legacy. I’m incredibly proud to represent The Strand Theatre in the 5th Suffolk... an outstanding production." — Massachusetts State Representative Liz Miranda

“Entertaining and thought-provoking.” — LA Splash (full review)

“An incredibly fun, laugh-out-loud romp, while being a serious drama about profound social issues and an intimate family story. What a striking accomplishment for theatre company Rogue Machine and playwright francisca da silveira." — Discover Hollywood (full review)

“There is a reason why braids, locs, twists, and bantu knots have been included in the CROWN Act, a law that prohibits the denial of employment and educational opportunities based on race-based hairstyles. can i touch it? is not only and entertaining stage production; it’s also a sociopolitical commentary on perceptions and racial inequalities.” — Glamgical (full review)