Hello, Azuka friends and family —

We are about to begin our second week of Sunset Baby and audiences are already responding perhaps most of all to the performances, which bring to life the complicated relationships — be them familial or romantic — at the heart of Dominique Morisseau’s script. I asked two of the show’s actors, Victoria Aaliyah Goins (Nina) and Eric Carter (Damon) to talk a little bit about themselves, and what it’s like seeing through these characters’ eyes.

Where are you from originally, where are you now — and where have you been in between?

VICTORIA

This is always the most difficult question to answer. I have lived in Philly for the past five years. I moved here from Burbank, CA to go to Temple University. However, I was born in Houston, TX and my is from Lafayette, LA.

ERIC

Originally from Philly, currently reside in Philly — been everywhere from NY to LA.

If people are in from out of town to see the show — or just looking to explore the city more — what’s your favorite spot in Philly?

ERIC

My favorite spot is Penn’s Landing.

Some of the sights at Penn’s Landing // Photo by M. Stanley for Delaware River Company

VICTORIA

Fave Happy Hour Spot: Mixto

Fave Outdoor Hangout: Rittenhouse Park or Penn Treaty Park

Fave Cheese steak Spot: Max's

Fave Part of Philly: South

Bundle up and walk through Rittenhouse Square before the show — just a few blocks away from the Drake!

We like to celebrate the OutCATS and UnderDOGS of Azuka. Do you have any pets?

VICTORIA

Yas!!!!!! I have a dog named Garvey. He is a mini-rottweiler. He runs our house.

ERIC

Yes, a dog. Her name is Agnes!

**Now to Sunset Baby…What was the first thing you personally connected to about your role? Either in their story, or their character?**

VICTORIA

I am reconciling my own relationship with my father and coming to terms with what it means to see my father as a Man and not just my father.

ERIC

Damon’s desire to be the best father he can be. I strive for that every day. To be the best father to my kids Alyssa and Eric.

Without giving anything away, do you have a favorite line from your character? Why that line?

VICTORIA

"Deal with the sacrificial lamb to your better world." We talk about revolutions in this country but we never discuss the effects of said political revolutions on those closest to the leading revolutionaries. We never discuss what is sacrificed when someone gives their life to a movement. Here Nina sums up how high the stakes are.

ERIC

“I’m going to love you. I saying that as real as I can.” I think it is so hard for us to allow our feeling and emotions to run and be free. We fear rejection so as humans we have a tendency to close people off emotionally with the fear of being hurt. This to me shows Damon at his most vulnerable self and just not some “cold-blooded-dude” in the words of Damon.

Tupac Shakur was an important influence on the play, and Nina Simone’s music also plays a huge role, which I know Amina has brought into the rehearsal room. Are you a fan of these artists, and do you have a personal favorite song from either? How does the music help inform your character or the world they exist in?

VICTORIA

These are the type of artists where I can't choose just one song, but here are my top two.

Nina Simone: “Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood” and “Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter”

2Pac Shakur: “Dear Mama” and “California Love”

Nina helps me to drop into the contradicting duality of Nina. Nina Simone radiates with power, however, there is a vulnerability that sometimes gets revealed in her music. Its the same for Nina the character. The tough exterior serves as a defense mechanism for her pain and the mask is only lifted when she wants it to be.

ERIC

I am a fan of Tupac Shakur. He was one of our soldiers who had political conscience in the masses. My favorite song is called “Against All Odds.” Damon is exactly what Tupac was talking about. Rebel against the totem pole social structure that keeps the social junk at the bottom.

When I interviewed Amina, she talked about duality in the show. She said “[Morisseau] has woven a story that has characters and moments that at the same time are itself, and its opposite” and speaks to the characters’ nuance. Where do you see duality in your character? Is that a challenge to explore?

VICTORIA

Nina needs from no one but at the same time craves love from the people closest to her. It is a challenge to explore because it was important to me that Nina didn't come off as a JUST the angry black woman stereotype. I say just because ones first impulse might be to shy away from the truth which resides in said stereotype simply because as a society it isn't often that we are exposed to the full humanity of it. i.e. i'll dampen down the "street" or the "rage" and hype up the "vulnerability" so people don't just see an "angry black woman". However, that would be doing not only the character a disservice but also the audience as 1. It isn't the story, at least not the one we are telling and 2. As a society we have to recognize and rectify the fact that we suffer from "selective empathy". We must see the humanity in ALL people and it starts first with parting with the notion that people can't fully embody the totality. The Roman playwright Terence sums it up much better than I can when he said "Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto" or "I am human, and I think nothing human is alien to me".

Azuka’s mantra is “Outcasts and Underdogs.” How does your character fit into one or both of those?

VICTORIA

Underdog: Everything in Nina's life is going against her. Her circumstances are DESIGNED for her to fail. She is a motherless and fatherless child living in a community which is always ignored and under resourced. Despite this, she still hustles, she still makes moves, she still tries to create a life for herself beyond her circumstance.

Outcast: She is the daughter of two leaders from a forgotten revolution. So forgotten that one might wonder if things even got better after it.

Victoria and Eric both star in Sunset Baby until the 24th. If you haven’t made your Pay What You Decide reservation yet, hit the link below to watch Nina and Damon’s stories unfold.

RESERVATIONS

We heard Victoria and Eric’s (and director Amina Robinson’s) favorites from the show’s musical landscape…coming up later this week is a deeper look into the music of Sunset Baby with star sound designer Larry Fowler, Jr.! Thanks for checking in.

— Lucas