The Things Around Us
“Oluo manages to expand the stand-up autobiography format to dizzying proportions" - Ben Brantley, The New York Times
Created, Written, & Performed by Ahamefule J. Oluo
Part of Under the Radar
The Things Around Us is a collection of seemingly unrelated stories that swirl and dance with an immersive, live musical score created through electronically looped and effected trumpet, clarinet, and everyday objects. Known for their epic stage shows with autobiographical anecdotes and large ensembles, Oluo inverts the formula with stories about other people, other places, and other times set to intimate solo soundscapes that seem to emerge from thin air—a reflection of, and a necessity caused by, the forced isolation of the pandemic. Darkly humorous, uplifting and bleak, deep and silly, this work is about trying and failing to find order in chaos.
Photo by Robert Franklin
Created, Written, & Performed by Ahamefule J. Oluo
Creative Producer: Roya Amirsoleymani
Ahamefule J. Oluo (they/them) is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, writer, comedian, and creator of live performance. They were a member of award-winning experimental jazz quartet Industrial Revelation and a Mellon Creative Research Fellow, Creative Capital awardee, MAP Fund awardee, and Artist Trust Arts Innovator awardee. Oluo premiered Now I’m Fine (2016) and Susan (2020) at The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival, both of which were critically acclaimed by The New York Times. Oluo wrote, scored, and starred in the award-winning film Thin Skin (2020), which won Best Director at the Harlem Film Festival; appeared on This American Life; and produced albums by comedians Hari Kondabolu and Dwayne Kennedy. Oluo has written for television, including HBO Max’s Santa Inc. with Sarah Silverman and Seth Rogen. Oluo has received support from UTR, On the Boards, PICA, Meany Center, The Clarice, Seattle Theatre Group, Seattle Rep, Intiman, MacDowell, and Yaddo.
The Things Around Us is supported by a grant from The MAP Fund. Its creative development has been supported through residencies and engagements at Yaddo, MacDowell, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA), Seattle Rep, Wa Na Wari, Langston, and a Mellon Creative Research Fellowship with UW’s Meany Center for the Performing Arts. It premiered on September 6, 2025 at PICA’s Time-Based Art Festival in Portland, Oregon.
Part of Under The Radar, the annual festival of experimental theater.
