Company One Theatre examines the cultural significance of 'Hoops'

For me, hoop earrings — from the classic gold circle to the nameplate variety — call to mind LL Cool J’s 1990 hit “Around the Way Girl.” The song, a rap ode to the urban femme, specifically shouts out and pays homage to the particular cultural aesthetic of hoops (and hair) as he raps: “I want a girl with extensions in her hair/ Bamboo earrings, at least two pair.” LL Cool J finishes the verse talking about the fearlessness of the girl he desires, navigating the world while rocking her unique style.

Playwright Eliana Pipes provides another kind of tribute to the jewelry and an exploration of what it means to be the wearer in “Hoops,” a new play at the Strand Theatre until Aug. 10. The show — a production of Company One Theatre, which has a mission to cultivate community at the intersection of art and social change — is a “choreopoem-esque collage” that takes a sweeping look at the history of hoops and how donning them, whether gold, silver, resin, wood or leather, big or small, can empower a person and shape culture.

The format doesn’t follow the structure of a traditional play, which makes sense given the show’s roots. Instead, it feels more like performance art, a celebration filled with storytelling, dancing and nostalgia that shines a bit brighter when the cast members break away from delivering their lines in unison and share their monologues, showing their acting chops. Two, rendered by Elijah Brown and Kaili Y. Turner, were quite powerful.

Before the show, performer and show composer Brandie Blaze was onstage spinning music and hyping up the crowd. The DJ booth featured bright paint spelling out “Hoops” in green letters. Blaze made sure to let the audience know that the show would be a good time. The entertainment continued post-show with a performance by poet Amanda Shea, vendors, food, music and an art exhibit as part of the opening night celebration.

Under the direction of Tonasia Jones, the ensemble (including Blaze) traded stories about their favorite earrings with a spirit of camaraderie. Some recalled how hoops with cheap metal could turn green or bother sensitive ears or how real gold ones could be passed down from generation to generation like an inheritance. Tales of hardworking, hard-loving mothers and grandmothers reminded me and my seatmate of our late mothers and their gems, including the hoops they left behind.

“Hoops” was adapted for the stage from The Hoops Project, developed by artist Nicole Acosta to promote an exhibit in 2019 in which Latinas Unidas en las Artes “created works inspired by their own personal experiences centering hoop earrings,” according to Acosta’s website. Acosta held a photo shoot with more than 100 Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian and other individuals from Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Milwaukee and asked them what hoop earrings meant to them, collecting their stories for the exhibition. The resulting recollections from teachers, healers, DJs, dancers and more were anchored in “history, memory, and reclamation,” Acosta writes.

While the play had its share of sobering and beautiful tales, such as a 24-year-old cancer patient who put on her hoops before treatment and survived, or an Indigenous woman sharing the meaning of the circle — the sun, moon, earth and seasons — to her people, it also had some comedic moments. For instance, a large hoop being held up to the sky like a celestial symbol beneath a shining light or an oversized gold hoop used to physically combat and prevent all the bad treatment, such as microaggressions, that a wearer may endure.

In the play, the history of hoop adornment in ancient Black civilizations and pop culture gets debated (one says it’s ancient and another gives credit to Boston’s own Donna Summer) before the argument is put to bed by acknowledging the unity and strength represented by all those who wear them.

At the show’s end, Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia headed to the stage (a planned special guest for the opening night celebration ) and spoke about some of the challenges she faced when running for office. Mejia shared that when running for her seat, some people told her she was a bit too unpalatable to win, echoing some of the themes about professionalism expressed in the play.

Many of the stories shared are ones that I’ve lived and feel familiar with. I left the show with Mejia’s words echoing in my mind: never leave yourself at the door. Always show up as yourself, hoops and all.

“Hoops” runs through Aug. 10 at the Strand Theatre. The Company One Theatre show is produced in partnership with Boston Playwrights’ Theatre and the City of Boston’s Office of Arts and Culture.