Sundance Institute Theatre Program: An All-Women Cohort to Convene at MASS MoCA Lab

08/11/2019

NORTH ADAMS, MA - Sundance Institute's Theatre Program will support three ambitious new works for the stage, and their four women creators, at this year's two-week Theatre Lab at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). The Lab, which runs from November 10 to November 24th, will feature the concentrated and abundant time and resources, including individual casting from a dedicated acting company and daily rehearsals, that has long been a signature of Sundance's Labs.

Christopher Hibma, the Theatre Program's interim Director, said This year's cohort represents women at the vanguard of creativity and performance -- not only the women who create these works, but the entire artistic community of women artists around them. MASS MoCA is an inspiring setting for this creative endeavor, and contemporary art, nature, rigor and community will define our time together.

Recent and upcoming productions of works supported at the Theatre Lab at MASS MoCA include Back to Backs The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes, set to run at Under the Radar this coming January; Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me, currently on a national tour; and Teeth, recently staged as part of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Annual Festival of New Musicals. The Sundance Institute Theatre Program is supported by an endowment from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, with generous additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Perry and Martin Granoff; Luma Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; John and Marcia Price Family Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; Wyncote Foundation-Leonard Haas; Richenthal Foundation; The Carrie Louise Hamilton Foundation; and Francena T. Harrison Foundation.

The projects selected for the Theatre Lab at MASS MoCA are:

The Essentialisnt

Written by Eisa Davis

Music Direction by Eisa Davis

Utilizing song, electronic sound, movement, and everyday objects, The Essentialisn't examines the specific expectations around black women and performance, expectations that come from our history of captivity. What do you do on a stage after centuries of ritualized resistance to commodification has been stereotyped, co-opted and commodified as well? Davis and vocalists Justin and Jade Hicks reanimate modernist figures from the Harlem Renaissance to imagine the art of black presence with a fresh awareness of sovereignty.

Eisa Davis was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her play Bulrusher, and wrote and starred in the stage memoir Angela's Mixtape. A Herb Alpert Award recipient in theatre, Davis wrote for both seasons of Spike Lee's Netflix series She's Gotta Have It. She has appeared in The Secret Life of Bees, Kings, Preludes, Passing Strange, The Looming Tower, Succession, House of Cards, The Wire, and is an Obie winner for Sustained Excellence in Performance. Her original albums of music are Something Else and Tinctures.

Musicians: Jade Hicks and Justin Hicks

I Hear You Shaking, Grand Mother! (working title)

Written by Lina Abyad

Late at night, the three sisters have arrived hastily to Beirut: their niece has been diagnosed with cancer. They haven't met for a long while. Coming only for the weekend, they decide not to open their respective apartments but to sleep in their parent's house, which has been closed since their mother's death. Even though they have been brought up in a secular home, they have all, except one, become profoundly religious. The eldest of the sisters has planned a religious event for the next day: she has hired a choir of women to perform religious songs. The celebratory prayers dedicated to the healing of the young woman exposes all the discords within the family. The tambourine and the words of The Kuran will barely cover their voices coming from the kitchen. It is Sunday night, each of the three sisters leaves respectively for Dubai, Nice and Sweden. Each one of them with her Islam.

Lina Abyad is a stage director, actress and an Associate Professor at the Lebanese American University - Beirut. Her plays are eclectic. Several themes haunt her stage: the Lebanese Civil War, women, Palestine and Arab dictatorships. The theatre she creates is socially and politically engaged with highly controversial and crucial issues for the Middle Eastern region.

The SuffragistsBook, Music, and Libretto by Shaina Taub

Directed by Leigh Silverman

Commissioned by Jill Furman and Rachel Sussman

The Suffragists explores the power and passion of American women's fight for equal voting rights in the early twentieth century. The new musical chronicles the seven years leading up to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment through the lens of the rivalry between the moderate leader Carrie Chapman Catt and young radical Alice Paul. Facing opposition from elected officials such as President Woodrow Wilson and indifference-if not outright hostility-from the general public, suffragists were also driven by internal conflicts over strategy and priorities, including racial representation and tactics of nonviolent direct action. Not willing to wait any longer, they boldly take to the streets to demand liberty for American women, risking their lives in the process. Almost a century later, The Suffragists investigates the complexity of the movement and how we work together to make change across generations.

Shaina Taub is an Emmy-nominated and award-winning songwriter and performer. She is an artist-in-residence at the Public Theater, and is currently writing lyrics for the upcoming Broadway musical The Devil Wears Prada, with music by Sir Elton John, as well as a new musical about the American womens suffrage movement. She created and starred in musical adaptations of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and As You Like It th

LINK:	http://www.sundance.org/blogs/news/2019-sundance-theatre-lab-mass-moca...
	See more stories from sundance

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026