NEW YORK CITY: WP Theater has announced its 2020-21 season, featuring live readings, recorded performances, virtual events, and more.
“This season our work is more focused, plentiful, and innovative than ever— the WP virtual stage is humming with monthly presentations of brilliant new work, an immersive virtual experience, a filmed rock opera, expanded artistic development, timely conversations, a social media campaign for voting rights, an exciting new program for young women+ theatremakers, and more,” said producing artistic director Lisa McNulty in a statement.
The season will kick off with a live reading of Ole White Sugah Daddy (Oct. 23, streaming Oct. 24-27), by with Obehi Janice, broadcast in partnership with AYE DEFY. The play follows a young Black female coder working to get her startup off the ground. Caitlin Sullivan will direct.
Next up will be a live broadcast reading of Stefani Kuo’s Final Boarding Call (Nov. 20, streaming Nov. 21-24)), in partnership with Ma-Yi Theater Company, about the current protests in Hong Kong. Mei Ann Teo will direct.
Following will be a live reading of Lockdown (Dec. 3, streaming Dec. 4-7), by WP’s Mellon Playwright in Residence Cori Thomas. The play, produced in partnership with Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, was inspired by the playwright’s conversations with people serving life sentences at San Quentin Prison. Kent Gash will direct.
The season will continue with The Nourish Project (Jan. 25-29, 2021), created and directed by WP BOLD associate artistic director Rebecca Martínez. The immersive live event will build on the five senses and four natural elements to create a virtual community.
Next will be a live reading of MJ Kaufman’s Galatea (March 22, streaming March 23-26, 2021), presented in collaboration with Red Bull Theater. Loosely based on John Lyly’s 1585 play, Galatea is a trans love story set against the backdrop of the climate crisis. Will Davis will direct.
The season will close out with the new rock opera Weightless (April and May, 2021), by the Kilbanes, which weaves together ancient myths to tell the story of a woman who refuses to be silenced. The musical will be presented with support from piece by piece productions. Tamilla Woodard, a WP Lab Alum and 2018-19 BOLD associate artistic director, will direct.
Also part of the programming will be #SoWeCanVote, a video project celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment produced in partnership with the American Theatre Wing.
WP Theater, with support from the BOLD Theater Women’s Leadership Circle, will continue to develop AFLOAT, a new musical by Zoe Sarnak and Emily Kaczmarek with director Tamilla Woodard.
Lastly, WP will collaborate with viBe Theater Experience on viBe Pages to Stages, an initative that brings teen writers together with theatre professionals across all disciplines to create new works.
“In this year of change, we are focusing on supporting our extraordinary community of women+ theatre artists—a community that has made WP Theater a national powerhouse since 1978,” said McNulty in a statement. “We are so pleased to be partnering with our extraordinary colleagues at the American Theatre Wing, AYE DEFY, Ma-Yi, viBe Theater Experience, Rattlestick, Red Bull, BOLD Theater Women’s Leadership Circle, and piece by piece productions as we make work in new and surprising ways. We are gathering our creative family this season and look forward to bringing their work right into your living room.”
