New Repertory Theatre returns with "We Are Storytellers" (Watertown, MA.)
NEW REPERTORY THEATRE ANNOUNCES
"WE ARE STORYTELLERS"
Kicking off on Saturday, April 23, 2022
New Rep’s We Are Storytellers series will open
with a two-show festival celebrating storytelling
through music, dance and spoken word.
The festival shows, entitled Solo Moments and We Celebrate: Storytelling through Song, Music and Sound, will take place in the Main Stage and Black Box Theaters at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown.
PRESS RELEASE:
We Celebrate: Storytelling through Song, Music and Sound will feature Geraldine Barney, a singer, songwriter and visual artist from the eastern part of the Navajo Nation, Northwest New Mexico, whose music was a central part of New Rep’s Listen to Sipu in 2021.
She will be joined by jazz, gospel, and R&B local favorite Athene Wilson.
The pair is collaborating to unleash a performance, indicative of their rich personal narratives, that is not to be missed.
The newly established four-member team of resident artists, Lois Roach, Jaime Carrillo, Michael Hisamoto and Maria Hendricks, have devised a vision based on their roles as storytellers, exploring the voices that are often overlooked, while building bridges into various communities with clear intentions, joy, honor, and respect.
By giving voice and interpretation to stories and artists whose perspectives are often not heard, the goal is to present experiences that are relevant to everyone.
The appointment of a collaborative team represents New Rep’s commitment to center underrepresented voices and create an equitable and sustainable operating structure.
By prioritizing a collaborative process centered on new work, new voices, and creative programming, the New Rep Board of Directors and resident artists aim to produce memorable, evocative theatre with a particular focus on their local community.
On Saturday, May 14, multi-talented performing artist Valerie Stephens brings her latest NINA Tribute production, NINA SIMONE & Hip Hop, to New Rep audiences.
Stephens returns the next day, Sunday, May 15, to introduce the first performance in New Rep’s Sunday Celebration series.
The monthly celebrations will feature a mix of artists who all specialize in creating interactive experiences with their audiences. Valerie Stephens’ second show will involve a rousing expression using the words of Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, and Peggy Lee.
The New Rep, New Voices Theatre Festival, with performances May 21 through 29, will feature three, twenty-minute plays by underrepresented playwrights.
Over 150 plays were submitted during New Rep’s call for submissions in March and are being reviewed by a committee of local artists.
The three plays selected will be announced later this month.
As the organization relaunches over the coming months, performances will be announced and tickets will be put on sale on a rolling basis.
The artistic team is developing programming through the fall of 2022 that will take place not only in the theaters of New Rep’s longtime home, the Mosesian Center of the Arts, but also outdoors.
New Rep looks forward to welcoming back their longtime supportive patrons, as well as new audiences that will hopefully enjoy the fresh and creative programmatic offerings the artists are organizing.
Tickets start at $20, are on sale now for the following events, and can be purchased online through www.newrep.org.
- Solo Moments will be performed in the Black Box Theater on Saturday, April 23rd at 2pm & 3:30pm
- We Celebrate: Storytelling through Song, Music and Sound will be performed in the Main Stage Theater on Saturday, April 23rd at 4:30pm
- Valerie Stephens’ NINA SIMONE & Hip Hop will be performed in the Main Stage Theater on Saturday, May 14th at 7:30pm
- New Rep’s first Sunday Celebration, featuring Valerie Stephens, will be performed in the Main Stage Theater on Sunday, May 15th at 4pm
Tickets for the New Rep, New Voices Theatre Festival will go on sale later this month.
More information on New Rep’s relaunch and upcoming programming can be found at www.newrep.org
New Rep’s Renewal Vision
In July 2021, the Board of Directors made the difficult decision to suspend operations while we evaluated how to move forward with the organization in an equitable and sustainable way.
In February 2022, the board announced we had hired four resident artists to help us relaunch the company and bring back in-person, indoor programming in an exciting way.
New Repertory Theatre aims to be regionally focused, driven by diverse interests and stories drawn from the communities surrounding us.
We will prioritize a collaborative process centered on new work, new voices, and creative programming in order to produce memorable, evocative performing arts experiences.
New Rep looks to broaden the theatre scene in greater Boston by giving voice and interpretation to stories and artists whose perspectives are often underrepresented, but whose experiences are relevant for everyone.
We recognize that serious work lies ahead as we involve our region’s communities in this creative adventure. Our vision has evolved in response to the pandemic, and societal upheaval raising awareness of systemic racial injustice and widespread inequity.
We want to reimagine how this theatre company can best serve the community that includes both artists and the audience.
As the world is changing, theatre also must be different going forward. New Rep remains committed to staging productions and events that speak to the vital ideas of our time.
Inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and accountability (IDEAA) will infuse every aspect of our work as we build community collaborations and give voice to the diverse interests of those communities.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
