The WP Theater announces the creative teams for the 2022 Pipeline Festival, the fourth biennial showcase of the artists in its celebrated WP Lab residency for playwrights, directors, and producers, as well as the cast for the first project, They Came in The Night. Returning live and in-person from March 24 – May 14, 2022 at WP Theater (2162 Broadway, at 76th Street), with one project to be streamed, the festival is the culmination of the renowned two-year WP Lab residency, providing a unique opportunity for audiences to see five new works in various stages of development, ranging from staged readings, to streamed films, to full-length workshop productions – presented over a span of several weeks.
MARCH 24-26, 2022:
THEY CAME IN THE NIGHT, written by Zizi Majid and directed by Carolyn Cantor, is produced and dramaturged by Kristin Leahey. The cast is Hana Chamoun, Sarah Nina Hayon, and Lameece Issaq. Lighting design is by Liz Schweitzer, sound design is by Caroline Eng, and associate sound design is by Joe DiBernardo. Bea Perez-Arche serves as Production Stage Manager. Stage directions are read by Jackie Romankow.
After the sudden death of her mother, Zsa Zsa receives a visitor from Baghdad: an aunt, who served as an interpreter for the U.S. military and has finally been allowed to immigrate to the U.S. They Came in the Night is a distinctive play about a family sifting through the debris of America’s fraught War in Iraq.
APRIL 14–16, 2022:
ROOM ENOUGH (FOR US ALL), written by Daamiah Mubashshir, directed by Katherine Wilkinson, and produced by Ayana Parker Morrison, features scenic design by Deilis Curiel, lighting design by Judy Kagel, sound design by Caroline Eng and associate sound design by Joe DiBernardo.
Fatimah, a recently widowed mother, is determined to have it all. In an attempt to set things right by her queer daughter, Jamillah, she invites her to return home after a 10-year absence from the family. Fatimah plans to bring a new progressive Eid Holiday Festival to Masjid Al-Noor, but her son, Abdullah, feels that in order to protect the family legacy, he needs to fight against these changes. Room Enough (For Us All) is an insightful journey into the struggle of one contemporary African-American Muslim family to come together, despite everything trying to tear them apart.
APRIL 21-23, 2022:
KIN, written by Gethsemane Herron-Coward, directed by Chika Ike, and produced by Cynthia J. Tong features costume design by Alexis Carrie, lighting design by Kat C. Zhou, sound design by Caroline Eng, fight choreography & intimacy direction by Rocio Mendez, stage management by Tyler Danhaus, associate sound design by Joe DiBernardo and assistant stage management by Jessica Dell Beni.
As GHC’s family members come together to celebrate the return of an imprisoned relative—a son, father, and partner—she reveals her worst secret via the internet. With each click of the keyboard, the ties that bind the family are threatened, as well as the impending reunion. Kin is the first part of a three-part work, and an investigation of the ripple effects of sexual trauma, memory, and the temporality of violence.
APRIL 29-MAY1, 2022:
PLURAL (LOVE), written by and featuring Haruna Lee and Jen Goma, is directed by Sophiyaa Nayar and produced by B.J. Evans. The director of photography is Helena Gruensteidl, production design is by Deilis Curiel, who is assisted by Katherine Gaunche, costume design is by Karen Boyer, and editing is by Kate Freer. First assistant director is Lauren La Melle,, sound engineer is Mariya Chulichkovoa, and the Production Assistants are Morgaine Gooding-Silverwood, Penzi Hill, and Shane Mendoza.
With the short film plural (love), Jen Goma and Haruna Lee flirt with the boundaries of desire, power and responsibility, building an environment that feels akin to stepping into a soft BDSM roleplay. Originally inspired by auto-theorists such as Audre Lorde, Maggie Nelson and Roland Barthes, Goma and Lee layer political, cultural, and social theory with their own autobiographical stories, and their own experiences of desire and being desired. Their musings are a pastiche of intricate styles that include pop songs with lyrics by Sartre, femme rituals, live podcast, intimate humor, radical truth-telling, and community engagement.
MAY 12-14, 2022:
RE/MEMORI (Of Hair Land & Sea) – Working Title, written by Nambi E. Kelley, directed by Machel Ross and produced by Iyvon E. will feature lighting design by Cheyenne Sykes, and sound design and original compositions by Christopher Darbassie, and Caren Morris serves as Production Stage Manager
A powerfully poetic one-woman show, RE/MEMORI (Of Hair Land & Sea) – Working Title asks the questions: Who is the dreamer? Are the ancestors dreaming you, are you dreaming them, or are we dreaming each other? A meditation on how dreams affect consciousness, agency, and personal power in the construction of a Black woman’s understanding of her connection to her ancestors through time. Commissioned by National New Play Network, RE/MEMORI (Of Hair Land & Sea) – Working Title spans American history from slavery to Black Lives Matter through the lens of one family across generations.
BLACK THEATER NIGHTS
In addition, the Pipeline producers and WP Theater are happy to announce three Black Theater Nights on Friday 8pm Pipeline performances for the three plays written by Black playwrights:
ROOM ENOUGH (FOR US ALL) by Daaimah Mubashshir on April 15
KIN by Gethsemane Herron-Coward on April 22
RE/MEMORI (Of Hair Land & Sea) – Working Title by Nambi E. Kelley on May 13
The Pipeline Festival
Festival passes to see all five shows are available for $60, and single tickets are $25
Tickets for all three Black Theater Night performances: pass for $33 or singles for $20
Performance schedule: Thurs at 7, Fri at 3 & 8; Sat at 8
Streaming details for plural (love) will be announced shortly.
