SUN FEB 27 at 2:30PM & 7PM + MON FEB 28 at 6PM

PIGOTT THEATER | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC WITH FREE TICKET RESERVATION

New Works Next Generation — a play festival offering three dynamic new plays about race and identity, non-binary sexualities, and ethnic oppression in times of crisis — is a collaboration between TheatreWorks’s New Works Initiative and Stanford TAPS. This hybrid event will spotlight the voices of theatre’s next generation of emerging artists, with plays performed by Stanford students and directed by TAPS PhD students, professors, and alumni.

 

RESERVE TICKETS

 

FESTIVAL PROGRAM

Artistic Associate/Director of New Works: Giovanna Sardelli
Stanford Faculty: Dr. Samer Al-Saber
Festival Line Producers: Karishma Bhagani and Katherine Hamilton

 

 

Sarah’s Salt
by Jillian Walker
Co-directed by Isaiah Woods and Dr. Aileen Robinson
Date: Sunday 27th February, 2022 at 2:30pm

The Maryland funeral of a centenarian racist relative reconnects estranged cousins, Sarah and Penelope. When Penelope insists on staying with Sarah and her husband, Nolan, these young Black adults must confront how their inheritances of the vestiges of American slavery impact their relationships with each other and themselves. A ritual of remembrance and becoming, Sarah’s Salt is a powerful and daring meditation on Black American sisterhood, marriage, family and identity.

Jillian Walker (she) is a multidimensional artist, teacher, healer, and ancestral guide devoted to remembering ancestral ways through her work and life. She is the creator of the critically-acclaimed ‘SKiNFoLK: An American Show,” forthcoming from 53rd State Press and several other award-winning works. Jillian is currently working on several ancestrally-guided liberation-focused projects and collaborations, including screenwriting and starring in the lyrical film, BLK GRK; Reconstruction: an epic performance-work with 23 other writers, a new off-Broadway play premiering in 2023, and her monthly shamanistic newsletter, The Free List.

Cast: Amani Starnes, Emily Waters, and Isaiah Woods

 

 

When the Party’s Over
by Ezperanza Rosales-Balcárcel
Directed by Adin Walker
Sound Designer/Composer: Stan Mathabane
Date: Sunday 27th February, 2022 at 7pm

Danny, Jas, and Levi – three best friends at Princeton – come together to have one good final night before graduating. All that stands in their way is Danny’s drinking, which has just gotten more out of control as they get closer to graduating. A fantasy dance piece, When the Party’s Over explores how the mind heals and learns from trauma. 

Esperanza Rosales Balcárcel (they/them) is a first-generation, trans Guatemalan-American artist, born in Guatemala City and raised in Norwalk, CT. Their plays are a queering of themes surrounding love, trauma, family, dance, gender expression, and healing. Their work has been supported by Princeton University, Stanford University, the Yale School of Drama, Roundabout Theater, and now TheaterWorks. Their writing mentors include Tarell Alvin McCraney, Anne Erbe, Sarah Ruhl, Amy Herzog, and Aïda Mashaka Croal. They are currently in their ‘middle year’ at the Playwrights Program with Anne + Tarell at the David Geffen School of Drama @ Yale, graduating the spring of 2023. This summer, they are co-leading the Yale Summer Cabaret’s first in-person season since the 2020 pandemic.

Cast: Morgan Tom Gwilym Tso, Lisa Li, Dahkota Kicking Bear Brown, Elaine Jean Lai, Zoe Ryu, Westley Montgomery, and Lily Sarah Rashes

 

 

Supposed Home
by Sam Hamashima
Co-directed by Westley Montgomery and Marina J. Bergenstock
Date: Monday 28th February, 2022 at 6pm

Shiyoko left the Japanese American Concentration Camps a long time ago, or so she thought. Faced with questions from a curious grandson, Shiyoko’s world becomes both what had happened and what was wanted. Past and present become one landscape for this anime adventure as enemies are revealed, companions are found, trauma is unpacked, and what was only thought becomes (un)spoken word. A poetic impression from the Yonsei perspective, Supposed Home brings a new piece of the puzzle that is the Japanese American experience. Bay Area Playwrights Festival 2021, Winner of Seattle Public Theater’s Emerald Prize

Sam Hamashima (them+) is a contemporary playwright especially excited by puppetry, magical realism, and “everyday magic”. Described as “serious whimsy” in the Washington Post, Hamashima creates theater for empowerment, healing, and discovery. Past commissions include Supposed Home (Seattle Public Theater) Garden State (Lyric Stage of Boston), and Shoyu Tell (Lexington Children’s Theater). Produced and/or developed by John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and National Queer Theater, among others. Proud Alum of the National YoungArts Foundation. BFA in Musical Theatre, University of Michigan. samhamashima.com @Sam Hamashima 

Cast: Elaine Jean Lai, Zoe Ryu, Baihan Zhang, Dahkota Kicking Bear Brown, Junah Jang, and Morgan Tom Gwilym Tso