ETERNAL LIFE PART 1 At The Wilma Theater Now Streaming

Digital theater pioneer the Wilma Theater is offering a streaming version of its onstage production ETERNAL LIFE PART 1, which was written by Nathan Alan Davis and directed by Morgan Green, who directed the world premiere digital production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning FAT HAM. The production will be available to view on demand from May 1-14.

The show was filmed in front of a live audience on stage at The Wilma Theater by Leslie Rivera, who captured and edited the Wilma's digital productions of KISS, FAT HAM, and THE CHERRY ORCHARD. This taping was filmed with multiple cameras and edited to offer an immersive view of the performance.

ETERNAL LIFE PART 1 tells the story of a family in the near future trying to live well amidst space travel, an ancient goose, and a mysterious man peddling an immortality elixir. "ETERNAL LIFE PART 1 is inspired by questions about family, how you pass on what you have to the next generation, and the impossibility of getting everything right as a parent," playwright Nathan Alan Davis said. The play uses humor and whimsy to explore such existential questions of human connection and mortality.

ETERNAL LIFE PART 1 streaming tickets are $29 and can be purchased at wilmatheater.org. Tickets are one stream per purchase, and links will be sent to view ETERNAL LIFE PART 1 anytime from May 1-14, 2023. The streaming platform, Overture+, allows streaming on any device connected to the internet, including TVs.

Discounts are available for those who purchase streams of both ETERNAL LIFE PART 1 and TWELFTH NIGHT at the same time, with 50% off the second show. The discount will be applied when both shows are in the shopping cart. TWELFTH NIGHT will be available to stream from June 26 - July 9, 2023.

The cast of ETERNAL LIFE PART 1 includes Wilma Theater HotHouse Acting Company Members Sarah Gliko, Brandon J. Pierce, Steven Rishard, and Lindsay Smiling, along with performer Jennifer Kidwell. The creative team includes Set Designer Matt Saunders, Costume Designer Azalea Fairley, Lighting Designer Masha Tsimring, Sound Designer Jordan McCree, Projection Designer Alan Price, Stage Manager Patreshettarlini Adams, and Dramaturg Mariah Ghant.

Morgan Green is a director of theater, film, radio, and dinner time. She is currently one of three Co-Artistic Directors at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia and a co-founder of New Saloon Theater Co. Morgan received the 2016 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Director for her work on New Saloon's MINOR CHARACTER: SIX TRANSLATIONS OF UNCLE VANYA AT THE SAME TIME, which was seen at The Public Theater's 2019 Under the Radar festival. A selection of recent work includes: THE DANUBE by María Irene Fornés (Harvard University), THE WOLVES by Sarah DeLappe (Marin Theatre Company), CUTE ACTIVIST by Milo Cramer (The Bushwick Starr), and THE MUSIC MAN by Meredith Wilson (The Sharon Playhouse). Morgan is a New Georges Affiliated Artist, former artist in residence at Bric, Mabou Mines, and Baryshnikov Arts Center, an alumna of the Lincoln Center Director's Lab, a former Robert Moss Directing Fellow at Playwrights Horizons, and a proud member of SDC. MorganClaireGreen.com

Nathan Alan Davis's plays include THE REFUGE PLAYS, THE HIGH GROUND, NAT TURNER IN JERUSALEM (Stavis Playwright Award, 2017), DONTRELL WHO KISSED THE DEAD (Steinberg/ATCA New Play Citation, 2015), ORIGIN STORY, and THE WIND AND THE BREEZE (Lorraine Hansberry Award, 2013). For his body of work thus far, he has received a Windham-Campbell Prize (2021), a Steinberg Playwright Award (2020), and a Whiting Award in Drama (2018). His plays have been produced and commissioned by theaters across the United States, including New York Theatre Workshop, Arena Stage, Seattle Rep., Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Cygnet Theatre, and Skylight Theatre. As a screenwriter, he has worked on TV and film projects for HBO Max, Paramount, AMC, BET, Netflix, and others. Originally from Rockford, Illinois, Nathan is an alumnus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Indiana University Bloomington, and The Juilliard School. He is a Lecturer in Theater and Berlind Playwright-in-Residence at Princeton University and a Venturous Fellow at the Playwrights' Center.  

The Wilma Theater creates living, adventurous theater. We engage artists and audiences in imaginative reflection on the complexities of contemporary life. We present bold, original, rigorously crafted productions that represent a range of voices, viewpoints, and styles.

Established in 1973 as The Wilma Project, the Wilma challenged the Philadelphia cultural community to create theatrical productions of original material and to develop local artists. From 1973 through 1979, the Wilma dazzled the Philadelphia public by presenting work with renowned avant-garde theater artists, including the Bread & Puppet Theatre, Mabou Mines, Charles Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Company, The Wooster Group, Ping Chong & the Fiji Company and Spalding Gray.

In 1979, Blanka and Jiri Zizka, natives of Czechoslovakia, forged a creative relationship with the Wilma as artists-in-residence, and gained acclaim for their bold, innovative productions. The Zizkas assumed artistic leadership of the organization in 1981, and during their tenure the Wilma Theater established a national reputation for provocative work ranging from the international drama of Bertolt Brecht, Athol Fugard, Eugene Ionesco, Joe Orton and Tom Stoppard to new American plays by Tina Howe, Romulus Linney, Quincy Long, Doug Wright, Amy Freed and many others, as well as premiering Jiri Zizka's original adaptations of classic novels. CBS News called the Wilma "one playhouse that has emerged from the shadow of the Great White Way to make history on its own."

In February 2020, the Wilma radically changed its leadership structure. Founding Artistic Director Blanka Zizka invited three additional artists from a variety of histories and experiences to share leadership in a cohort structure, which will last until spring of 2023. Each year, one cohort member acts as lead Artistic Director, with input and support from other cohort members. It is an experiment in shared leadership. In Summer 2021, Blanka stepped back from the Cohort for a consulting role as Artistic Director Emeritus; the Cohort now includes Yury Urnov, James Ijames, and Morgan Green. They work alongside Managing Director Leigh Goldenberg as the leadership of the organization.

During the pandemic, the Wilma has become a leader in digital theater. The digital production of HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING was named the best of the year in 2020 by The Wall Street Journal and nominated for a Drama League Award. The Wilma's 2021 digital production of FAT HAM by James Ijames, directed by Morgan Green, was named one of the best virtual productions in 2021 by The New York Times, which stated that "The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia perfected beautiful film-stage hybrids." FAT HAM was honored with the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

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