Signature Theatre Welcomes Back Live Audiences With Lynn Nottage's THE WATERING HOLE

Signature Theatre will present The Watering Hole (June 22-July 25), an immersive theatrical installation conceived and created by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning Residency 1 playwright Lynn Nottage and acclaimed writer, director, and curator Miranda Haymon, bringing together multidisciplinary artists of color in an expansive reimagining of theatrical space. Nearly a decade after the ribbon-cutting at Signature's home, the Frank Gehry-designed Pershing Square Signature Center, The Watering Hole re-illuminates the space-and reimagines how the building can serve artists and communities-after the pandemic's shuttering of theatres and a year of uprisings for racial justice.

The Watering Hole will be open to the public with staggered entry in physically distanced groups of four with start times between 11:30am and 8:00pm on weekends, and between 7:00pm and 8:00pm on weekdays, with additional 3:15pm-4:15pm times weekdays during the second week; the series of installations is estimated to take approximately 80 minutes to experience. Maintaining the organization's commitment to economic access, and keeping in mind the hardships of the pandemic, weekday viewings Tuesday-Thursday will be ticketed on a choose-what-you-pay basis, with suggested amounts of $10, $25, $35 or fill-in-the-amount. On weekends, Friday-Sunday, Signature Theatre will offer a choose-what-you- pay option as the first block of tickets, as well as $25 tickets in the afternoon and $35 tickets in the evening. Early booking for Season Members, Friends and Patrons begins Wednesday, May 26. Tickets go on sale to the general public Thursday, May 27. A virtual glimpse into the installations will be made available in the final weeks of the run.

Lynn Nottage says of The Watering Hole, "The goal was to create a collaborative piece of theatre that disrupts the notion of how and where and why storytelling can happen, that invites theatre artists of color to bring the entirety of our imaginations into conversation with each other and see the ways in which we can tell our stories outside the frameworks that are generally imposed upon us. The inspiration and organizing principle of The Watering Hole came about when we, as a collective, began talking about what Signature means to us, and in particular that lobby-how important that communal space has been to us over the years. What does it mean to have lost that nexus point that gives us the opportunity to gather and see disparate people coming together?"

With installations acting as tributaries to and from the central watering hole theme, this collaborative work safely welcomes audiences back into a space replete with new propositions for theatre's future. The Watering Hole is part of SigSpace. Supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, SigSpace brings artistic programming to the Center's public spaces and sustains its lobby as a free public workspace and social hub for New York City artists. The project culminates Nottage's residency at the Signature, following hit runs of her plays Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine and By the Way, Meet Vera Stark in earlier seasons.

Signature Theatre Artistic Director Paige Evans says, "The Watering Hole breaks new ground for Signature Theatre in the most exciting way. It has been a gift to watch Lynn Nottage, Miranda Haymon, and this dynamic group of collaborators expand our imaginations and truly transform The Pershing Square Signature Center. These talented and dynamic artists are making the most out of their medium-activating staircases, elevators, dressing rooms, and more-and the result is a devised performance unlike anything audiences have seen before at Signature Theatre. . We couldn't have planned The Watering Hole as the culminating production of Lynn Nottage's residency, but we're thrilled that it is. Following a season of artistic drought, comes relief, comes water. There is little else I can say about this ingenious and innovative work aside from: 'come and experience it.'"

Artists joining Nottage and Haymon to re-activate the Center's many spaces - its elevator, stairs, stages, lobby, backstage, green rooms, and more-include playwright Christina Anderson; playwright Matt Barbot; costume designer Montana Levi Blanco; theatre director and projections designer Stefania Bulbarella; lighting designer Amith Chandrashaker; performer, choreographer, director, playwright, and educator nicHi douglas; creative producer and dramaturg Iyvon E.; composer, sound design artist, and musician Justin Ellington; scenic and production designer Emmie Finckel; actor, playwright, sculptor, painter, performer, poet, and activist Vanessa German; autobiographical performer Ryan J. Haddad; playwright Phillip Howze; scenic designer Riccardo Hernández; playwright Haruna Lee; Campbell Silverstein, who serves as Associate Director on the project; playwright Charly Evon Simpson; and Navajo playwright, filmmaker, director, performer, and producer Rhiana Yazzie.

The Watering Hole allows viewers to re-acclimate to the space while also stepping into a new, nourishing, and accessible vision for in-person theatre. Audiences move through a series of 10 installations, which derive their inspiration in part from water itself, as they flow from all directions into a larger whole. While individual artists have brought their singular aesthetics and experiences to spaces within the building, they've collaborated fluidly throughout a process that reframes theatre-making outside its usual hierarchies.

Says Miranda Haymon, "I'm so excited to bring together such a range of artists, who identify with given roles-designer or writer or director-but also identify in some way as multi-hyphenates. Everyone has surprises, everyone has ways they have not been known to the industry, and they are working on this piece in that way. We really wanted to highlight that aspirational space-not just for how we want to collaborate within the theatre landscape, but also how we bring our full selves to the watering hole, and what that means as artists of color and people generating new work."

COVID-19 Safety Measures

Though Signature Theatre's plans are subject to change as CDC, state, and city guidelines develop, the organization's current policy is to require physical distancing and masking to keep audiences and staff safe; all are required to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. Reduced capacity is limited to a maximum of 100 guests in the building at any given time. Maintaining equitable access for audiences, Signature Theatre is not at this time planning to require proof of vaccination and/or negative test results for guests.

For more information, please visit signaturetheatre.org.