WWTNS? Announced As Artists-in-Residence At CUNY Queens College

What Will the Neighbors Say? is thrilled to announce they have been selected to be the resident theatre company at CUNY Queens College Department of Drama, Theatre and Dance over the next two years. The partnership will further deepen the company's relationship with the college, which began when Co-Artistic Directors James Clements, Ana Cristina DaSilva, Sam Hood Adrain and Jorge Morales Picó were invited to join as Adjunct Faculty in the Spring of 2020. This residency will bring WWTNS? to the heart of the college's student body, as well as the core of the Queens community, over the course of a residency that combines artistic projects, educational initiatives and outreach and engagement programs.

Planned programs include further courses in the Department of Drama, Theatre and Dance and beyond, research and archival projects and the development of a new original commision in collaboration with the Queens Public Library. "The variety of our work at Queens over the next two years is going to be absolutely incredible," stated Clements. "The projects we will undertake at the college sit at the intersection of our passions as a company - theatre, education and social justice," added DaSilva.

Another key element of the company's time in Queens will be getting to know the borough, bringing WWTNS?' community programming to new constituents. "We do so much work in our local community in Brooklyn, and are thrilled by the challenges and opportunities of expanding our work into a new borough," noted Morales Picó. "Our whole company has loved the time we have spent in Queens so far, and can't wait to spend more time in this exciting, dynamic and diverse borough over the coming years" added Hood Adrain.

Meghan Healey, Chair of the Department of Drama, Theatre and Dance, said of WWTNS? "They are gracious, generous collaborators. Our students reported a very high level of satisfaction with their course and their experiences, and found the work cathartic and therapeutic as they went through an incredibly challenging time, living in the epicenter of COVID-19. I found the company flexible, empathetic and sympathetic."

Queens College enjoys a national reputation for its liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional programs. With its extensive range of graduate and undergraduate degrees, honors programs, research opportunities, and internship placements, the college serves more than 20,000 students, mentored by an award-winning faculty. The college has been cited for 28 consecutive years in the Princeton Review as a "Best Value" college. U.S. News and World Report and Forbes magazine also rank Queens College a "Best Value College," thanks to its outstanding academics, generous financial aid packages, and affordability. The Equality of Opportunity Report placed Queens College in the top one percent of all colleges in moving students from poverty to prosperity.

What Will the Neighbors Say? is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit company that creates theatre that examines historical, social, political and economic narratives that have been disregarded, misrepresented, or otherwise untold in order to provoke discourse in our audience and community. WWTNS? maintains a consistent commitment to diversity, arts education, community outreach, and artistic experimentation.