Working Theater, UNCSA, and Kenan Institute For The Arts Form Partnership

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), Working Theater and the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, have announced a new partnership launching with a fellowship program supporting the development of Working Theater’s “La Dureza” project, a powerful exploration of the lives and struggles of delivery workers in New York City. Created in solidarity with Los Deliveristas Unidos (Worker’s Justice Project), the new work by Ed. Cardona Jr. (“La Ruta,” New York Times Critics Pick) will examine delivery cyclists’ efforts to organize for fair wages, workplace safety, and human dignity.

As part of the fellowship, funded by the Kenan Institute for the Arts, students from the School of Filmmaking at UNCSA are collaborating with Working Theatre to create a new film under the mentorship of professional filmmaker Cyrus Moussavi, documenting the development process of “La Dureza.” The film will capture the creative journey and immediate struggles of Los Deliveristas around New York City, highlighting the importance of this timely and relevant work. The film will be screened as part of Working Theater’s 40th anniversary season this Spring 2025. The premiere of “La Dureza” will be announced at a later date.

UNCSA student filmmakers traveled to New York City this past summer for a two-week intensive development process, bringing together emerging artists and seasoned professionals to collaborate on the early stages of development of the new play. Additional Kenan Institute support will fund a campus residency at UNCSA for Moussavi this Fall, where he will mentor students in editing and post-production while sharing insights from his career as a filmmaker and music archivist documenting overlooked music worldwide.

“We are honored to partner with UNCSA and the Kenan Institute for the Arts to break down barriers to access in the American Theater,” said Colm Summers, Artistic Director of Working Theater. “This fellowship provides a platform for emerging artists, and also amplifies the voices of exploited individuals at the heart of our city’s labor movement, to reach new and underserved theater audiences. The future of the American Theater starts with the local, looks a lot like community organizing, and the audience of the future starts with working people. “La Dureza” is a commitment to that future.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Working Theater,” said Dean of the School of Filmmaking, Deborah LaVine. “This important collaboration, and the initial fellowship around “La Dureza,” provide our students professional opportunities to create art with a company that has long been associated with relevant, socially impactful storytelling. The experience broadened the students’ appreciation for the impact film can make as an engine for social discourse. Also, the project connected them with working artists that will remain long term collaborators post-graduation.”

For over 30 years, the Kenan Institute for the Arts has served as an incubator and accelerator for creativity, connecting UNCSA with the broader arts sector. “Forging professional pathways for early-career artists and supporting the development of new work remain central to our mission,” says Executive Director Kevin Bitterman. “Our emerging partnership with Working Theater, the UNCSA creative community, and filmmaker Cyrus Moussavi exemplifies our commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and supporting artists dedicated to social transformation through the arts.”

The “La Dureza” project is an innovative piece of theater that delves into the experiences of delivery workers across New York City, shedding light on their challenges, resilience, and contributions to the city’s fabric. By documenting the development process and the culminating reading, Working Theater aims to create a comprehensive narrative that not only showcases the artistic process but also underscores the significance of the issues being explored.

This fellowship marks the beginning of a dynamic partnership between Working Theater, UNCSA alumni, and the Kenan Institute for the Arts, and sets the stage for future collaborations that will continue to elevate the stories of working people and foster the growth of new and diverse voices in the theater community.

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