NAATCO Inaugurates the NAATCO National Partnership Project (NNPP) with Long Wharf Theatre

NAATCO (National Asian American Theatre Company) proudly announces the inaugural production for the NAATCO National Partnership Project (NNPP): Queen by Madhuri Shekar, directed by Aneesha Kudtarkar ([Veil Widow Conspiracy]) in partnership with Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven CT, from February 24th through March 21st 2021.

Long Wharf Theatre, a non-profit theatre dedicated to presenting innovative art with the community at its center, will be celebrating the inaugural season of its new Artistic Director, Jacob Padrón, who said "at Long Wharf Theatre we believe in the power of revolutionary artistic partnerships and I'm inspired by the astonishing work that NAATCO has been doing for decades to amplify the voices of Asian American theater artists. I am truly honored to partner with NAATCO in my inaugural season as we launch their groundbreaking NNPP initiative with Queen. This initiative will seed meaningful systemic change, create ripples east to west, and bring us closer to manifesting a more inclusive American theater." Padrón's first season features all women directors and new initiatives that deepens Long Wharf Theatre's engagement with the New Haven community.

The recently announced NNPP is a national initiative to ingrain the inclusion of Asian American theatre artists, technicians, administrators, and community members in the American theatre. Along with LWT, the other anchor partners of the NNPP are New York Theatre Workshop, Soho Rep, and New Jersey's Two River Theater. A new cohort of partners will be announced this fall.

In addition to partnering on the production of Queen, NAATCO and LWT will begin to plan the series of activities that further NNPP's purposes: pre- and post-performance events that highlight Asian American speakers and panelists; outreach to Asian Americans in New Haven's local communities to encourage their participation in LWT's operations; and the identification of the next LWT production that will conform to one of NAATCO's four programs.

Queen is the high-stakes drama about two best friends, a mathematician and biologist, on the cusp of stunning revelations about the disappearance of bees around the world - and they have agriculture's most reviled bogeyman, Monsanto, in their sights. But when all the right intentions become the wrong conclusions, their friendship is put to the ultimate test. Queen is a provocative portrayal of brilliant women confronting inconvenient truths.

For more information about the NAATCO National Partnership Project (NNPP) or any of NAATCO's programs, visit www.naatco.org.

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