A BURNING CHURCH Begins May 20 At New Ohio Theatre

New Ohio Theatre and IRT Theater's Archive Residency work-in-progress presentation of A Burning Church, with a book and direction by Alex Hare and Zhailon Levingston, music by Nehemiah Luckett and lyrics by Zhailon Levingston, begins performances on May 20 at New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street) in New York City.

Jen believes that Heritage Christian Center, the Alabama megachurch she works for, is doing God's will. To Cleo, it's everything that's wrong with America - not least because a recent incident outside its doors got her brother Richard sent to jail. When the two women agree to team up in order to free Richard, the inevitable friction gradually inspires both of them to question their most fundamental beliefs. With a dynamic score that fuses gospel and secular traditions, A Burning Church is an original musical haunted by acts of destruction, reconstruction, and radical transformation.

"All of the characters in the show are fundamentalists in some way - if not about Christianity, then about the story they tell themselves about themselves. In that way, their futures depend on how much they are willing to embrace uncertainty and radical self-questioning. We're so grateful to New Ohio and IRT, who have given us space and resources over the last 3+ years to engage in a lot of self-questioning - of ourselves, our beliefs, our relationships with institutions, and our show. We're looking forward to sharing this work-in-progress with audiences of any and all (or no) beliefs." - Alex Hare, Zhailon Levingston and Nehemiah Luckett

A Burning Church runs from May 20 - 22, 2002. Performances are Friday at 3pm and 8pm, Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. Tickets are $26 and $19 (students and seniors). Running time is approximately 75 minutes. Purchase at https://newohiotheatre.org.

The Archive Residency is a vital incubator for New York City's most electrifying independent theater artists. The two-year residency provides artists with an artistic home for the development and presentation of a new work. The residency includes multiple workshops in IRT's 3B Development Series and culminates with a final presentation in the New Ohio's main season. Current Archive Residency artists include Vieve Radha Price and Chuk Obasi (TÉA Artistry), Kareem M. Lucas (iNegro, a rhapsody), Zhailon Levingston, Alex Hare and Nehemiah Luckett (A Burning Church), and Beto O'Byrne, Rebecca Martinez, Meropi Peponides and Taylor Reynolds (Songs About Trains). Archive Residency alumni artists include Lila Neugebauer, Qui Nguyen, Daniel Irizarry & Laura Butler Rivera, Normandy Sherwood, Sanaz Ghajar & Jessica Almasy, Kim Weild & Charles Mee, Jr., Tara Ahmadinejad, Jess Chayes and Lee Sunday Evans.

New Ohio Theatre is a two-time Obie Award-winning theatre under the leadership of Robert Lyons (Artistic Director), Jaclyn Biskup (Creative Producer) and Alex West (Business Producer). The New Ohio serves New York's most adventurous theatre audiences by developing and presenting bold work from today's vast independent theatre community. They believe the best of this community, the small artist-driven ensembles and the daring producing companies who operate without a permanent theatrical home, are actively expanding the boundaries of where American theatre is right now and where it's going. From their home in the West Village's historic Archive Building, the New Ohio provides a high-profile platform for downtown's most mature, ridiculous, engaged, irreverent, gut-wrenching, frivolous, sophisticated, foolish and profound theatrical endeavors. For info visit https://newohiotheatre.org.

IRT Theater is a grassroots laboratory for independent theater and performance in New York City, providing space and support to a new generation of artists. Tucked away in the old Archive Building in Greenwich Village, IRT's mission is to build a community of emerging and established artists by creating a home for the development and presentation of new work. For info visit https://irttheater.org.

Audience members are required to have proof of full Covid-19 vaccination and wear a mask to be admitted into the venue. For the latest health and safety protocols, visit https://newohiotheatre.org/playing-now/covid-19-protocols.

To post a comment, you must register and login.