Ars Nova Reveals 2024-2025 Residencies & More Fall 2024 Programming
Upcoming events include Softee's Pop Odyssey (Nov 14) by the versatile artist known as Softee and much more.
Ars Nova has revealed its artists for the 2024-2025 season. Ars Nova has also revealed additional programming in its original home at 511 W 54th Street and on its digital platform, Ars Nova Supra, underlining the organization’s commitment to supporting groundbreaking new work from artmakers in NYC. These events include Softee's Pop Odyssey (Nov 14) by the versatile artist known as Softee; Billy & The Situation (Nov 21) featuring New Jersey girlies Jenny Gorelick and Gabby Bryan; and THE LESSON (Dec 4), a new musical fantasia by Avi Amon, Nolan Doran, Ty Defoe; and the return of SHOWGASM. (Dec 5) with new, season-long host, comedian Brittany Carney. Tickets are currently on sale at www.arsnovanyc.com.
Founding Artistic Director Jason Eagan said, “Ars Nova’s most vital mission is to serve as a home and incubator for daring, early-career artists. While our community has grown and celebrated many successes, it is this core purpose that remains at the heart of our identity. Join us in welcoming and supporting the next wave of visionary talent, whose bold ideas and artistry will undoubtedly shape the cultural landscape for years to come.”
Details on 2024-2025 Residencies
Designed to foreground Ars Nova’s values through the creation of more equitable and power-sharing curatorial practices, the Vision Residency invites artist-curators to partner with Ars Nova’s Artistic Team, strengthening their curatorial muscles while crafting a season of Discovery programming. Founded in 2020, Vision Residents serve as panelists in Ars Nova’s open application processes, scout new talent throughout the city, and join the artistic team in building a year’s worth of programming to intentionally create a more equitable and collaborative curatorial practice that expands the diversity of Ars Nova’s programming. Vision Residencies are made possible by the generous support of the Miranda Family and Diana DiMenna. The 2023 Vision Resident Artists are Showgasm host Brittany Carney and Dominique Rider.
Founded in 2007, Play Group is a two-year residency in which members become a part of the Ars Nova Resident Artist community. Play Group is home to vibrant, cutting-edge, collaborative playwrights interested in creating a community with their peers. Members gather regularly to share new pages, build community, and get peer feedback, concluding their two-year residencies with Play Group Out Loud readings of their new work. Play Group is supported in part by a grant from the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. Current members are Lucas Baisch, Lyndsey Bourne, Charlie Oh, Nadira Simone, and reid tang.
Makers Lab is an individually tailored residency for creators working between genres to develop the first draft of a new project over the course of a season. The residency is a unique opportunity for artists who develop work in non-traditional ways to make use of Ars Nova’s customized, flexible support and to discover new things about their project and process. The 2024 Makers Lab Resident Artists are Tislarm Bouie & IMPRESS, Kate Eberstadt & Molly Rose Heller.
Launched in 2020, the Comedy Artist Makers’ Program, CAMP, provides an eclectic group of theatrical comedy creators with peer support and artistic mentorship as they develop an original comedy show over the course of the season. CAMPers meet weekly for shares of work and feedback sessions facilitated by Program Co-Directors Mahayla Laurence and Matt Gehring, and have opportunities to perform on the Ars Nova stage throughout the season. CAMP is made possible by the generous support of the Richenthal Foundation. The 2024/25 CAMP resident artists will be announced in November.
Ars Nova commissions and develops new projects with artists who work non-traditionally, create across multiple disciplines, and have big dreams for what they want to make next. Commissioned projects are nurtured from beginning stages to full production in Ars Nova’s adventurous, process-driven environment, allowing them to develop organically and always with the artists’ needs at the center. Commissioned work from Christopher Ford & Dakota Rose (On The Rocks Theatre Co.with support from Tow Playwrights-in-Residence) and Brandon Kyle Goodman will be produced in 2024/25. Artists currently under commission include Kevin Armento & Sammy Miller (with support from the Stephen Siderow Fund for New Musicals), Manik Choksi (with support from the New York state Council on the Arts), Deepali Gupta, Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu, River L. Ramirez, Ray Yamanouchi, and Zack Zadek (with support from Jill Furman Productions).
Please visit www.arsnovanyc.com for more information.
Details on Fall 2024 Events
November 14 at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Softee's Pop Odyssey
Softee
Curated by Vision Resident Dominique Rider
Softee is a pop star, DJ, and actor based in Brooklyn. Also known as Nina Ross, they have been performing all over NYC since 2013, most notably at The Sultan Room, Mercury Lounge, Branded Saloon, and Elsewhere Zone 1. Their newest album, Natural, is out now.
November 21 at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Billy & The Situation
Written by Jenny Gorelick
Featuring Jenny Gorelick, Gabby Bryan
Directed by Ashley Rodbro
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino from MTV’s Jersey Shore and Billy McFarland of the Fyre Festival fiasco were locked up in the same federal prison in 2019. That’s 100% true. This comedy about these fraudsters' unlikely friendship is also 100% true…except for the parts we made up. Jersey girls and those who love them: get Fyred UP for gym, tan, laundry, bromance, and betrayal!
December 4 at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
THE LESSON
A New Musical Fantasia
Story by Avi Amon, Nolan Doran, Ty Defoe
Music and Lyrics by Avi Amon and Nolan Doran
Book by Ty Defoe
Directed by Raja Feather Kelly
Were Beethoven and Mozart lovers? If not in history, perhaps in the history of the future, when Beethoven and Mozart collide in the alt-universe “Vienna New.” Part theater, film, excavation, concert, and dance party, The Lesson examines the queer lessons written out of history and into the archeology of our long-dead world.
December 5 at 8pm (doors open at 7:30pm, pre-show party at 6pm)
SHOWGASM.
Hosted by Brittany Carney
Showgasm. is Ars Nova’s untamed recurring variety-show-meets party, serving up comedy to burlesque and everything (and anything) in between. Hosted by comedian Brittany Carney, you can expect to meet the who’s-who of the weird and wonderful. Joining Carney are Katie Hannigan and Raanan Hershberg, among others.
About the Fall 2024 Artists
Softee z(they/them) is a pop star, DJ, and actor based in Brooklyn. Also known as Nina Ross, they have been performing all over NYC since 2013, most notably at Littlefield, The Sultan Room, Mercury Lounge, Branded Saloon, and Elsewhere Zone 1. They have been featured in Rolling Stone, People, Billboard, and PAPER as an artist to watch. Their newest album, Natural, is out now on all streaming platforms.
Jenny Gorelick is a comedian, actress, and two-time Emmy-nominated producer (lol). She creates and hosts some of New York’s best comedy variety events and has been called a “crushworthy comedian” by Time Out New York. She has appeared in sketches on Comedy Central and Late Night with Seth Meyers, and on television on Blue Bloods and And Just Like That. She won Best Actress for QuickieFest. At the award ceremony, Taxi TV’s Sandy Kenyon told the room that she is a “star of tomorrow” in that voice of his. It was just like being in a taxi. Her half-hour comedy pilot about two former Disney channel stars and frenemies, After D!sney, was a Quarter-Finalist in the PAGE International Screenwriting Contest and a Finalist in the Script Summit, WeScreenplay, and Screencraft competitions. It's currently on the Coverfly Red List and made it into the top 1% of comedy pilots on the site. www.jennygorelick.com.
Gabby Bryan is an Emmy-award-winning producer, stand up comedian and actress. She has performed all over the world including at The Stand, Gotham, The Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory Chicago, The Comedy Store London, Vermont Comedy Club, and has produced successful shows at Soho House, The Stand and The Bowery Electric. She has two podcasts, “L’Podcast” (Stand Up NY network) co-hosted by Zack Signore, and “Cheaters” (MTV) co-hosted by Robert Kelly. Previously, she produced and appeared on "You Know What Dude Podcast" with Robert Kelly on the Laugh Button Network and can be seen acting in films (imagine!) on Amazon and HBO.
Ashley Rodbro is a director and writer for theater and film. She's put up productions of Moulin Rouge: The Musical! around the globe as the Worldwide Supervising Associate Director (Broadway, Australia, West End, Germany, 1st North American Tour). She was previously the Resident Director for Hamilton: An American Musical (And Peggy company—Puerto Rico & San Francisco) as well as the Associate Director and Script Supervisor for the hit show Oh, Hello on Broadway starring John Mulaney & Nick Kroll, and directed by Alex Timbers in productions Off-Broadway, on a National Tour, on Broadway at the Lyceum Theater, and as a Netflix special. She was also AD for John Mulaney’s Kid Gorgeous Netflix special at Radio City Music Hall. She is the Creative Director and CEO/Founder of Heredia Vision, a production company that puts women at the helm of developing and creating digital content.
Ty Defoe is a citizen of the Anishinaabe Nation and Oneida Nation—a Grammy Award-winning writer and interdisciplinary artist. Ty has earned recognition from Robert Rauschenberg, MacDowell, Sundance, Hellen Merril Playwriting, Jonathan Larson, Kennedy Center’s Next 50, and Pop Culture Collabs as a Trans Futurist. Ty has authored works across Turtle Island, including venues: the MET, Carnegie Hall, PAC-NYC, and Under the Radar. ASU. www.tydefoe.com | www.allmyrelations.earth
Nolan Doran is a Tony Nominated producer/writer/artist. Broadway Credits: Co-Producer of CABARET at the Kit Kat Club and HEAD OVER HEELS. Co-Producer & Director of the Museum of Broadway. Writing: "We Will Win'' (Effectors II - Royal Caribbean), “Thunder Beings'' (New Victory LabWorks), "My Eclectic Life" (HERE), "Woody - A New Fairy Tale" (Main Street Musicals). M.F.A. NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing and Dramatist Guild Fellow. New Music: www.nolandoran.com
Avi Amon is an award-winning Turkish-American composer and sound artist. Recent work includes music, songs, and sound design for projects at: The Bushwick Starr, Disney, HBO, Hulu, The Kennedy Center, NYTW, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, PACNYC, The Public, Signature Theater, SXSW, Tribeca Film Festival, and the Venice Biennale, among others. Avi is a MacDowell Fellow, A Jonathan Larson Grant winner, and the resident composer at the 52nd Street Project.
Raja Feather Kelly is a visionary choreographer and director, serving as the artistic director of the groundbreaking dance-theatre-media company the feath3r theory (TF3T), which he founded in 2009. Known for pushing the boundaries of performance, Raja's work blends dance, theater, and media to explore complex cultural narratives. TF3T’s most recent production, The Absolute Future, premiered at NYU Skirball in 2024, and their upcoming work, Bunny Bunny, will debut in 2025. Raja made his acclaimed playwriting debut in 2024 with The Fires at SoHo Rep, which he also directed. Raja’s work has garnered numerous prestigious awards, including a Creative Capital Award, National Dance Project Production Grant, and Dance Magazine's inaugural Harkness Promise Award. He is a three-time Princess Grace Award winner and has been honored with the Breakout Award from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, the Solange MacArthur Award for New Choreography, and the New York Dance Performance "Bessie" Award. Notably, he was named the 2022–23 Quinn Martin Director at the University of California, San Diego, and held the position of Randjelovic/Stryker Resident Commissioned Artist at New York Live Arts in 2019–2020. Raja is currently a Princeton Arts Fellow at Princeton University.
Brittany Carney see bio below.
About the 2024-2025 Makers Lab Residents
Tislarm Bouie is a Brooklyn native and an alumnus of the Professional Performing Arts School and The University of the Arts. He has been honored with the Princess Grace Award in Theater and received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Choreography for the bandaged place at Roundabout. His additional choreographic work includes The Color Purple at Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (PCLO), The Salvagers at Yale Rep, and The Wiz at the Children’s Theater of Cincinnati, for which he received the Broadway World Regional Theater Award for Best Choreography. Additionally, he served as the Associate Creative Director and Choreographer, contributing to the team that launched The Stranger, an immersive nightclub experience from the producers of Sleep No More and Queen of the Night. Select performance credits include the film adaptation of In the Heights, Saturday Night Live, Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, Manhattan Love Story, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus (Broadway), Blueprint Specials (Public Theater), and Carmen (Houston Grand Opera). He has also performed in regional productions of Annie, The Bodyguard, and Swing! Additionally, Tislarm has danced for artists such as Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jon Batiste, and Bebe Rexha, and appeared in campaigns for Vogue, Estée Lauder, Cadillac, Samsung, Champs, and Toyota.
Impress, also known as Juwan Crawley, is a singer, songwriter and actor. Now focusing on the launch of their music career, Impress recently released their single Addicted. With a once in a lifetime voice and presence the creative team for Mean Girls Broadway created 2 new roles for Impress. This resulted in their history making Broadway Debut in Aladdin at the age of 22; making them the youngest and the first non-binary person to portray the Genie. As well as being written into Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as a co-star by Tina Fey. They have performed their original music throughout New York City, including venues such as Soho House, Bowery Electric, City Winery - The Loft, National Sawdust, Ars Nova, 3 Dollar Bill, & Balcon Salon to name a few. With over 250,000 streams of their original music, they are excited to continue to impress their stamp on the music & fashion industries. Additional theater credits include Spamilton - Original Off-Broadway Cast & Recording, and Found Pre-Broadway run. Impress has been brought on to multiple projects as a vocal producer, including ‘Ni un Segundo Mas’ by Mireya Ramos Latin Grammy Winner & 9x Latin Grammy & Grammy Nominee; ‘Amando’ by Bazz Valencia ft. Alicia Orozco & others to come.
Kate Eberstadt is a singer-songwriter, writer, and actor. Her work has been featured in Glamour, Elle, PopSugar, Hollywood Life, NPR, Gothamist, Mic.com and more. Most recently, she debuted her upcoming album HEAVEN ON EARTH at Joe's Pub. Her solo show WHERE WE MEET played at Ars Nova's ANT Fest and performed in residence at the cell theatre Fall 2024. Kate got her start working with theater legend Robert Wilson, deep-diving in downtown performance art, and performing with Lady Gaga in the Video Music Awards. Then she founded The Hutto Project, a music program for children living in an emergency refugee camp in Berlin. Her work has been developed at National Sawdust, The Connelly Theater, Musical Theater Factory, Corkscrew Festival, Dixon Place, NYU, Columbia, Sadler Wells, Funkaus Berlin, ZK/U Berlin, and National Nemetski Theater of Kazakhstan. She is musical director of The Possibility Project's Foster Care Program, and was Lead Facilitator in Urban Art Beat's recording arts program on Rikers Island. Artist residencies include: The Watermill Center, CA+MP, Good Hart Artist Residency, The American Academy in Berlin, The Center at West Park. Inaugural Toulmin Creator, National Sawdust & NYU's Center of Ballet and the Arts. In addition to her solo work, Kate is 1/2 the singer-composer duo Delune, alongside her sister Izzi.
Molly Rose Heller is a SoCal born (sun-fearing) Jew and NYC-based theatre artist. You’ll find her working on staging the impossible - usually new plays and musicals or queer adaptations of the classics. You may have seen her work: Breaking the Story (Second Stage, Associate Director), Sabbath’s Theatre (The New Group, Associate Director), WHERE WE MEET (Ars Nova ANT Fest, the cell), INVINCIBLE: The Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo Musical (Wallis Annenberg Center, Asst. Director), Unstuck (Edinburgh Fringe, Caveat NYC, The Tank), Aya Aziz & Kate Eberstadt In Concert (Joe’s Pub), The Apostle Peter and His Lover John, Also An Apostle (Ars Nova ANT Fest), Lalabala Project (Watermill Center Residency, Performance Project Residency), The Crucible (BEDLAM, SDCF Observership), Faust 2.0 (Mabou Mines, Asst. Director). Her award-winning short film directing debut, eXcape, premiered at Outfest Fusion Film Festival. She is a Directors Lab North Member, Artist-in-Residence at the cell theater and the Upper Jay Arts Center, SDCF Observership Program alum, and Artist Panel Reader for the Jewish Plays Project. Molly is featured in NY Jewish Week’s “36 to Watch” List, honoring remarkable Jewish innovators. Proud SDC Associate Member and Member of AEA. B.A. magna cum laude, Columbia University. B.A. magna cum laude, Jewish Theological Seminary. www.MollyRoseHeller.com
About the 2024-2025 Vision Residents
Dominique Rider is a Brooklyn-based director and writer whose work seeks to answer the question: “What is a world unmade by slavery?” while analyzing the layers of anti-blackness that maintain our world. Deploying theatre and performance as tools of Afropessimism, Dominique has developed and staged work with Portland Center Stage, Portland Stage, The Bushwick Starr, The New Group, The Park Avenue Armory, and more. Past fellowships/residencies include The Civilians R&D, The Atlantic, Hi-Arts, The National Black Theatre, TheaterWorks Hartford, NYSAF, BRIC Arts, Roundabout, and NAMT. Dominique is a Vision Resident at Ars Nova, a producer with CLASSIX, and an artist in residence at Duke University.
Brittany Carney is a stand-up comic and writer. She is listed as one of Vulture’s “Comedians You Should and Will Know.” Brittany has written and acted for That Damn Michael Che, and appears in Fantasmas, both on HBO Max. She has material on Comedy Central, and has written for Adult Swim. Brittany’s debut special, That Is My Horse, is available on YouTube.
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