Six U.S. Theatre Companies Partner To Present BLACK TRANS WOMEN AT THE CENTER: A NEW PLAY FESTIVAL

Co-producers Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, CT, The Theater Offensive in Boston, MA; Breaking the Binary Theatre in New York City; alongside partner theatres About Face Theatre in Chicago, IL; National Queer Theater in Brooklyn, NY; and Portland Center Stage in Portland, OR will partner to present Black Trans Women at the Center: a New Play Festival. The digital festival, now in its fifth year and the first with cross-theater partnerships, is led by Long Wharf Theatre Artistic Ensemble member Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi. 

Co-produced by Long Wharf Theatre, The Theater Offensive, and Breaking the Binary Theatre, this new work festival supports the development of new works by Black trans artists and places their voices at the forefront of the theatrical landscape. The festival will premiere on November 18 and be available to stream for free for three days. 

Black Trans Women at the Center is part of Long Wharf Theatre’s 60th Anniversary Season, the second under its new production model that transforms spaces across New Haven for each production. Grounded in its mission that theater is for everyone, Long Wharf Theatre embarked on this year’s partnership to amplify the new works of marginalized voices across the country and to introduce new audiences to the power of community and artistry.  

“We’re honored to partner with each of these companies to empower Black trans playwrights and share their impactful, creative stories that have always deserved center stage in the theater world,” said Jacob G. Padrón, Artistic Director of Long Wharf Theatre. “It’s deeply meaningful to see this festival expand and take new shape each year, and I’m grateful to our visionary Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi for guiding us in this important work.” 

"As an organization committed to amplifying life-affirming work by, for, and about trans people of color, TTO is proud to be a co-producer with Long Wharf Theatre and Breaking The Binary Theatre to support Black Trans Women at the Center,” said Giselle Byrd, executive director at The Theater Offensive. “We are thrilled to be in community with Long Wharf Theatre, and take action on an initiative that honors Black trans artistic practices, and builds a bold, self-determined, and liberating repository of new works by Black trans artists. TTO acknowledges that Black trans liberation is directly tied to radical collective care and the stewardship of Black trans artists whose work offers dynamic expansion of the performing arts canon."

"I have deeply admired the impactful work of Black Trans Women at the Center and the illustrious Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi since the Festival's launch and am honored that Breaking the Binary Theatre will be a part of this year's 5th Annual Black Trans Women at the Center, working to broaden the outreach and footprint of Dane's vision and the transcendent work of this Festival”, said George Strus, founding artistic director of Breaking the Binary Theatre.

In addition to the short plays produced, Long Wharf Theatre will stage and film a reading of Shape Shifter written by Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi.

“It’s a joy and a privilege to lead Black Trans Women at the Center for the fifth year in a row and to continue celebrating bold and illuminating storytelling with these brilliant creators,” said Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi, Artistic Ensemble Member at Long Wharf Theatre. “In year five, we are thrilled to not only center a new cohort of amazing multihyphenate artists, but to honor works and artists from previous cohorts. The Emerging Self of Black Trans Women at the Center is born of a bold past, an innovative present, and a transformative future.” 

"As a creative producer, it has been a great joy of my life to serve Black Trans Women at the Center for five years,” said Joey Reyes, Project Manager at Black Trans Women at the Center. “To expand our reach this year with national partners that share our vision for a more expansive and inclusive American theater is an amazing honor. I could not think of a better way to celebrate the work of these incredible artists and continue growing our cohort of artists for the next five years.”

About Face Theatre has served as a national leader in centering queer stories since 1995. The company offers bold theatrical works and arts-based educational programming to celebrate the persistence and joy of queer life for Chicago audiences. 

"This is an important time for artists and organizations to work together and uplift the visions and talents of Black Trans women. Collaborating with Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi and the team has been wonderful. These new plays, developed over the past five years of this program, are valuable, innovative, exciting contributions to American theatre and deserving of a national platform. We're looking forward to sharing these plays and performances with our networks in Chicago and beyond,” said Megan Carney, Artistic Director of About Face Theatre. 

In Brooklyn, National Queer Theater works to center social justice in all its storytelling, cultivating art and free community programming that builds coalitions between activists and artists. 

"National Queer Theater is thrilled to be partnering with Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi, Long Wharf Theatre and an incredible cohort of national partners to celebrate the voices of Black trans women in the American theater,” said Adam Odsess-Rubin, National Queer Theater Founding Artistic Director. “When we center Black trans women in art and media, we can create conditions for the most marginalized members of our community to not only survive, but to thrive. We often overlook the fact that Marsha P. Johson was a performance artist. It's essential we nurture the next generation of artists for the queer and trans liberation movement to flourish.” 

Portland Center Stage (PCS), Oregon’s second-largest regional theater, is at the forefront of transformative change, centering belonging by uplifting community voices. PCS celebrates its community by producing transcendent theater and presenting a robust lineup of local visual and performing artists to over 100,000 people in the Pacific Northwest each year. 

"It's an honor to collaborate with Lady Dane and the Long Wharf Theatre team on this gorgeous festival,” said Marissa Wolf, artistic director at Portland Center Stage. “Collaborating with some of the most exciting artists in our field on new plays that center and celebrate Black trans women is thrilling, and we can't wait to stream and share the full festival with Portland audiences."

The full schedule, registration and streaming options for the festival can be found longwharf.org/shows-events/5th-black-trans-women-at-the-center/. 

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