Performances will run from February 7-March 1.
wild project will present the World Premiere of B*TCHCRAFT: A Musical Play performed by queer music icon Bitch (opening act for Indigo Girls and Ani DiFranco; John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus), directed by Margie Zohn (Director of Performance Development for The Women in Comedy Festival presented by HBO) at wild project February 7-March 1.
B*TCHCRAFT: A Musical Play, tells the story of how a quiet child from suburban Detroit became the queer icon and beloved musical artist Bitch (Bitch and Animal, Kill Rock Stars, Shortbus). Through her touching, incisive and often funny autobiographical story, we follow Bitch's journey from third daughter of frustrated British ex-pat artists, to feminist warrior and acclaimed performance artist. The show is a wild musical broomstick ride through Bitch's childhood, feminist awakening, indie rock stardom and subsequent brush with cancel-culture. A dynamic electric violin-laced pop treatise on patriarchy, self-actualization and triumph, B*TCHCRAFT will have you dancing in the aisles and inspired to brew your own bitchcraft in a world that needs it now more than ever.
B*TCHCRAFT: A Musical Play was Conceived by Bitch and Margie Zohn, with Book by Bitch and Margie Zohn, and Music & Lyrics by Bitch. The show, produced by wild project and Laura Vogel of Winged Pup Productions, will be directed by Margie Zohn with Scenic and Props Design by Samantha Tutasi, Lighting Design by Amina Alexander, Costume Design by Andrea Lauer, and Video Design by Brian Pacelli.
Performances are scheduled on Friday, February 7 at 7pm (press preview), Saturday, February 8 at 7pm (press preview), Sunday, February 9 at 7pm (press preview), Monday, February 10 at 7pm (opening night), Thursday, February 13 at 7pm, Friday, February 14 at 7pm, Saturday, February 15 at 7pm, Sunday, February 16 at 7pm, Monday, February 17 at 7pm, Thursday, February 20 at 7pm, Friday, February 21 at 7pm, Saturday, February 22 at 7pm, Sunday, February 23 at 7pm, Monday, February 24 at 7pm, Thursday, February 27 at 7pm, Friday, February 28 at 7pm, and Saturday, March 1 at 7pm. Tickets ($35) are available for advance purchase at https://thewildproject.org/performances/btchcraft/. The performance will run approximately 80 minutes, with no intermission.
B*TCHCRAFT: A Musical Play has been in development since 2021. Following Bitch's latest, critically-acclaimed album, Bitchcraft, (released on legendary indie label Kill Rock Stars) she partnered with Director Margie Zohn to help tell the story of her life. The show includes music co-produced by Anne Preven (Beyonce, Madonna, Sinead O'Connor), and co-written by Faith Soloway (Transparent, A Transparent Musical).
Zohn and Bitch 'crafted' a show that Bitch debuted at a 4 week record release residency at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles in February 2022. Bitch went on to tour the show nationally from 2022-2023, dragging props and costume changes to over 100 rock clubs across the US. While Bitch honed the story on the road, Zohn and Bitch wrote a newer version that culminated in two different performances at Joe's Pub in 2022, then again in 2024. In the Spring of 2024, they went to Los Angeles to do a workshop run with Joey Soloway (Transparent, I Love Dick) exploring the possibility of expanding it into a multi-character musical.
Bitch (Creator/Performer) is a longstanding queer music icon who Yahoo Entertainment called "a feminist force that the world needs now more than ever" when she released "Bitchcraft," her 9th studio album, on the legendary label Kill Rock Stars in 2022. With her signature electric violin and lyrical smarts front and center over huge beats and deep synths, Bitch coined the genre "Poet Pop." "Bitchcraft is a masterpiece," said Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. Both Indigo Girls and Ani DiFranco took Bitch on tour as their opener. Joey Soloway (Transparent) directed the music video for "Easy Target."
Bitch first achieved notoriety as one half of the folk duo Bitch and Animal. The duo had met in acting school at DePaul University (formerly the Goodman School of Drama), where Bitch was the recipient of the Merit Scholarship for two years in a row. They toured with Ani DiFranco, and released two albums on her label Righteous Babe Records, and were nominated for a GLAAD Media award in 2003. In 2004, Bitch went solo, and shared stages with the Indigo Girls, acted in John Cameron Mitchell's film "Shortbus," co-wrote a song with Margaret Cho, and produced two albums of her elder and folk hero Ferron.
Recently, she played a role in the new Audible podcast of Alison Bechdel's "Dykes To Watch Out For," alongside Jane Lynch, Carrie Brownstein and Roxane Gay. The series was directed by Leigh Silverman (Suffs, Violet, Well), and Bitch co-wrote a song for it with Faith Soloway (Transparent, A Transparent Musical).
When it was time to tour Bitchcraft, Bitch longed to return to her theatrical roots and add a new element to her stage show. She teamed up with co-writer Margie Zohn to 'craft' an autobiographical tale that Bitch took on a National headlining record release tour, dragging props and costume changes to over 100 rock clubs across the US. The show has gained momentum and has taken on a life of its own. Bitch presented new iterations of it at Joe's Pub in NY, as well as a 12 week residency of it in Provincetown, MA in the Summer of 2024.
Margie Zohn (Creator/Director) is a director, performance coach, writer and performer. She has collaborated with artists including Faith Soloway, Lisa Loeb, JoBeth Williams and Josh Hamilton. Margie has developed and directed solo shows, plays, musical performances, comedy shows, corporate events, TED Talks, and keynote speeches for venues across the US and abroad. Margie's acting background informs all of her work. She was a featured actor in Anna Deveare Smith's Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue at The American Repertory Theatre. She also played numerous leading roles at Shakespeare & Company and other professional theatres in New England. Margie toured as an improvisational comedian, originated roles in multiple Faith Soloway musicals, and developed solo shows for venues such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. For ten years, she held a faculty appointment at Harvard University. Margie holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Brown University and an Ed.M in Arts in Education from The Harvard Graduate School of Education. You can learn more about her at www.margiezohn.com.
wild project is a nonprofit producer and venue which supports the diverse independent theater, film, music, visual arts, and spoken-word artists of New York City. Since 2007, wild project has presented and produced theater that enriches, educates, and unifies its East Village community in an environmentally responsible green space. Located on E. 3rd St. in Manhattan, wild project curates resident companies in its 89-seat theater and devotes specific initiatives toward LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC projects and the work of local East Village artists, to ensure nonprofit theater sustains its roots in the community. wild project places the utmost importance on engendering a climate that supports the artists and cultivates artists who commit to artistic excellence, enrich the community and promote social equity. https://thewildproject.org/
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