DANCE NATION to be Presented At The National Womens Theatre Festival in March

On March 7th, 2024, The National Women's Theatre Festival (National WTF) will open DANCE NATION, a frenzied fantasia following a pre-teen competitive dance team as they claw their way cross-country to the national finals. The play premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 2018 and was the winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Awards and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Playwright Clare Barron was one of the first recipients of The Relentless Award for this groundbreaking play that the New York Times called "blazingly original and unsettlingly familiar".

"DANCE NATION is about what we carry with us from the formative moments of adolescence," says director Johannah Maynard Edwards, who also serves as Executive Artistic Director of National WTF. "There are ideas of power, ambition, and friendship, and Clare Barron specifically chose to explore sexuality that wasn't focused on a partner, but, rather, awakening to yourself as a sexual being."

A treasure trove of local Triangle talent make up the cast of adults performing as the troupe of 13-year-old dancers, a decision Barron made that creates a dream play where the characters seem to haunt themselves. In both the dialogue and the design, DANCE NATION blends the past, the present, and future in raw, ferocious moments. The world of DANCE NATION is anchored in the cultural zeitgeist of 2016, when Beyoncé's "Formation" ruled the music charts. But the play and the pack of pre-teens it follows are hyper-aware of decades of dancers who dominated before them. They're also afraid of failing and fading away, not to mention the onset of puberty and stepping into their power.

"We're subverting what we think is real and then coming into more and more layers of fractured reality," says Edwards. "I want everyone who comes in our theater to return to a little bit of the distinct pain and pleasure of being this age.."

DANCE NATION runs for 8 performances starting Thursday, March 7th through Sunday, March 17th, 2024. Evening performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8pm, with a 3pm Sunday matinee. General admission starts at $25. There are also VIP Tickets and economically accessible options for each performance. Tickets are available for purchase via EventBrite at www.nationalwtf.com/dancenation. Performances will be held at TR Studio at 3027 Barrow Drive in the Kennedy Space Center complex.

Accessibility: National WTF is committed to creating accessible, inclusive experiences for all patrons. We welcome access accommodation requests. Please contact info@womenstheatrefestival.com with as much notice as possible to make a request and our Access & Care Coordinator will be in touch. DANCE NATION is presented at an ADA-compliant venue. All performances are considered "Relaxed Performances" and sensory kits are available. All performances will be open-captioned for all patrons. Audio-described performance dates will be announced soon.

DANCE NATION at The National Women's Theatre Festival was made possible by the generous support of the North Carolina Arts Council, the United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County, the Triangle Community Foundation, and Theatre Raleigh.

DANCE NATION Fact Sheet

TICKETS: $5-$50 available at https://nationalwtf.com/dancenation

PERFORMANCES: March 7-17 2024

LOCATION: TR Studio / 3027 Barrow Drive Raleigh, NC

Creative Team

Director: Johannah Maynard Edwards

Choreographer: Alli Mae Carnes

Intimacy Director: Veronica Dress

Assistant Directors: Rachel Kasten and Riley Yates

Dramaturgy and Community Engagement: Cheryl Edson

Makeup and Special Effects Designer: Jill Cromwell

Lighting Designer: Erin Bell

Sound Designer & Composer: Matthew Hager

Costume Designer: Kelly Taylor

Scenic & Props Designer: Margaret Toomey

Performers:

Tatiana Burrus as Amina

Riki Dows as Zuzu

Sanchi Pandey as Connie

Sean Robert as Luke

Heather Butler as Maeve

Malekai Viterito as Sofia

Clare Sherk as Ashlee

Chelsea James as Vanessa & The Moms

Jim Bray as Dance Teacher Pat, in a special appearance courtesy of Actor's Equity Association.

Production Staff:

Producer: Noelle Azarelo

Stage Manager: Ruth Berry

Assistant Stage Managers: Julianna Frasca & Candace Spencer

Accessibility & Care Coordinator: Teal Lepley

Technical Director: John Bell

National WTF Admin Staff & Board:

Executive Artistic Director: Johannah Maynard Edwards

Grants Manager: Cheryl Edson

Marketing & Communications Specialist: Fly Jamerson

Board Chair: Rene Cummins

Secretary-Treasurer: Laura Griffin

CONTENT WARNINGS: This production contains explicit strong language. There are descriptions of and references to sex, sexual violence, masturbation, cultural appropriation, racism, eating disorders, suicide, mental illness, cancer, and death. There are special effects to depict graphic violence, including stylized gore and blood, as well as depictions of self-harm. There is nudity and simulated masturbation. The show also contains intense lights, sound, and sudden loud noises.

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