Shida: A New Musical Off-Broadway Original Cast

SHIDA, an original musical created and performed by Broadway veteran and gospel music artist Jeannette Bayardelle (The Color Purple; Hair), will receive its World Premiere production Off-Broadway this summer as an Ars Nova Summer Fling--511 W. 54 St. in Manhattan. Directed by Andy Sandberg, SHIDA is a one-woman musical with book, music, and lyrics by Jeannette Bayardelle.

Set to a soulfully contaegous score of rock, jazz, R&B, and gospel music, SHIDA is based on the true story of a young African-American girl who aspires to become a writer, tracing the ups and downs of her family, friendships, and love life--from the double-dutch court at St. Mary's Catholic School in the Bronx to a scholarship at NYU. Her dreams become sidetracked by hardship and loss until her faith and those closest to her combine to restore Shida's hope and give her a second chance. SHIDA is a tour-de-force for Jeannette Bayardelle, who takes us through Shida's powerful, funny, and inspirational story, portraying multiple different roles.

Ms. Bayardelle performed a sold-out one-night-only concert version of the musical at Birdland as part of the Broadway at Birdland series, and SHIDA subsequently received a workshop at Ars Nova as part of the Project Residency Initiative, both under the direction of Mr. Sandberg.