Theater News

WP Theater Announces Lineup for Second Biennial Pipeline Festival

Zoe Sarnak, Leah Nanako Winkler, and more will present new plays in this festival devoted to work by female-identified and trans artists.

Zoe Sarnak will present a new musical, Afloat, as part of WP Theater's second biennial Pipeline Festival.
Zoe Sarnak will present a new musical, Afloat, as part of WP Theater's second biennial Pipeline Festival.
(© Allison Stock)

WP Theater announced the lineup for the second biennial Pipeline Festival, a showcase for work by female-identified and trans artists developed through the two-year WP Lab residency. The festival will take place March 29-April 28.

March 29-31, M.J. Kaufman's Galatea or Whatever You Be will be presented in a production directed by Mo Zhou and produced by Yuvika Tolani. Described as "a trans love story set against the backdrop of a climate crisis" and based on John Lyly's 1585 play, "Galatea tells the story of two young women from a village threatened with flooding who escape to the nearby woods disguised as boys and fall in love."

Donnetta Lavinia Grays's The Review or How to Eat Your Opposition will be showcased April 5-7 in a production directed by Melissa Crespo and produced by Roxanna Barrios. The play is described as follows: "In the fall of 2001, there’s a marked change in the air of New York City. When a naive yet self-righteous art critic questions an iconic visual artist's integrity, the stage is set for a sexy, emotional, and intellectual game of football between critic and artist."

April 12-14, Afloat, with music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak and book by Emily Kaczmarek, will be performed, in a production directed by Ellie Heyman and produced by Nidia Medina. The musical is described as follows: "In a near-future America ravaged by climate change, teenagers Blue, Nico, and Casey steal a boat and set sail. A kinetic musical odyssey about friendship, survival…and the future of civilization."

April 19-21, will feature Sylvia Khoury's Power Strip, directed by Tyne Rafaeli and produced by Laura Ramadei. The play is described as follows: "A young woman is tethered to the only power source in a Syrian refugee camp. Caught in a war-torn world, dictated by the needs and expectations of men, she battles for power of her own."

And finally, April 26-28, Leah Nanako Winkler's Two Mile Hollow will be performed in a production directed by Morgan Gould and produced by Sally Cade Holmes. According to a press release, the play "explores the age-old theater genre of affluent white families retreating to their big houses for a weekend of secrets and fights with brutality, awe and compassion…only this time, none of the white characters are played by white actors."

Plays showcased in the inaugural 2016 Pipeline Festival include Sarah Burgess's Kings, currently running at the Public Theater, and Martyna Majok's queens, which began previews on February 14 at Lincoln Center Theater's Claire Tow Theater.

For more information on the Pipeline Festival, click here.