STEEPED(品) to Develop at Goethe-Institut Boston's Studio 170 Residency

What if the tea at the bottom of Boston Harbor could tell its own story? This September, the Goethe-Institut Boston welcomes award-winning playwright, poet, and translator Yide Cai (蔡逸得) as the latest recipient of its Studio 170 Artist Residency, where he and an acclaimed creative team will develop site-responsive staging for Steeped (品), an ambitious new play that reimagines one of America's most iconic historical events from an entirely unexpected perspective: the tea itself.

Developed in residence at the Goethe-Institut Boston from September 8-20, 2026, Steeped (品) arrives during the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party and the broader commemorations of the American Revolution. The public is invited to witness the creative process through two open rehearsals and a work-in-progress performance followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A.

A Revolution Retold

Part historical reimagining, part backstage comedy, and part theatrical reckoning, Steeped (品) centers on a tea leaf that refuses to remain a symbol.

Set on the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, two actors are rehearsing a new Boston production about the historic event. One night, the tea puppet they use as a prop suddenly begins speaking. It reveals that it is the very tea that has lain at the bottom of Boston Harbor for 250 years, after being plucked from a tree in China, processed, shipped, commodified, and ultimately cast into the sea.

As the tea challenges the actors' understanding of history, they begin staging a revolution of their own. Together they question artistic authority, resist the regional-to-Broadway development pipeline, and push back against the structures of an industry that profits from their labor. Yet as their ambitions grow, the freedom they seek becomes increasingly elusive.

At the center of it all is Tea itself, struggling not to win an ideological battle but to reclaim control over its own destiny and escape an eternity as someone else's symbol.

Theatre That Happens Among the Audience - Witness To The Creative Process

This workshop production of Steeped(品) will take place in Boston during the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, a city still harbors the myth the play interrogates.

Presented as an in-progress, site-responsive staging, and designed for flexible, non-traditional spaces, the performance will unfold among the audience, blurring the boundaries between rehearsal and performance. The residency setting gives audience members the opportunity to witness behind-the-scenes creative processes and artistic experimentation at work.

Two actors will embody multiple characters while jointly manipulating and voicing a single tea puppet. Movement, choreography, and collaborative performance drive the storytelling, creating an intimate theatrical experience that invites audiences to reconsider whose voices are remembered, whose stories are told, and what happens when symbols speak back.

In a city where revolutionary history is continually commemorated and reenacted, Steeped (品) offers a timely reflection on memory, labor, identity, and historical mythmaking.

Public Events

The Goethe-Institut Boston invites members of the public to experience the development of Steeped (品) through a series of free events:

Open Rehearsals

Observe the creative process, interact with artists during breaks, and enjoy a cup of tea.

Friday, September 18, 2026
4:00 PM-8:00 PM

Saturday, September 19, 2026
4:00 PM-8:00 PM

Work-in-Progress Performance, Panel Discussion & Q&A

Sunday, September 20, 2026
3:00 PM-6:00 PM

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