The Bushwick Starr will partner with ¡Oye! Group, The Sol Project and Musical Theatre Factory to present the world premiere of PRESENCIA by Michelle J. “Micha” Rodriguez (Helen Merrill Award-winning composer/lyricist and 2024-2025 Tow Playwright- in-Residence at The Bushwick Starr), and directed by Mei Ann Teo(Where We Belong at The Public Theater, SKinFoLK: An American Show at The Bushwick Starr).
PRESENCIA is a tender and comedic millennial music theater piece that reshapes the Moses story for women of color grappling with the hazards and challenges of leadership, told with Bible-fan-fiction vibes, varying degrees of reverence and satire, and a vibrant anthemic musical score rooted in jazz/R&B. When a succulent plant bursts into flames and tells fitness instructor Presencia it's the god of her ancestors, she must decide what to do… Sometimes liberation must be practiced at the smallest scale. Expect miracles, magic, divine feminine energy, and the healing power of presence and intuition in this ultimately joyous new piece of music theater.
The production features: Manny Dunn (he/him), Michelle J. “Micha”Rodriguez (she/her), Sushma Saha (all pronouns), and Tieisha Thomas (she/her)
Creative team: Choreographer: William Carlos Angulo (he/she/they), Music Director / Band Leader: Liya Grigoryan (she/her), Scenic Designer: Tanya Orellana (she/her), Costume Designer: Hahnji Jang (they/them), Lighting / Puppet Designer: Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew (she/her), Dramaturg: Jesse Alick (he/him), Associate Music Director: Jason Liebson, Associate Choreographer: U.J. Mangune (they/she/he), Vocal Director: Michelle J. Rodriguez
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