WWTNS? Co-Artistic Director Jorge Morales Picó Steps Down

What Will the Neighbors Say? has announced that Co-Founding Co-Artistic Director Jorge Morales Picó is stepping down at the end of their current season. Between now and August, Morales Picó will be remaining on the Board of Directors along with fellow Co-Artistic Directors James Clements, Ana Cristina DaSilva and Sam Hood Adrain, and will remain involved in decision making as Associate Artistic Director through the same time. After the end of the transition period, Morales Picó will join WWTNS?' cohort of Resident Designers as Video and Sound Specialist alongside Elizabeth M. Stewart, Johanna Pan and Pablo Calderón-Santiago.

Morales Picó has been integral to the success of the Neighbors over the past five years since he co-founded the company in 2016. Since the company was created, WWTNS? has premiered seven original plays in five cities in four countries on two continents, and presented a further nineteen. The company has also launched their education and community arts departments, and created jobs for over a hundred artists, writers and designers - 75% of them femme/GNB identifying and 50% of them BIPOC. Now, as Morales Picó moves into an exciting new technical role in the podcast industry, he will remain connected to the company as a Resident Designer, a collaborator and a dear friend.

Clements said of Morales Picó's departure, that "it is, of course, bittersweet for us, as Jorge is not only a fabulous artist, but a core element of the Neighborhood." Hood Adrain added, "we are thrilled for the exciting new opportunities that Jorge is exploring, and are overjoyed he is remaining as a Resident Artist." DaSilva noted that, ahead of the company's fifth birthday "we were already planning a re-brand, a re-launch and a re-focus as we emerge from this pandemic - though we are sad to see Jorge go, it is a perfect time for us to re-introduce ourselves to the community in our new and exciting form." The company will announce the programming for the second half of its current season next month, and has a series of dynamic community programs, educational initiatives and workshops planned for the Spring. "We remain as committed as ever to serving our community, producing top-quality theatre and fulfilling our mission - to provoke questions through untold stories," added Clements.

Founded in 2016 by James Clements, Ana Cristina DaSilva, Sam Hood Adrain and Jorge Morales Picó, What Will the Neighbors Say? is an investigative theater company based in Brooklyn with a mission to provoke questions through untold stories. Led by a collaborative cohort of International Artists, the Neighbors present overlooked social, cultural and historical narratives that challenge the audience to reflect on the current moment. Through a combination of original plays, arts education workshops and dynamic community gatherings, the troupe incites rowdy and rigorous debate at the theatre and throughout the Neighborhood.