New Perspectives Theatre Company To Present SWEET NOISE MINI FEST OF READINGS From The Women’s Work Full-Length Lab
The festival runs November 14–16, 2025, featuring new works, a special workshop with OBIE Award-winner Stephanie Berry, and more.
New Perspectives Theatre Company hosts the Sweet Noise Mini Fest of Readings November 14–16, 2025, in New York City, featuring works from its Women’s Work Full-Length LAB.
The festival includes readings of new plays by Christine Benvenuto, Jane Denitz Smith, and Daphne Greaves, plus a workshop with OBIE winner Stephanie Berry. The weekend concludes with the launch of NPTC’s updated On Her Shoulders playwrights database.
Admission for readings is by donation ($10 suggested), and the workshop is $15 for non-LAB members. Reservations may be made via Eventbrite.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 – FIRST LOOK
NEANDERTHALS by Christine Benvenuto | 7:00 p.m.
On the winter solstice, anthropology student Graceful arrives as a live-in caregiver for Marti, an older woman showing early signs of dementia. When a mysterious man claiming to be Marti’s son appears, the day turns unsettling, blending memory, grief, and fear into a haunting psychological journey. Directed by Melody Brooks.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15 – WORKSHOP & UP & COMING READING
Workshop: Creating Documentary Style Theatre | 12:00 p.m.
Led by OBIE Award-winner Stephanie Berry, this special session introduces participants to Berry’s groundbreaking process for developing documentary-style theatre that blends art, ritual, and social consciousness. Drawing on her Harlem roots and extensive acting career, Berry explores how lived experience can transform into theatrical ritual and community storytelling.
UP & COMING READING
THE VILLAGE BEAUTIFUL by Jane Denitz Smith | 4:00 p.m.
As a small New England town prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, local students uncover buried truths about its history—including disturbing revelations that shatter residents’ idyllic self-image. Directed by Teresa Fischer.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16 – FIRST LOOK & RECEPTION
DAY OF THE KINGS (Acts 1 and 2) by Daphne Greaves | 4:00 p.m.
Set in 19th-century Havana, Day of the Kings follows Dr. Enriquetta Faber, a woman forced to live as a man to practice medicine, and the Nuñez family, who struggle to uphold illusions of wealth as rebellion and forbidden love brew beneath the surface. During Havana’s Festival of the Three Kings, masks come off and hidden truths ignite. Directed by Elena Vannoni.
Closing Reception – 6:30 p.m.
Join NPTC for wine and refreshments as it celebrates the official launch of the newly redesigned On Her Shoulders database, an international resource spotlighting women playwrights active before 1970.
ABOUT NEW PERSPECTIVES THEATRE COMPANY
Founded in 1991, New Perspectives Theatre Company (NPTC) is an award-winning, multi-racial theatre committed to developing and producing new plays by women and people of color, reimagining classic works through a contemporary lens, and extending the benefits of theatre to communities in need.
The company’s long-running Women’s Work Project has supported groundbreaking plays and playwrights since 1994, with many works going on to receive major recognition. Recent highlights include The Dictator’s Dentist by Sonya Hayden (ScreenCraft Stage Play Competition Finalist, Mentorship Prize Winner), How to Melt ICE by Amalia Oliva Rojas (NYC Women’s Fund Grant, LATA Award Winner for Best Play), and The Andrew Play by Alexis Roblan (Barbour Playwriting Award Winner).
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