NEW HEAVEN NEW EARTH, Adaptation of Antony and Cleopatra, is Coming to The Drake
Performances will run from September 1-16, 2025 at The Drake!
Shakespeare in Clark Park (SCP), in collaboration with Upstream Performance Collaborative (UPC) and Cannonball, will present new heaven new earth, a bold, revisionist Afrocentric adaptation of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra by multidisciplinary artist Rayne. Directed by SCP Producing Artistic Director Shamus and featuring live music by Karen Smith, this allegorical work blends ancient history with poetic futurism, as Cleopatra faces off against a soothsaying Crocodile on the edge of empire and asks “when peace demands war, what will you become, and for whom?” Following an oversold, one-night premiere at Philly Theatre Week, new heaven new earth continues its development with two staged readings at The Proscenium at The Drake, running September 1-16, 2025.
The reading stars a host of Barrymore Award recognized talent and Shakespeare in Clark Park alumni including Kishia Nixon as Cleopatra, Ross Beschler as Marc Antony, STARFIRE as Charmian & Crocodile, Adam Howard as Octavius et al, Dante Brattelli as Enobarbus et al, and Katherine Perry as Octavia et al. Live percussion is performed by Karen Smith, a 2023 Pew Fellowship recipient known for her percussion-based collaborations and leadership of The Karen Smith Experience and Sistahs Laying Down Hands.
new heaven new earth was commissioned by Shakespeare in Clark Park in 2024 as part of a season-long initiative to develop original works in direct conversation with Shakespeare's text and uplift Queer, Trans and Non-Binary voices. Rayne's plays have been produced or developed with Primary Stages, Theatre Exile, Azuka Theatre, PlayPenn, and more, supported by the Leeway Foundation, Independence Foundation, and the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage. Shamus's directing credits span Shakespeare in Clark Park, Boston Playwrights' Theatre, the Playwrights' Center, Pridefest at the Tank, and the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Festival.
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