The 2021 Cohen New Works Festival

THE COHEN

NEW WORKS FESTIVAL Where new meets now.

APRIL 20211

LETTER FROM THE PRODUCERS Q:

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Why is this so hard to MAKE this year?

Because everything is harder.

Does that mean we shouldn’t do it?

No.

How did you learn to keep going?

I’ll tell you later.

Until then, should we buckle down and make this letter the same shape and size as all the others from past festivals, which now that we’re reviewing them, do sorta look more or less the same?

Stop struggling! Struggling sometimes feels like work, but it’s really just procrastination wearing the costume of labor.

‘When are you going to start MAKING?’ is what I asked you several minutes/hours/days ago.

I answered you every time. By playing internet chess. By picking up my phone. By having a crushable IPA. By checking my email, which also feels like work but is really just procrastination wearing the costume of labor.

Tell them about the moment when this started to really come together.

The New Works Festival didn’t have enough money, which is sort of a tradition at this point. We were in the middle of a pandemic. We were unsure what productions would or could look like.

We were dealing with systemic racism, on the national level and at the New Works Festival level.

And we were all being destroyed and rebuilt as people and citizens and students. And in such a moment as that it was offered that we could postpone the festival until next year until we had more/enough money or until we knew what things would look like. And the students reached a quick consensus. No. “The festival is now.” This funny little mantra which means different things at different moments came up. That’s when we learned to keep going, but to keep going by transforming, retraining, recommitting, developing faith, digging into equity. By making.

Will things ever be the same?

In Solidarity, Nanette Acosta, Rusty Cloyes, Erica Gionfriddo, Kirk Lynn, Dorothy Overbey, Pat Shaw Faculty Producers

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DRAMATURGICAL NOTE Where new meets now--that’s what The Cohen New Works Festival is about.

In the year 2021, we are contending with so much unprecedented new, and our festival reflects that. Now, our version of “new” includes a festival turned virtual. As the Dramaturgy Committee, we are facilitating resource- and knowledge-sharing that enlivens new works beyond this virtual stage.

In mounting the first fully virtual Cohen New Works Festival, we’ve been extremely intentional in our decision making and have expanded the role of the dramaturg beyond productions. This year’s Festival features the work of over a dozen student dramaturgs, pushing the bounds of #digiturgy and activating vital spaces for reflection and advocacy.

In a time of so much new, often as a surprise, we are centering curiosity and abundance. We are grounded in what we can learn from each other and are excited to share these virtual spaces with you.

As integral additions to our creative teams, student dramaturgs facilitate connections within and beyond the rehearsal room. These connections take many forms, including providing production support, curating resources and facilitating panels and talkbacks.

This year, we are heartened to include an even wider breadth of topics and expertise to be featured daily throughout the Festival.

We recognize that it’s easy to check out of virtual programming and that screen fatigue is real, but we encourage you to engage with resources and each other as much and as often as possible. Some engagements will also be recorded and accessible throughout the Festival.

Thank you for joining us to engage with and support this amazing line-up of new work that challenges the definitions of art-making and tests the bounds of virtual collaboration!

Giana Blazquez, Ashley Malafronte, Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel Dramaturgy Committee

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GUEST ARTISTS

One of our favorite aspects of The Cohen New Works Festival at The University of Texas at Austin is the group of guest artists that join us for this process of art-making. Students get paired with professionals in the field who travel from all over the country and, in some cases, around the world. They work creatively with students, provide constructive feedback to student work, participate in panel discussions and network with the student body through Festival events.

It is part of our mission to help bridge the gap between the educational and professional fields of art-making, so we open the Festival’s doors to working artists we admire. This opportunity for mentorship, feedback and exchange has a lasting impact on the students at The University of Texas at Austin.

THE 2021 COHEN NEW WORKS FESTIVAL GUEST ARTISTS INCLUDE:

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

Jenn Kidwell is a performing artist. Recent projects include Underground Railroad Game (2017 Obie Award for Best New American Theatre Work, 2018 Edinburgh Fringe First Award), Home (Geoff Sobelle), Demolishing Everything with Amazing Speed (Dan Hurlin), I Understand Everything Better (David Neumann/advanced beginner group, 2015 Bessie Award for Outstanding Production), Antigone (The Wilma Theater), Fire Burns Hot: Little Reno!, I Promised Myself to Live Faster and 99 Break-Ups (Pig Iron Theatre Company). Company member, PITC and Lightning Rod Special, Wilma Theater Associated Artist and co-founder of JACK.

L AU R E L B U T LE R

CHR ISTOPHE R B IG G S

Educator and performing artist.

Director of Youth Programming for Everyday Arts and teacher at Loyola Marymount University.

Composer and multimedia artist, Associate professor of music composition and technology at Western Michigan University. Recent projects focus on integrating live instrumental performance with interactive audiovisual media.

G I LB E RT L . BA I LE Y I I Musical theatre performer whose Broadway credits include The Book of Mormon, A Bronx Tale and Beetlejuice.

SI D R A B E LL Dancer, choreographer, artistic collaborator and educator. Master Lecturer at the University of the Arts, founder and Artistic Director of Sidra Bell Dance New York.

Creative Director of the immersive laboratory MODULE in New York City.

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JENN KIDWELL

STE F FA N CL E ME NTE South Bronx Puerto Rican dancer, actor, choreographer, teacher, music producer and graffiti artist.

Member of breakdance crews and hip-hop groups Rock Steady Crew, The Electric Boogaloos, “Zulu Nation” and TC5 (the cool five) Writing Crew (graffiti crew).

SHANI C OL L I NS

KA I HA Z E LWO O D

F R A NK MAUG E R I

Dancer, choreographer and educator.

Associate professor of dance at Connecticut College, having danced with Urban Bush Women and Ronald K. Brown/Evidence.

Founder of Eternal Works Inc.

Dancer, choreographer and educator. On faculty at Chapman University and co-founder and lead facilitator at Practice Progress.

Artistic director of Good Trouble Makers artistic collaborative.

Artist, director, producer and designer of unique art, education, ceremony and events, all of which are highly visual, design-driven, movement-inspired, object-centered and range from intimate miniature-scale to mammoth public spectacle.

BO NNIE C OX

TA KE SHI KATA

Graduate student at The University of Colorado Boulder who combines the disciplines of dance, performance studies, women and gender studies and ethnic studies to explore identity in performance, the process of dis-identifying from hegemonic views on marginalized identities and incorporating decolonial theories into research, pedagogy, performance and choreography.

Theatrical set designer and assistant professor at University of Southern California who has worked on over 150 productions nationally and internationally and has received an Obie Award and multiple nominations for many others.

MA R ISE L A ORTA

T. L A N G

E R IN R E IL LY

Dancer, previously seen with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and Marlies Yearby’s Movin’ Spirits Dance Theater. Founder of T. Lang Dance in Atlanta, Georgia.

Founder of ReillyWorks, Professor of Practice and Inaugural Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Moody College of Communication at UT Austin.

CA R R A M A RT I N E Z

DE B OR A H WICKS L A PUMA

Collaborative theatre artist, scholar and educator. Director of Live in America at Fusebox Festival.

Composer, music director, orchestrator and one of the most produced Theatre for Young Audiences artists working today.

K HANISHA F OSTER Writer, performer and director.

Associate Artistic Director of 2nd Story, host of the podcast How I Wrote That.

AMANDA G L A DU Costume designer, illustrator and painter working in theatre, dance, opera and film. UT alumna (B.A. 2012).

JENN HARTM A NN LUC K Musical theatre writer and performer.

Director of Programming and Partnerships/Education Director at the Paramount Theatre.

Playwright and poet originally from Lockhart, Texas. Writer of a cycle of grim Latinx fairy tales—fairy tales for adults inspired by Latinx mythology and folklore—which include: The River Bride and Wolf at the Door.

Z AV É M A RTO HA R DJ O N O A mixed-race IndonesianAmerican artist who employs non-Western dance and mythology to unwind colonial conditioning, creating performances that celebrate liminality and nonlinear storytelling and explore legacies of colonial empire.

R E B E C CA WR IG HT Director and deviser. Co-founder of Applied Mechanics, co-founder of HATCH residency program.

View a complete list of all attending guest artists at theatredance.utexas.edu/ 2021-new-works-festival

SUPPORT FOR THE 2021 C OHEN NE W WORKS F E STIVAL KEYNOTE SPE AKER C OME S IN PART FROM OUR PARTNERS:

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TALKBACK SESSIONS GUEST ARTIST PANELS

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Feedback is an important part of the creative process and an essential skill that all artists must develop in order to grow. Join select creative teams after their performances to participate in an exchange about their work.

The talkback session schedule will be posted at theatredance.utexas.edu/2021-new-works-festival.

New Works Festival Panels are curated conversations on themes that our festival projects share. Join us every day at 1:00 p.m. CST for a lunchtime discussion with guest artists from around the country and members of our UT arts community.

Panels start at 1:00 pm (CST).

A complete schedule of programming is available at theatredance.utexas.edu/2021-new-works-festival

ABOUT T IME A craft conversation that gets into the nitty gritty of all things episodic, durational and/ or nonlinear. The festival is now— but how do we know what “now” is?

PAN E L I STS

MODERATOR

DATE/ TI M E

Bonnie Cox Christopher Biggs Jeff Gan

Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel

Monday, April 12 at 1:00-2:00 p.m. CST

C ENT E R IN G L ATINX STORY T E LL I NG Dive into rich and complex Latinx storyworlds that explore the intersections of style, message and culture.

PAN E L I STS

MODERATOR

DATE/ TI M E

Carra Martinez Marisela Trevino Orta Florinda Bryant

Erica Patricia Saucedo

Tuesday, April 13 at 1:00-2:00 p.m. CST

E X PAND ING DEFINITIONS O F TH E ATRE FOR YOU NG AU D I E NCE S Explore the ways TYA plays can utilize a wide range of aesthetics, content and form while remaining rooted in youth and community.

PAN E L I STS

MODERATOR

DATE/ TI M E

Jenn Hartmann Deborah Wicks La Puma Shavonne Coleman

Giana Blazquez

Wednesday, April 14 at 1:00-2:00 p.m. CST

R EPR E S ENTATIONS OF BL ACK N E SS Black is not a monolith. This discussion celebrates the many ways Black artists move and represent racial identity in their work.

PAN E L I STS

MODERATOR

DATE/ TI M E

Gilbert Bailey II Kai Hazelwood Nicholas Kaidoo

Yunina Barbour-Payne

Thursday, April 15 at 1:00-2:00 p.m. CST

WHAT ’S “NE W ?”

The concept of “newness” is hard to pin down—even for a festival with “New” in the name. Consider the nuances of new in this conversation on the meanings, parameters and opportunities that newness offers.

PAN E L I STS

MODERATOR

DATE/ TI M E

Rebecca Wright Erin Reilly Zavé Martohardjono

Ashley Malafronte

Friday, April 16 at 1:00-2:00 p.m. CST

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THE FESTIVAL WORKS HOW IT ALL WORKS

All titles, times, viewing/streaming information and creative teams are subject to change.

Please consult our website (theatredance.utexas.edu/2021-new-worksfestival) for streaming links, updates and changes to the schedule.

Given the current circumstances, this year’s festival will be a virtual, remote experience. We will be hosting two channels (Brockett Stream and Payne Stream) where we invite guests to explore the virtual world of The Cohen New Works Festival.

Details available at theatredance.utexas.edu/2021-new-works-festival

SPECIAL EVENTS

OPENING CEREMONY Join us in a virtual celebration of the art we have created together and hear from the festival’s producers, members of the executive committee and keynote speaker Jenn Kidwell.

MONDAY, APRIL 12 AT 5:00 P.M.

CLOSING CEREMONY Join us for an evening celebration of another great Cohen New Works Festival.

FRIDAY, APRIL 16 AT 5:00 P.M.

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_______’S S PAC E Dance Movement Anthology _____’s Space is a dance/movement anthology series that explores the relationship between the self and our physical environments - how our physical spaces reflect who we are and, in turn, how the spaces we walk through become reflected in us. Our audience is invited into a space personal to each of our nine generous dancers through their testimonial interviews, dance on film solos and a live Zoom call the week of the Festival that will place nine squares holding nine movers in nine personal spaces in direct relation to you, your context and your space at one moment in time. What happens to our bodies when we no longer just move through our spaces, but begin to engage deeply with them? Would we, then, better care for ourselves and our community?

PROJECT LEA DS

R UN TI M E

Cellise Brown Bridget Caston Victoriana Loper

50 minutes

B EYOND T HE WA LL Dance Film Beyond the Wall is a dance film that seeks to provide a platform for underrepresented Latinx voices and explores the shared experience of being Latinx in the United States.

Four dancers address three interrelated aspects of generational immigration: the limitations of language, the elusiveness of opportunity and the weight of trauma. The aim of this project is to interrogate the idea of the “American Dream” and think critically about how these three aspects can define and redefine this core motivation of Latinx immigration. Ultimately, we pose the question: What is the American Dream?

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Ivana Castañeda

10 minutes

B RE A DC RU M B S Interactive Website Breadcrumbsproject.com Breadcrumbs is an audio experience that takes audience members on a journey exploring the relationship between physical and spiritual nourishment. Sifting through gathered memories of childhood foods, the ingredients of joy, grief and love come together to make a delicious meal of shared connections.

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Kristen Osborn

Part One: Ongoing interactive website Part Two: Live event (60 minutes)

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B UDDY BA I LE Y ’ S B I G B R E A K Social Media linktr.ee/Buddybailey Buddy Bailey is a charismatic, lovable elephant. He’s just a big fella trying to find peace and happiness in this crazy world. Follow along all week on social media as Buddy finds buddies and gets his big break!

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Matthew Schulz

60 minutes

C ENT ’A N N I Cooking Show In Cent’anni, you’ll join Ashley Malafronte in her kitchen for both a performance and a more self-directed digital food-memory archive. You’re here for dinner; we’re here to celebrate one another. Come for the red sauce and stay for a story of loss and evolving identity. This mashup of solo show, food YouTube, audio play and theatrical memoir will take us on a journey through the death of a matriarch, a history of Italian-American identity and more. Oh, and it’s a cooking show!

This event will not be streamed on the main festival channels. Registration available at theatredance.utexas.edu/2021-new-works-festival

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Ashley Malafronte

45 minutes

C H LOROB O Interactive Website chlorobo.com What does it mean to be alive? Follow Chlorobo across the Internet on a search for meaning.

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Benjamin Randall

60 minutes

C OL L EC T I N G D U ST Dance Collecting Dust is a virtual, installation-based movement project. It explores movement of physicalized social media through the lenses of queer, female and non-binary dancers.

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PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Lindsay Ball

20 minutes

C OM E WI N T E R ’ S E N D Play

Content Warning: Contains adult content including strong language, references to death and depictions of anxiety and depression.

When the power goes out in Opal, Joan and Edith’s house during an unnatural snowstorm, the roommates are forced to find warmth in each other if they want to survive molding pickle jars, impromptu puppet shows and the rapid decay of their sanity. Livestreamed from inside their home, Come Winter’s End follows three women’s descent into true friendship and honest connection against the backdrop of a warped reality and melted time.

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Alex Passanisi

100 minutes

TH E C OO KB O O K P R OJ E CT Interactive Theatre The Cookbook Project is made of recipes. These recipes are like any other recipes, with lists of ingredients and instructions on how to make something with your friends and family. But instead of making a pie or lasagna, these are recipes for plays. By following along with a Cookbook Project recipe, you too can make a piece of brand new, never-before-seen theatre! Perfect when enjoyed with a small group of loved ones.

Registration required. Information about participating in The Cookbook Project is available at theatredance.utexas.edu/2021-new-works-festival

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Lena Barnard

60 minutes

C TRL

Content Warning: Contains adult content and themes including mention of

Play

self-harm/suicide, mental illness, depression and anxiety.

We all know how it is to be stuck. Stuck trying to control the outcomes, doubting our abilities and fearing not being good enough. What does it mean to confront your control, your doubts and your fears? What does it mean to embrace pain, frustration, joy and love? In a series of monologues, follow the team of Ctrl as they experience what it is to bring yourself out of the shadows of uncertainty and discover that control is just a fantasy.

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Trinity Gordon

30 minutes

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EL EM ENTA L M E D I A Interactive Installation Elemental Media is a continuous, week-long livestream of a backyard garden in full spring bloom.

An ongoing interactive installation that bridges virtual and material mediums, creating a space for community members to gather and engage with one another.

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Michael Bruner

10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. (livestreamed continuously April 12-16)

TH E H A N G I N G ST R A N G E R Opera

Content Warning: Contains mention and/or depictions of mental illness, animal abuse, blood, graphic injury, death, racism, lynching, sexual abuse, self-harm, torture and genocide.

The Hanging Stranger is a video opera inspired by the short story of the same name by Philip K. Dick, viewed through a series of short clips representing multiple narrative perspectives. A small town becomes fraught with paranoia as it is beset by an apparent invasion of sentient insects.

The already fragile social bonds between the town’s residents are tested as they take increasingly desperate measures to protect their way of life.

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Monte Taylor

45 minutes

H OM E ED I T I O N Interactive Experience Home Edition is an interactive, home theatre-going experience. Miss the little things about seeing live art in person? Home Edition delivers it right to your door in a box! In a handcrafted kit, players will find instructions, an audio guide and several interactive props to help them create a communal playgoing experience right at home. Amidst a year full of Skype gatherings and Zoom meetings, Home Edition aims to be a literal gift to awaken the senses and pay homage to the experience of live performance. Part game, part ritual and part immersive storytelling - Home Edition invites YOU to be part of the action! (Ideally enjoyed with a pod of 2-7 people).

Information on reserving a Home Edition box available at theatredance.utexas.edu/2021-new-works-festival.

Quantities limited. Pickup information will be available online.

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PROJECT LEA DS

R UN TI M E

Mike Steele Josiah Turner

90 minutes

L ADY PA RT Y

Content Warning: Contains adult content and strong language.

Radio Play A raunchy radio play about sex, multi-level marketing, mixed identity and lactose intolerance by Anna Skidis Vargas. Lady Party takes you through an Entirely Romantic sales consultant’s roster of vibrators and awkward dates. You’ll laugh! You’ll cry! You’ll… maybe want to buy a bunch of dildos?

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Anna Skidis Vargas

45 minutes

TH E M AD M A P S P R OJ E CT Digital Performance Archive www.madmapsproject.com

Content Warning: Contains adult content and themes including discussion of mental illness.

The Mad Maps Project is a digital performance archive that explores the use of psychiatric language in unexpected places. As you browse the aisles of our virtual grocery store, you’ll uncover a crazy collection of mad, insane and manic products, all curated for your consumption.

Perhaps you’ll find a bottle of Crazy Water™, or pick up a box of Umpqua Oats Insane Grains™ cereal or grab a Manic Mellon Monster™ energy drink. Whether you’re shopping for something specific or simply looking to browse, our shelves are fully stocked! This multimedia project asks us to consider how everyday encounters shape our relationship to mental health, mental illness and/ or mental disability and how we might imagine those relationships otherwise.

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Alexis Riley

20 minutes - 45 minutes; self-paced

M A NUFACT U R I N G FE M A LE Dance Manufacturing Female is a dance and art film exploring various pressures placed on women and the adaptations acquired in response. This piece shares the experiences of four individuals through movement solos accompanied by four corresponding paintings dealing with abstraction of the same theme. The solos focus on adaptability, strength, hiding and gender performativity.

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Sarah Wales

15 minutes

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M A RG OT A N D M R . S N O O Z E

Content Warning: Contains adult content and themes

TYA Musical Pre-Recorded Performance

including depictions of depression.

Margot cannot figure out why her dad won’t get out of bed! She is on a mission to get her dad up and playing, drink her first cup of coffee and beat the world record for putting the most pairs of underwear on in 30 seconds. This TYA musical discusses mental health from the perspective of Margot, a 9-year-old girl, as she and her dad battle their inner monsters. Book and lyrics by Ann Marley with music by Kevin Mucchetti.

PROJECT LEA DS

R UN TI M E

Justice Von Maur Jake Young

90 minutes with one 15 minute intermission

M EM ORY B OX

Content Warning: Contains depictions of memory loss/amnesia, car accident sounds and

Play

lights, minimal flashing lights, discussion of the loss of loved ones and miscarriage.

Memory Box is a fantastical dramedy about two Muslim-American sisters, Asia and Sana. Asia was in a car crash and lost her memory at age 10, and since then she lives in two realms: the dreamworld and the real-world. In the dreamworld, fantastical events occur, where real and false memories all live simultaneously. In the real world, Asia seeks the truth about her past, but her sister, Sana, is reluctant to dive into family secrets. As she digs deeper, her two worlds collide— threatening her sanity. Will she move on without ever knowing her past or risk everything to know what happened before the accident, changing her life forever?

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Attia Rasul

One hour and 45 minutes

M UC H O PO Q U I TO

Content Warning: Contains adult content and strong language .

Radio Play Set in a border town of South Texas, Mucho Poquito is a devised radio-dramedy about Penelope, a Mexican single mother struggling to accept the new world views of her culturally assimilated daughters. As Victoria enters her teenage angst phase and Alejandra, the rock of the family, plans to leave home for college, Penelope must learn to redefine her meaning of family loyalty and unconditional love.

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PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Anapaula Guajardo

45 minutes

M UÑE

Content Warning: Contains adult content and themes including discussion of

Concert Performance

mental illness, abuse and self-harm.

Muñe is a musical performance that questions the line between “concerts” and “performance art.”

Featuring entirely original music, Muñe explores yearning, grief, the dramatic mundane reality of mental illness and self-acceptance.

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Jane Palacios

20 minutes

A NORM A L M I SFO RT U N E : M ORE OR LE SS T H E STO RY O F I PHI S

Content Warning: Contains adult content and themes.

Dance Theatre Iphis is madly in love, but can’t have sex until the gods make her a boy! A Normal Misfortune: More or Less the Story of Iphis is a 21st century dance theatre adaptation of chapter 10 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. An exploration of infatuation, masculinity and the space between binaries, A Normal Misfortune is irreverent, ridiculous and very gay— and it all takes place on TikTok. This event will not be streamed on the main festival channels.

Information about viewing A Normal Misfortune: More or Less the Story of Iphis is available at theatredance.utexas.edu/2021-new-works-festival

PROJECT LEA DS

R UN TI M E

Libby Carr Allison Hamauei Mack Lawrence Yessmeen Moharram

30 minutes

OH S H !T

Content Warning: Contains mature content, strong language, mentions of rape/sexual

Dance Film

assault, depictions of mental illness: OCD and depictions of blood.

oh sh!t is a one-womxn show about reclaiming the body, time, space and energy through fiddling, fidgeting and f*cking with itchy ideas. It is about building a container for all identities – past, present, future – to exist simultaneously and to suspend reality. The brain will be turned inside out and dunked into a bucket of acid, causing a range of emotions from confusion, excitement, validation and possibly disgust…

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Allison Hamauei

20 minutes

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OUR STO R I E S H E A L : M I N D, B O DY A N D SOUL Dance and Digital Storytelling

Content Warning: Contains adult content including mentions of childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, PTSD and abuse.

Due to the persistent unjust issues of racism and critical concerns for the mental and physical health of BIPOC people, this project invites youth from the Settlement Home for Children in Austin, Texas to become critically conscious and collectively devise, create and perform in a dance and storytelling full-length virtual performance. This performance will focus on the needs and importance of mental health that these young people envision for themselves and their community. Through this project, our hope is that people will become more aware of the perspectives that youth have on mental health and how the arts can serve as a tool to support and heal communities of color.

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Courtney Manning

90 minutes

A P REG N A N T PAU S E Radio Play and Silent Film

Content Warning: Contains adult language and themes including discussion of abortion, miscarriage and mental illness.

In trying to keep spirits light, Gabriel faces the complexities of coming “home” for the holidays with his divorced parents, younger brother, Alán, and pregnant sister, Yaritza. A Pregnant Pause is a dramedy about what is expected of those who get left behind, whoever that might be. Oh, and tamales.

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Roberto Soto

80 minutes

RI V ERS I D E D R .

Content Warning: Contains adult content and themes including mention

Photography Installation

of racism and depictions of homelessness.

When researching Riverside Drive in Austin, you might encounter mention of East Riverside Drive, a road that stretches through several communities and across I-35. If you continue to scroll, you’ll most likely stumble across articles entitled “Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in Austin” warning visiting tourists to limit their time there. However, Riverside, as well as several other communities in East Austin, is home to a large population of BIPOC people. This inadvertently (or possibly advertently) labels these BIPOC communities as being “dangerous” as well.

(Untitled) Riverside Dr. aims to dismantle these toxic associations with Riverside and East Austin communities. This body of photographic work captures the East Austin area for what it is: a community. This series of photographs captures the people who live in these areas as well as some of the spaces they inhabit.

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PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Madison Cooper

10 minutes

S EL AM ATA N FO R AU ST I N , 2 0 - 21 Part cooking show, part Zoom ritual Part cooking show and part synchronized Zoom ritual, Selamatan for Austin, 20-21 explores how food and cooking can connect and heal a fractured community. This project will produce several interviews between Indonesian-American artist Jeffrey Gan and his friends and family, exploring the labor and stories embedded in the preparation of Indonesian food in the diaspora. During the week of the Festival, a limited number of audience members will also receive a cooking lesson and blessing through Zoom, complete with a pre-packaged box of ingredients. Drawing upon influences from Javanese selamatan meals to Buzzfeed recipe videos and the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen scandal, Selamatan for Austin, 20-21 asks us to acknowledge the embodied labor of food preparation, to question the construction and consumption of “ethnic” cuisine and to heal ourselves and each other by sharing delicious food.

Selamatan for Austin, 20-21 will be presented as a series of short features on the main New Works Festival channels, as well as one private event/cooking lesson with an available box of ingredients. Information on reserving a cooking lesson and a participant box is available at theatredance.utexas.edu/2021-new-works-festival. Quantities limited.

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Jeffrey Gan

Part One: 7 minutes Part Two: 20 minutes

“ S PA R” X P R E SS V I B E T HE B I G G E R PI CT U R E

Content Warning:

Dance

Contains adult content and themes.

COVID-19. Pandemic. The presidential election. The University of Texas. Lockdowns. Dance.

Xpression. Slavery Wounds. Genocide. Blackness. Whiteness. Mixed. Family. Life. Love. God. Home. Heaven. The year 2020 was a period unlike any other experienced by mankind. While there was a polarizing sense of doom lingering in the air, there was also a unique upside: the world was finally in a state of vulnerability. It has been said a person can only begin to heal when the desire to heal is met with a sense of unadulterated transparency and courage to venture into the dark night of the soul. 2020 cried out very loudly to humanity “Do you know you need to heal? Do you want to heal? What is holding you back?” Did we hear her? Did we listen? Did we give ourselves time to process and grieve the tragic events that happened to us? All of humanity experienced some kind of hardship in the past year, and what seemed to be a series of tragedies actually serves as the paradigm shift of the collective conscious; the needing of emotions to be fully Xpressed. “Spar” Xpress VIBE The Bigger Picture examines these events through the Xpression of ubiquitous truth, unashamed honesty and unbridled love in the form of movement, dance and interdisciplinary art modalities.

PROJECT LEA D

R UN TI M E

Howard Rochelle

30 minutes

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S P EL L S O F T H E SE A TYA Musical

Content Warning: Contains adult content and themes including discussion of death and the loss of a loved one.

Finley Frankfurter is a 15-year-old fisherwoman. H.S. Crank is a grumpy old lighthouse keeper. Together, this unlikely pair journeys through the ocean to find the Elixir of Life, an elusive remedy for what is ailing Finley’s father. Along the way, they discover the meaning of family, friendship and believing in yourself. Discover the “Spells of the Sea” in this five-episode musical podcast for the whole family!

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Guinevere Govea Anna Pickett

Five 25 minute episodes

TAL K OF G R AV E S Short Film

Content Warning: Contains adult content including discussion of guilt, death and terminal illness.

Talk of Graves by Nick Saldivar is a series of four short ghost stories that work as a cycle of discovery, anger, acceptance and release. Each story tackles a different genre of ghost story and is laced together using song and scents; this show has everything from demonic Furby’s to emotional goodbyes. Talk of Graves is a filmed, one-man show performed by Nick Saldivar and directed by Anna Pickett, with music by Gwenny Govea and lighting design by Libby Jantz.

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Nick Saldivar

45 minutes

TH ER AP I E AU CHO C O L AT Dance Therapie au Chocolat is a site-specific, multi-dimensional work that explores Black humanity. This piece looks at dehumanization, trauma and pain through the physicality of emotion, breath and kinesthetic empathy. Therapie au Chocolat is emotionally charged, exhibiting the duality of painful survival and transcendent healing.

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PROJECT LEA D

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Tiffany Merritt-Brown

10 minutes

TH I S I S L I FE

Content Warning: Contains instances of flashing lights and adult

Short Web Series

language and themes including depiction of eating disorders.

“Recovery has never been a straight line but rather always a roller coaster of different challenges leading us right back to base-line.” -Unknown This is Life is a short web series that provides a glimpse into the lives of two college students, Devina and Pam, in different stages of out-patient treatment for eating disorder (ED) recovery.

This project prioritizes its characters’ emotional journeys – including their varied experiences with family, identity, hazing, romance and social media – to avoid triggering content and ultimately tell a story that gives people with EDs hope that recovery is possible, despite its ups and downs.

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Frances Garnett Kathy Guerrero

Five 15 minute episodes

UNDER T HE SA M E R O O F Dance Film Under the Same Roof is a dance film that happens in Brazil and in the United States simultaneously. It follows four humans over the course of a dinner where they debate what it means to resist in the 21st century and confront their biases and oppressors.

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Angelica Montiero

15 minutes

V I DEOE SSAY Devised Theatre video essay (noun) - a piece of media that takes advantage of the structure and language of film to advance an argument.

Videoessay (play) – a devised theatrical exploration of meaning. A thought about a thought. What does the content we watch say to us? And what does it say about us?

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Zachariah Ezer Braxton Rae

40 minutes

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THE FESTIVAL SUPERCREW

T HE E X E CU T I V E C O M M I T TE E The Cohen New Works Festival is entirely student-run, making it unique and empowering. The Executive Committee (EXCOMM) is comprised of graduate students, undergraduate students and faculty producers who are responsible for planning and implementing The Cohen New Works Festival.

FACULTY PRODUC ERS

TECH NI CA L D I R ECTO R

Rusty Cloyes Dorothy O’Shea Overbey Erica Gionfriddo Kirk Lynn Nanette Acosta Patrick Shaw

Ron Collins Kirk Baltzell (assistant) A PPL I CATI O NS CO M M I TTEE

Sam Mayer Anna Skidis Vargas Ann Ulrich

A SSISTA NT TO THE PRODUC ERS

Mike Steele Yessmeen Moharram (assistant)

G UEST A RTI ST CO M M I TTEE

PRODUCTION MA NAGER

Bridget Caston Lena Barnard Andrea L. Hart

Alexis Williams Callie Blackstock (assistant)

D RA M ATUR G Y CO M M I TTEE

Renae Simone Jarrett

Giana Blazquez Ashley Malafronte Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel

MA RKETING A ND PR COMMITTEE

D EVELO PM ENT CO M M I TTEE

Anapaula Guajardo Vivian Gonzalez

Jeffrey Gan Frances Garnett Courtney Manning

IT/ TIC KETING MA NAGER

EVENTS COMMITTEE

Jasmine Games Ashley Stone

PR O D U CT I O N CR E W This Festival would not be possible without the students working behind-thescenes. The Festival crew ensures everything runs smoothly.

Laura Anawaty Shelby Fletcher Ella Loper Jonah Maughan Clare Meyer Olivia Wall

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SPECIAL THANKS

Robert Ramirez Chair, Department of Theatre and Dance Dr. Douglas Dempster Dean, The Cohen New Works Festival’s founding producer Susan Zeder Theater for Youth Chair and Professor Emeritus, Department of Theatre and Dance Texas Performing Arts Fine Arts Diversity Committee Dr. Charlotte Canning Faculty and Staff of the Department of Theatre and Dance, Especially: Megan Bommarito, Sydney Pattillo, Cassie Gholston, Kevin Newcomb, Lizeth Salinas, Natasha Small, Liliana Zapatero, Mark-Anthony Zuniga The Cohen New Works Festival 2021 Hornraiser Donors

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Theatredance.utexas.edu/2021-new-works-festival #NWF2021 /utnewworks @utnewworks utnewworks

The Department of Theatre and Dance is a world-class educational environment that serves as the ultimate creative incubator for the next generation of artists, thinkers and leaders in theatre and performance.

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