After Words
September 23 - October 28, 2023
EXPLORE THE DRAMATURGICAL EXHIBITION
Dancing with the Divine
Since the beginning of humanity, dance and movement have been a universal means of representing culture, expressing spirituality, and unleashing the SOUL within. With (pray), nicHi douglas utilizes a theatrical structure to explore how the dancing body–specifically the Black Femme body–becomes a vehicle for spiritual, personal and artistic transcendence. Join us for a conversation with some of the leading black and femme artists of our time as they delve into the many ways that dance and movement can impact and evoke the spirit while bringing us closer to ourselves.
Participants: nicHi douglas, Sydnie Mosely, Hope Boykin
Healing Harmonies: The Language of the Heart
The impact of music is multifaceted and expansive: it has the power to heal, to foster a sense of identity, to build community, and to evoke spirit. Join us for a discussion with New York based musicians, composers, educators, and activists focused on how music can transform and unleash the soul, and how it further connects us to community and to self.
Participants: Darnell White, Troy Anthony, S T A R R Busby
Ancestral Echoes: Nurturing Intergenerational Spirituality Through Heritage Culture, legacy, and ritual are three dominant facets at the foundation of building heritage. In Reverend Lorna Woodham and nicHi douglas’ case, their mother-daughter relationship intersects their Jamaican ancestry and spirituality. In fact, their spirituality has been passed down throughout generations in their family, and has helped to inform their religious, personal, and familial beliefs. Join us for a conversation with nicHi, writer, director, and choreographer of (pray), and their mother, Reverend Lorna, as they explore the many ties and ancestral echoes that help to define themselves.
Participants: nicHi douglas, Pastor Lorna Woodham
A congregation
comes to power
amid a reckoning
of spirituality.
Leading Artist
nicHi douglas
Playwright, Director, and Choreographer
nicHi douglas is a Brooklyn-based artist, educator, activist, and 2021 Princess Grace Award winner. you can refer to her/him/them/us using any pronoun said with Respect. nicHi's work can be characterized by a dogged interest in building community in the process of creating performance. as such, our work is multigenerational, developing theater with/for folx ages 2-82. we have developed original theater work at The Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, New Victory, Lincoln Center, Long Wharf, Pig Iron, Denver Center, and Berkeley Rep, among others. they have created interactive dance exhibits for the National Museum of African-American Music and the New York Hall of Science. nicHi’s mutual aid fund, nicHi’s SuSu, launched in 2020 and has raised over $18K for Black artists. nicHi is an Assistant Professor of Movement in the Experimental Theater Wing at Tisch School of the Arts. she has also guest lectured at Yale School of Drama. stage credits: Girl From the North Country (Public Theater, Associate Choreographer), SKiNFoLK: An American Show (NYT Critic’s Pick//The Bushwick Starr/National Black Theater, Choreographer), Weightless (WP Theater, Choreographer), ...The Cotillion (The Movement Theatre Company/New Georges, Choreographer) | www.mynameisnichi.com
co -producer
Ars Nova exists to discover, develop & launch singular theater, music, and comedy artists who are in the early stages of their professional careers. Our dynamic slate of programs supports outside-the-box thinking and encourages innovative, genre-bending work. By providing a protective environment where risk-taking and collaboration are paramount, Ars Nova amplifies the voices of a new generation of diverse artists and audiences, pushing the boundaries of live entertainment by nurturing creative ideas into smart, surprising new work.