Sundance Theatre Lab 2015

Sundance Institute’s renowned Theatre Program has developed Broadway and Off Broadway hits by the bushel, and its annual lab at MASS MoCA gathers top-tier dramatic artists and includes a work-in-progress performance. The quality of the work, combined with the feeling of ink still wet, make for a riveting night of theater-in-the-making. This year’s Lab participants tackle themes from the underbelly of American life, exploring race, love, and politics, in three new musical theater projects.

Obie Award-winning writer Kirsten Childs’ Buffalo Bella is a musical tall tale exploring the African-American experience in the Old West. When Isabella (“Bella”) Patterson boards a train west to reunite with her Buffalo soldier sweetheart, she encounters the most colorful and lively characters ever to roam the Western plains. Directed by Robert O’Hara and musical director Darryl G. Ivey.

Cory Hinkle, Victoria Stewart, Jeremy Wilhelm, and David Wilhelm’s Clandestino investigates immigration reform, small-town politics, and religious fundamentalism within the context of the 2008 ICE raid of Agriprocessors, Inc., a Kosher slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa. Clandestino uses the real-life events of the largest immigration raid in U.S history and incorporates a live score that draws on Jewish traditions, Guatemalan folk music, and a few local news theme songs.

Tony Award-winning composer-lyricist Adam Guettel and Obie Award-winning playwright Craig Lucas reimagine a story that tells of a love affair between two average Americans, torpedoed by alcoholism. Guettel and Lucas’ currently untitled project provides an intimate look into the tumultuous love story through an original musical adaptation of a 1950’s teleplay.

What to expect:
This event will be “up in the club” with cabaret-style seating. Our cafe will deliver your dinner, and the bar is always well-stocked. Be ready to make new friends – our tables seat four and if your party is smaller, you might find others at your table.