June 11-29, 2024

Tuesdays - Saturdays at 7pm (final Sat. 6/29 at 2pm)
At the Connelly Theater: 220 East 4th Street, NYC

Students + Seniors: use code STUSEN0624 for $5 off
*Please note the below special events + community performances

Book, Music & Lyrics by Michelle J. “Micha” Rodriguez
Directed by Mei Ann Teo
Choreographed by William Carlos Angulo and U.J. Mangune

Produced in association with ¡Oye! Group and The Sol Project
With support from Musical Theatre Factory

PRESENCIA is a tender and comedic millennial music theater piece that reshapes the Moses story for women of color grappling with the hazards and challenges of leadership, told with Bible-fan-fiction vibes, varying degrees of reverence and satire, and a vibrant anthemic musical score rooted in jazz/R&B. When a succulent plant bursts into flames and tells fitness instructor Presencia it's the god of her ancestors, she must decide what to do… Sometimes liberation must be practiced at the smallest scale. Expect miracles, magic, divine feminine energy, and the healing power of presence and intuition in this ultimately joyous new piece of music theater.

FEATURING:
Manny Dunn (he/him), Michelle J. “Micha” Rodriguez (she/her), Sushma Saha (all pronouns), and Tieisha Thomas (she/her)

MUSICIANS:
Music Director / Band Leader: Liya Grigoryan (she/her), Percussions: Julián Pardo (he/him), Bass: Lolivone de la Rosa (she/her), Percussions Sub: Ohm Soni (he/him), Bass Sub: Alicyn Yaffee

CREATIVE TEAM:
Costume Designer: Hahnji Jang (they/them), Scenic Designer: Tanya Orellana (she/her), Co-Lighting Designers: Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew (she/her) and Christopher Wong, Props Designer & Scenic Associate: Mele Sabú Borges (they/them), Assistant Costume Designer: Aidan Griffiths (they/them), Dramaturg: Jesse Alick (he/him), Music Supervisor: Jason Liebson, Vocal Director: Michelle J. “Micha” Rodriguez, Production Stage Manager: Sarah Orttung (she/her), Assistant Stage Manager: Justin Allen (he/she/they)

Line Produced by Rula A. Muñoz (she/they)

SPECIAL EVENTS:

June 14 is Bushwick Community Night hosted by The Bushwick Starr!
June 18 is Latiné Community Night hosted by ¡Oye! Group & The Sol Project! $15 with code 15OYESOL
June 25 is Women & Femmes Community Night hosted by ¡Oye! Group, The Sol Project & Musical Theater Factory! $15 with code 15OYESOLMTF

AUDIENCE INFO:

Our Box Office opens at 6:30pm
Run time: 90 minutes, no intermission
Age recommendation: 13+
Spanish & English Closed Captioning available: 6/18, 6/20, 6/22, 6/26, 6/28, 6/29
Venue Accessibility
Venue FAQ

SUPPORT + DEVELOPMENT:

PRESENCIA is made with support from: The NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre by the City of New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment in association with The New York Foundation for the Arts; The New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and the Tow Foundation Playwright Residency Program.

PRESENCIA has been previously developed through a special Creative Residency at Williams College, and through residencies at BAM, Hubbard Hall, and a concert at Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City.

Michelle J. Rodriguez is a 2024-2025 Tow Playwright-in-Residence. The Tow Foundation was established in 1988 by Leonard and Claire Tow as a way to give back to the communities that shaped them. Its five primary impact areas are equity and justice, medicine and public health, arts and culture, higher education, and civic engagement. Grounded in its decades of work in Connecticut and New York and based in New Canaan, CT, the foundation supports visionary leaders and nonprofit organizations to find and enact innovative solutions to persistent inequality. It works to ensure people can become full participants in their communities, achieve transformative and lasting progress, and develop approaches that allow everyone to reach their full potential.

Photo by Morgan Winston