Erika Dickerson-Despenza, creator and inaugural resident of the Ntozake Shange Social Justice Theater Residency co-sponsored by BCRW, The Public Theater, and the Ntozake Shange Literary Trust, will receive the Career Achievement Honor at the PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony on Thursday, March 2. Learn more about this recognition and Dickerson-Depsenza’s work.
Congratulations to Erika!
Don’t miss it
The world premiere of shadow/land, written by Erika Dickerson-Despenza and directed by Candis C. Jones, opens at the Public Theater on April 20 and runs through May 21. Tickets are available now.
About shadow/land
World Premiere
SHADOW/LAND
By Erika Dickerson-Despenza
Directed by Candis C. Jones
Premiering as an audio play at The Public, 2021 Susan Blackburn Prize winner Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s shadow/land returns in Spring 2023 with a stunning live production.
As Hurricane Katrina begins her ruin, tensions between duty & desire surface, a levee is brought to its knees & Ruth must wrestle with all that she’s ready to let go. shadow/land is a lyrical meditation on legacy, erotic fugitivity, and self-determination.
Directed by Lilly Award winner Candis C. Jones, shadow/land is the first installment of a 10-play cycle traversing the Katrina diaspora in an examination of the ongoing effects of disaster, evacuation, displacement, and urban renewal rippling in and beyond New Orleans.