Devising in my studio. Photo: Sarah Drepaul.
If you’re reading this, RSVP here to attend this free show in mid/late September across chai shops in Queens and Long Island!
I’m currently writing and directing and devising and scheming and dreaming Flood Sensor Aunty: a comedic public theater project about disaster preparedness, starring an anthropomorphic flood sensor who really wants to be a movie star, designed for brown aunties and communities. Halfway between public theater project and culturally competent emergency management around flooding and storms, this performance will take place at chai shops and public spaces: 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights, Lt. Frank McConnell Park in Richmond Hill/South Ozone Park, Qawah House in Astoria, and PYO Chai in Nassau County. This performance is sponsored by NYC Emergency Management and their National Disaster Prevention Month, so audience members will leave the performance nourished: will bellies full of chai and pakoras (to make people feel comfortable and connected to the place we’re in), good vibes, and tangible materials: emergency disaster kits, with supplies like non-perishable culturally competent food, headlamps, battery packs, and zines about community flood protection in accessible and engaging language.
This project is funded and supported by the Huntington Arts Council, StreetWorks, and Culture Push, and is featuring performances by Val Ramirez, Isa Nicdao, Ray Jordan Achan, Alex Scelso, and Spoorti Hegde, graphic design by Kruttika Susarla, documentation by Sarah Drepaul and Andre Fernandez, and sound design by Sriram Iyer. For this project, I’m working with community leaders working across housing justice, disaster preparedness, and placemaking in the neighborhoods we’re performing, who are both helping spread the word about the performance and joining the devising process, Jess Balgobin, Mehrnaz Tiv, and Janggo Mahmud.
