Rainy Day Play

I directed and co-wrote Rainy Day Play as the 2022 Artist in Residency for NYU’s FloodNet Center. Rainy Day Play is a public art project about flooding, flood sensors, and the communities we create after/because of/despite disasters, covered in NY City News Service.

We performed in three neighborhoods where FloodNet was installing flood sensors, the Gowanus Dredgers Community Boathouse, Edgemere Farm, and the West Harlem Piers. After each performance, we hosted an interactive community talkback with nourishment cooked from produce from Edgemere Farm that engaged community members about their visions for a more climate just city. Each night brought over 100+ audience members, despite performing in the pouring rain in Gowanus. Also, we made a 40 page zine about community flood protection (click here to see it!) A month later, we were commissioned by the Columbia Climate School to perform at their Sandy+10 conference at the West Harlem Piers.

📍 Edgemere Farm, Gowanus Dredgers Community Boathouse, and West Harlem Piers

Co-written and directed: by yours truly
Performers/devisers: Isa Hussein, Kanika Asavari Vaish, Zahra Budhwani, Victor Gao, Nikolas Michael, and Talisa Velasquez
Documentation: Steffany Poveda
Production Design: Lucky Bommireddy
Catering: Olivia Salomon