Special Events
Considering the Field: A Special Event with Jenn Kidwell
April 15 at 5:00 p.m. (CST)
Join keynote speaker Jenn Kidwell for a Zoom discussion. This is a moment to connect with others, discuss that may be concerning, confounding, exciting, inspiring or bothering you, and respond to facilitated group discussions. Registration required.
Opening Ceremony
April 12 at 5:00 p.m. (CST)
Join us in a virtual celebration of the art we have created together and hear from the festival's producers, members of the executive committee and keynote speaker Jenn Kidwell.
Closing Ceremony
April 16 at 5:00 p.m.
Join us for an evening celebration of another great Cohen New Works Festival.
Panel Discussions
Join some of our esteemed guest artists and members of The Cohen New Works Festival for a series of discussions, happening on the Brockett Stream (Channel 1) daily from 1:00-2:00 p.m.
About Time
Monday, April 12 | 1:00-2:00 p.m.
A craft conversation that gets into the "nitty gritty" of all things episodic, durational and/or nonlinear. The festival is now - but how do we know when "now" is?
Panelists
Bonnie Cox
Christopher Biggs
Jeff Gan
Moderator: Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel
Scroll down for accessibility resources.
Centering Latinx Storytelling
Tuesday, April 13 | 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Dive into the rich and complex Latinx storyworlds that explore the intersections of style, message and culture.
Panelists
Carra Martinez
Marisela Trevino Orta
Florinda Bryant
Moderator: Erica Patricia Saucedo
Scroll down for accessibility resources.
Expanding Definitions of TYA
Wednesday, April 14 | 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Explore the ways TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) plays with a wide range of aesthetics, content and form while remaining rooted in youth and community.
Panelists
Jenn Hartmann
Deborah Wicks La Puma
Shavonne Coleman
Moderator: Giana Blazquez
Scroll down for accessibility resources.
Representations of Blackness
Thursday, April 15 | 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Black is not a monolith. This discussion celebrates the many ways Black artists move and represent racial identity in their work.
Panelists
Gilbert Bailey II
Kai Hazelwood
Nicholas Kaidoo
Moderator: Yunina Barbour-Payne
The team would like to invite those participating and viewing this panel discussion to join in a moment of silence for Daunte Wright. Please find resources below to support the family and all BIPOC struggling during this difficult time:
- Mental Health Resources
- Resources to stand in solidarity with the Wright family
- Support the Daunte Wright Sr. Memorial Fund
- Resources to support Daunte Wright's son and girlfriend
Scroll down for accessibility resources.
What's "New?"
Friday, April 16 | 1:00-2:00 p.m.
The concept of "newness" is hard to pin down - even for a festival with "New" in its name. Consider the nuances of new in this conversation on the meanings, parameters and opportunities that newness offers.
Panelists
Rebecca Wright
Erin Reilly
Zavé Martohardjono
Moderator: Ashley Malafronte
Scroll down for accessibility resources.
Accessibility Resources
Please find below information from the Center for Hearing and Communications and the Theatre Accessibility Programs from Theatre Development Fund about available options for live captions.
Digital Lobby Displays
Experience the virtual lobby displays for 2021 Cohen New Works Festival projects. These displays welcome audiences to learn more about the works presented, the teams' digital art-making process and resources related to the initiatives of the projects.
A dance/theatre piece exploring mental health through a series of monologues and movement. Created by Trinity Gordon.
Manufacturing Female Digital Lobby Display
A dance/art film exploring the societal pressures placed on women through a series of movement solos accompanied by four paintings. Created by Sarah Wales.
THIS IS LIFE DIGITAL LOBBY DISPLAY
This short web series explores different stages of out-patient treatment for eating disorder (ED) recovery through the stories of two college students.
OUR STORIES HEAL DIGITAL LOBBY DISPLAY
Incorporating the voices of youth from the Settlement Home for Children in Austin, Texas, Our Stories Heal: Mind, Body and Soul investigates the importance of mental health and the ways art can serve as a tool to support and heal communities of color.
MARGOT AND MR. SNOOZE DIGITAL LOBBY DISPLAY
This TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) musical explores issues of mental health from the perspective of Margot, a nine-year-old girl.
Production Interviews
The Mad Maps Project presents a series of interviews in addition to their project (available here) with a series of artists.
Production Process | An interview with Slade Billew
Slade Billew teaches acting and movement at Stephen F. Austin State University. He is also a fight choreographer, movement coach and director for the School of Theatre. Billew holds a M.F.A. in Theatre Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Ph.D. in Theatre from Bowling Green State University.
Production Process | An interview with Rosie Brownlow
Rosie Brownlow-Calkin is an Equity actor and educator from Portland, Oregon. She has worked as an actor at regional theatres across the country including South Coast Repertory, PCPA, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Sierra Rep, the Getty Villa, Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum, New Swan Shakespeare Festival and Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble. Film and TV work includes appearances on TruTV, Buzzfeed and the 2015 Emmy Awards, and commercials for Sears, HTC Vive, CNN’s Election Center and the smartphone apps Best Fiends and Even. Before joining the faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno, she taught at Stephen F. Austin State University, UC Irvine, PCPA and Los Angeles' Stella Adler Art of Acting Studio.
Production Process | An interview with Kristin Perkins
Kristin Perkins is an alumna of The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance (M.A. 2019). Her work has been performed through Microburst Theatre Festival, Ouch! Theatre and the V-Project. Perkins is an alumna of Brigham Young University where she graduated magna cum laude with university honors, majoring in theatre arts studies with a minor in women's studies.
