What's New
Photos by Caroline Yang, 2019.
The 2019 Pillsbury House Theatre Naked Stages fellows, Queen Drea, Amoke Awele Kubat, and Hawona Sullivan Janzen, will each premiere an original performance at Pillsbury House Theatre January 16 – 25, 2020. Their pieces are directed by Signe Harriday, Maren Ward and Mankwe Ndosi, with creative mentorship from Djola Branner and and Naked Stages Director Pramila Vasudevan.
All tickets are Pick Your Price. (Regular price = $16. Anything over $16 is considered a donation.) Shows are January 16 – 25, Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM. Post-show discussions will occur on Saturday, January 18th and Friday, January 24th.
Learn more about their pieces:
Queen Drea’s Soul Chamber: The Chaos Inside
by Queen Drea
Directed by Signe Harriday
Queen Drea’s Soul Chamber: The Chaos Inside is an aural, comedic and movement- based exploration into chaos inside of QD’s mind. Sometimes the chaos enhances creative spirit, sometimes it opens memory, sometimes it conjures a whole lot of wisecracks, and often it leaves a composition undone till the last possible moment. I mean, it’s chaos, so what do you expect?
Good Old Pussy and Old Good Pussy
by Amoke Awele Kubat
Directed by Maren Ward
Amoke’s project, Good Old Pussy and Old Good Pussy (aka Good Old Kit Kat and Old Good Kit Kat) is about Black women’s UNSAIDS about AGING; mind, body, and sexuality. This work explores the historical and continual objectification of Black female bodies from slavery to medical progress and bioethics, educational institutions, the workplace and contemporary media images.
Hydro’s Phobia
by Hawona Sullivan Janzen
Directed by Mankwe Ndosi
Hydro’s Phobia is the true-false story of Hydro, a healer woman who struggles with a profound fear of water. Moments of her life are revealed through a series of narratives performed by tour guides from her dreams. One part performance art, one part self-help book, and three parts fantasy, Hydro’s Phobia is a living ode, a love-poem for anyone who has ever been afraid.
NAKED STAGES NEWS
The 2015 Naked Stages fellows are: Marisa R. Carr, Juanda Petris, and Eliza Rasheed. Marisa R. Carr is a composer, playwright, and activist who was named “Best New Political Playwright” by Lavender Magazine earlier this year. She will create a performance piece inspired by her police officer father. Junauda Petris is a dancer, writer, and aerial artist who will be installing ritualistic and artistic spaces around the building, outside of the theatre. Finally, Eliza Rasheed is an actor, dancer, playwright, and director who will use her lens as an Asian multiracial woman to guide her work.
Naked Stages, a 9-month Jerome Fellowship for emerging performance artists at Pillsbury House Theatre, is now accepting applications for 2015. Three emerging artists will be selected: two will create a performance for the stage and one will be creating a performance-based installation of their design in or around PHT’s building.
The 2014 Naked Stages artists are Eric F. Avery, PaviElle French, and B Billy … Read more…
Naked Stages, a 7-month Jerome Fellowship for emerging performance artists at Pillsbury House Theatre, is now accepting applications for 2014. Three emerging artists will be selected, two will create a performance for the stage and one will be creating a performance-based installation of their design in or around PHT’s building.
The 2013 Naked Stages artists are Emily Zimmer, Moheb Soliman, and Zainab Musa. Zainab has worked internationally as an actor as well as with local companies like Mixed Blood and Sandbox Theatre. Moheb is a poet and interdisciplinary artist new to Minnesota by way of Montreal and Egypt. Emily Zimmer is a regular performer on the Open Eye Figure Theatre stage as well as with Frank Theatre and Children’s Theatre Company. Read more…
Artist Applications for the 2013 Naked Stages Program are now available. Read more…
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About Naked Stages
WHAT IS 
?
Pillsbury House Theatre, with support from the Jerome Foundation, seeks to provide a mentorship opportunity for emerging performance artists in Minnesota.
Three emerging artists, funded by the Jerome Foundation, use multiple media, puppetry, storytelling, satire, and movement to present their work to the public.
A creative opportunity unlike any other in Minnesota, Naked Stages is the culmination of a 7 month training fellowship that provides three emerging performance artists with the time, resources, and mentorship they need to bring their distinctive visions to life on stage. In addition to regular feedback sessions, the artists participate in workshops with local creators, as well as more intensive workshops with nationally-renowned artists. Once a month, they also participate in production meetings focused on the business side of art, from audience development to technical support, helping to develop their unique voice into a sustainable, artistic career.
Naked Stages performances are the final step of a multi-layered program designed for artists to be their most bold and creative selves.
What is Performance Art?
Below is a summary adapted from the essay “Fluid Landscapes,” by Lois Keidan and Daniel Brine.
“Performance Art is not a singular form of art, but an umbrella term for work that pushes the boundaries of diverse disciplines. Disrupting borders, breaking rules, defying traditions, resisting definition, asking questions and activating audiences, Performance Art is a research engine where the limits of art and ideas are tested and new possibilities imagined.”
Photos
Video
Past Artists
2017 NAKED STAGES ARTISTS
Jessica Lopez Lyman
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Ritika Ganguly
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Antonio Duke
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2016 NAKED STAGES ARTISTS
Magnolia Yang Sao Yia
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Nadia Honary
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Shante’ Sojourn Zenith
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2015 NAKED STAGES ARTISTS
Eliza Rasheed
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Junauda Petrus
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Marisa R. Carr
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2014 NAKED STAGES ARTISTS
B Billy Xiong
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PaviElle French
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Eric F. Avery
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2013 NAKED STAGES ARTISTS
Moheb Soliman
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Zainab Musa
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Emily Zimmer
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2012 NAKED STAGES ARTISTS
Jeffry Lusiak
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Zoe Sommers Haas
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David T Steinman
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Ahanti Young
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2011 NAKED STAGES ARTISTS
Moe Lionel
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Ephraim Eusebio
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Max Wirsing
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Paulino Brener
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2010 NAKED STAGES ARTISTS
M. Cochise Anderson
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Esther Ouray
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Andrea Jenkins
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Janaki Ranpura
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2009 NAKED STAGES ARTISTS
Miré Regulus
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Kelley A Meister
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Julian McFaul
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Julia Elizabeth Babb
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All 2010 Naked Stages artist photos by Craig VanDerSchaegen. 2009 and 2011 photos by Ann Marsden.
