World Premiere Play 'BOV WATER at Northern Stage Receives NEA Grant

Northern Stage has announced a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support the development of the world premiere production of 'Bov Water, playing January 25 - February 12 in the Byrne Theater at the Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction, Vermont, as part of Northern Stage's 25th Anniversary Season.

Written by 2018 Dartmouth graduate Celeste Jennings, author of Northern Stage's 2020 production of Citrus, 'Bov Water is a powerful new play that focuses on four generations of Black women who breathe and bathe in a past that's both intentionally and accidentally forgotten. Challenging and discovering their own narratives from the Civil War to the 1960s to modern-day America, these strong and inquisitive souls wrestle to unearth a family's past and build resilience for the future. 'Bov Water is a touching, vital, and intensely human poetic journey that aims to answer how do you define yourself if you don't know your family's history?

This NEA grant is one of 1,251 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling nearly $28.8 million that were announced by the NEA as part of its first round of fiscal year 2023 grants. The grant supports Northern Stage's partnership with The Ensemble Theatre, a theater dedicated to preserving African American artistic expression located in Houston, Texas. The partnership will allow the world premiere of 'Bov Water to be filmed in Vermont and streamed to The Ensemble's audience, exposing Jennings' work to a culturally specific audience as she continues to develop the play. Northern Stage and The Ensemble Theatre are both members of the BOLD Women's Theater Leadership Cohort, a visionary initiative funded by the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation created to bridge the career gaps for women in American theater and led by Northern Stage Producing Artistic Director Carol Dunne.

"The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects in communities nationwide," said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. "Projects such as this one with Northern Stage strengthen arts and cultural ecosystems, provide equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contribute to the health of our communities and our economy."

"The development of new work is one of the best things we can do for the American theater today, and Celeste's visionary choreopoem is truly one-of-a-kind," says Northern Stage Producing Artistic Director Carol Dunne. "There is nothing more universal than exploring one's family history. We are proud to be able to partner with The Ensemble Theatre to bring this work, written by a member of our community, to audiences not just here in Vermont but also in Texas and beyond."

Directed by abigail jean-baptiste, who was recently named one of the "Powerhouse Women Directors Theatre Fans and Industry Pros Alike Need to Know" by Playbill, 'Bov Water's cast of three includes Kelly Renee Anderson as Somebody's Mama, Erin Margaret Pettigrew as Another Daughter and Bobbi Johnson as Sister Girl. Current Dartmouth student and Northern Stage Experiential Term (E-Term) resident Alexandria Piton will understudy all roles.

Playwright Celeste Jennings will also serve as Costume Designer for the production. Joining Jennings and jean-baptiste on the creative team are Choreographer/Intimacy Coordinator Ashleigh King (Northern Stage's Spring Awakening and Monty Python's Spamalot), as well as Yvonne L. Miranda (Set Designer), Twi McCallum (Sound Designer), Amina Alexander (Lighting Designer), Naomi Indira (Hair/Wig Designer), Shiku Thuo (Production Stage Manager), David Ryan Smith (Dialect Coach), and Aryma Mya Moore (Costume Assistant).

Performance times are Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., Thursdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 5 p.m, with a student matinee on Wednesday, February 8th at 11 a.m.. Opening Night is Saturday, January 28th at 6:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $19 to $69 - $19 for students of all ages, $20 for those under the age of 25, and $34 for all seats on the final preview performance, Friday, January 27th at 7:30 p.m. Pay What You Can for the first two preview performances, Wednesday and Thursday, January 25th and 26th at 7:30 p.m. Access for All tickets (for EBT card holders) are $5 and are available for any performance while ticket supplies last. The Byrne Theater at the Barrette Center for the Arts is located at 74 Gates Street, White River Junction, VT. For tickets and information, call (802) 296-7000 or visit www.northernstage.org. COVID-19 PROTOCOLS: Masks are not required but are encouraged inside the Barrette Center for the Arts.