Lileana Blain-Cruz

I started my journey at New York Theatre Workshop doing a reading with Branden Jacobs-Jenkins—he was an artist in the fellowship program at the time. I remember walking into the third-floor studio with its skylight and feeling such a wonderful, positive energy. I applied for the fellowship myself. The first time—and second time—I didn’t get in! Ha! But something about NYTW drew me back—its warmth, its circle of artists, the deep questioning that seemed to reverberate through the space. So, I applied again after grad school. This time, I got in.

November 22, 2022

In Dreaming Zenzile, Somi awakens the power of Miriam Makeba; What a GIFT it was to witness. Makeba’s powers included her ability to transport an audience and motivate folks into action for social change. This play is a work of conjuring in which through Somi we get an intimate look into the soul of Makeba.

June 12, 2022 by Trevor Latez Hayes (Creator of @BlackBoysDoTheater)

Nothing brings us more joy than being in the room with artists, especially meeting people for the first time! After many zoom conversations across the country and across continents, it was with such joy that we welcomed Somi Kakoma and the company of Dreaming Zenzile to NYTW for their first rehearsal!

May 7, 2022 by NYTW

NYTW Literary Director and Dramaturg Aaron Malkin sits down with WNYC’s Rebecca Ibarra  to chat about the 2021/22 & 2022/23 seasons!

July 21, 2021 by Rebecca Ibara for WNYC

Pull up a chair and chat with Lileana Blain-Cruz: NYTW Board Member, Usual Suspect, and director of the world-premiere production of Dreaming Zenzile, which arrives at NYTW in 2022.

June 12, 2021 by NYTW

We’re proud to announce the complete 2021/22 Season as well as initial work for the 2022/23 Season!

“As we considered our return to live performance, we realized that in addition to the interrupted commitments we’d made, the artists in our community had not stopped creating—there was even more work that demanded our attention,” said Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director Jeremy Blocker.

June 7, 2021 by NYTW