The Judith Project
- Performance Artist, Judith Lead, 2019
- Dramaturg to performance director, Nessa Norich, 2018-19
- Lead facilitator and educator of Feminist Master Class Summer Series, 2018
Judith in Rage, Screaming the Mourner’s Kaddish
Judith Leads: Vanessa Soudan: Judith in Grief, Mati Engel: Judith in Rage, & Laura Escalante: Judith in Love
THE JUDITHS OF VIRTUOUS DISSENT
The Judiths of Virtuous Dissent revives the story of Judith of Bethulia, the mythological rebel who drove the oppressor’s knife straight into his head. Theater Artist, Nessa Norich and Theater Dramaturg, Mati Engel, play with absurd and elemental truths on mythic grounds to devise rituals of parsed chaos, activating anger, and enriching illumination in this new work of performance. An ensemble of interdisciplinary artists will channel the fullness of our grief, anger and love to construct a prismatic portrait of a woman who vanquishes the force of violence with the force of feeling. Find comfort in our shared cries, find courage in our honesty. An invitation to release fear with laughter, and gather energy to fight for better futures.
Performed December 4th, 2018 at Mister Rogers in Brooklyn, NY.
The Judiths of Virtuous Dissent. Work in Progress Performance. Mister Rogers, Brooklyn NY, Dec 2018.
Feminist Masters Theater Series:
The Feminist Theater Master Class Series is a 5-part workshop that delved into the myth of Judith (Apocryphal) through the lens of feminist theory. The series kick-started the research and development of the contemporary theatrical adaptation of the myth. This free workshop provided a brave space for performers and non-performers alike to find their own voices and stories in the feminist and original apocryphal texts in community through performance.
Through discussion and collaboration, this creative process was designed to foster allyship and community amongst all who identify personally with the struggle for gender equity, welcoming womxn, female-identifying, gender non-conforming, and trans folks.
Facilitated by Nessa Norich, Mati Engel and special guests speakers.
Feminist Theatre Community Master Class:
5 SESSIONS, 2-PARTS EACH
Each session in the masterclass series was comprised of two elements: a Thursday night salon, which introduced the subject matter and provided source-material for theatrical interpretation in the Sunday afternoon, theater masterclass.
THE SERIES WE TAUGHT THE FOLLOWING PERFORMANCE TECHNIQUES:
Composing autobiographical performance
Narration using poetic movement
Developing feminist narrative structure
Transforming ideas into visual form using poetic movement, character, and storytelling
Enhancing performance skills such as physical presence, vocal technique, embodied movement and acting.