Neu First Wednesdays: Congo in Theater, Dance, Costume, and Music

Neu First Wednesdays are designed by Purchase College students to provide lively social, creative and intellectual engagement with works of art for their fellow students and the wider community.

The program on March 4 includes:

4:30 pm: Reading of scenes from Ruined, a play by Lynn Nottage

Set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Purchase College students, Conservatory of Theatre Arts.

5:00 pm: A Conversation with Lynn Nottage

Moderated by Rachel Dickstein, Visiting Assistant Professor of Theater, Purchase College. Lynn Nottage is one of America’s most prestigious living playwrights. Her play, Ruined, is considered one of the most important dramatic interpretations of gender politics and sexual assault in war-torn Congo, won the Pulitzer Prize, an Obie Award, the Drama Desk Award, and countless other notable awards. Ms. Nottage will speak about her experience interviewing Congolese men and women as she was researching Ruined.

6:30 pm: Kuba Textiles in Sound and Motion!

Get inspired by vibrant Kuba patterns and myths! Join Purchase College students from the Conservatory of Dance, Music, and Theatre Arts as they weave together improvisational movement, cloth with designs inspired by Central African patterns, and an original score instilled with African musical traditions.

6:30 pm: New Media Lecture: Ida C. Benedetto

Ida C. Benedetto is a Media Strategist and Experience Designer whose creative roots lie in documentary and whose current work involves games and interactive experiences. A Fulbright scholar and co-organizer of the Yellow Thread Society (for women in gaming) who has produced media productions and documentaries in Africa and Latin America, Benedetto is the founder of Antidote Games, an innovative organization that has created “games for change” in collaboration with the Red Cross, the Overseas Development Institute, and the African Climate Change Resilience Network.