New to the Neighborhood
New to the Neighborhood is a residency program intended to be an incubator for Brooklyn-based emerging artists from underrepresented communities. Specifically, we curate residents who are female, trans, and non-binary artists of the Global Majority. We selected these specific groups as they have historically been underserved by the American theater industry, and this residency aims to help redress that imbalance.
The inaugural New to the Neighborhood Residency is made possible with funds from the Howard Gilman Foundation, administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council as well as additional support from IndieSpace and the offices of City Counselor C.M. Hudson and State Senator Julia Salazar.
Meet Our Inaugural Cohort
Taji Senior (She/Her) is a writer, actor and artist at large. She was born in Stuttgart, Germany, raised in Amarillo, TX and Philadelphia, and currently resides in Brooklyn. She won the school spelling bee in fourth grade. It is her biggest accomplishment to date. Her show Contestant 8 follows a young, Black beauty queen who descends into obscurity after a nearly all-white jury finds the man accused of raping her guilty. More than thirty years later, as public scrutiny about the validity of her claims still lingers, she resurfaces and agrees to a once and final public conversation about what happened that night. Contestant 8 is an interrogation of fame, class, race, sexuality and gender. This is not the story of what Mike Tyson did to Desiree Washington, but a story of what America sometimes does to the young, Black, beautiful and ambitious.
Claire Soleil Gardner (They/She) is a multi-disciplinary playwright, director, dramaturg and performer with a BFA in Theatre Arts from Boston University. Based in Boston and NYC, recent work includes The Kittie Knox Plays commissioned by Plays in Place, playing "Moon" in Two Spirit F(l)ag by Ty Defoe in the Say Gay Plays festival at NYU Skirball and assistant direction of Number Our Days at the Perelman Performing Arts Center. Claire is a proud Indigenous (Metis-Plains Cree) queer individual whose passion for history, education and social justice are central to their work. Their show Out of the Earth is based on the historic looting of an ancient Native town's burial ground at Slack Farm in 1987. Over 900 ancient graves were desecrated, alarming both Native Activists and archaeologists. The Red Power movement's strongest days were over by 1987, but the movement's leaders were still powerful in their communities. When Janice, the daughter of one of these leaders, meets the lead archaeologist on site they form an unlikely friendship. Their connection is only as strong as the allyship of lead archaeologist Dr. Helgeson, a white intellectual heavily influenced by her husband's prejudices. Janice tries to distinguish whether this is merely educational for the archaeologists or whether it is radicalizing, and whether that makes a difference if the remains are not reburied. Out of the Earth asks, what do Americans take out of the earth and what do we give back?
Looking Back at Our First Cycle
Our first cycle took place in the autumn of 2024, culminating in two sold-out staged readings in December at MITU580. We partnered with the International Theatre Artists listserv, the Asian American Arts Alliance, Chez Bushwick and IndieSpace to expand the program reach. We received more that 50 applications, and our brilliant inaugural residents, Taji Senior and Clare Soleil Gardener, shared that [I] felt safe and I felt like the team did what they could to make sure we were supported, that [I] think maintaining the idea of process over product from the team was so nurturing and helpful,
and that I had an overall really wonderful experience and was grateful to be part of the program and I hope it continues.
Similarly, City Councilor CM Hudson described the program as a transformative initiative poised to make a significant impact on our vibrant city and its emerging artists,
while State Senator Julia Salazar added that [B]y providing emerging artists with a supportive and dynamic environment, this project not only nurtures artistic talent but also injects fresh energy into our local arts ecosystem.
We are currently seeking funding for a second cycle.
