WP: A Little Theater That Could

You have likely strolled past its quiet marquee many times on Broadway at 76th. You may have even wondered what exactly is WP? Well, the Women’s Project is in its 47th season, the nation’s oldest and largest theater company dedicated to developing, producing, and promoting the work of female theatrical artists. Even its artistic director, Lisa McNulty, concedes many on the UWS are unaware what this unique company offers.

The WP was founded by one Julia Miles, and it has produced more than 600 mainstage productions as well as countless female-driven developmental projects. “The WP matters, because it was the first of its kind, against all odds,” says Pat Schoenfeld, who, at 95, is a proud and bubbly supporter (and the widow of theater magnate Gerald). “Pat was essential to this place,” says McNulty.

“This place” is a decidedly unglamorous venue that seats 108 in its mainstage room. Could it use a facelift? Indeed. Its artistic neighbor, the Beacon, looks palatially up-to-date in comparison. “At some point we’d love to upgrade the marquee,” admits McNulty. “But it’s a big spend for us, so it’s definitely not in our immediate future.”

The good news is the theater had a big hit recently with a recent production, Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library. It was extended three times. And now, about to open is minor-ity, written by Francisca da Silveira, with previews starting March 29 and official opening on April 14. This play takes place at an international African arts conference, in Paris, where a go-getting directing prodigy from America joins a jaded veteran painter and a formerly banned storyteller. As they prepare for each panel discussion, generational and cultural differences lead to clashes, and a fierce competition emerges among the three artists.

This three-hander interrogates Black identity, the plurality of the African diaspora, and what it means to be a sought-after artist. Primarily, it asks pertinent questions about how words are used. “And it’s a comedy,” the playwright laughs. “I find the best way to ask these questions is through comedy. I was reading about someone who had misinterpreted the very word ‘minority.’ It made me think about words that can take on different meanings and have become used so much that their definition and nuance have become unclear. How do artists position themselves in order to survive and continue what they’re doing? This is particularly relevant for Black artists. Often there is the one Black slot in the season and others lose those opportunities.”

Like other WP productions, this one was born somewhere else. “It was originally commissioned and workshopped with Colt Coeur,” says da Silveira, referring to the Brooklyn-based theater company. “When WP said yes to a co-production, I was elated. This is allowing me an opportunity to see how productions come to be. I’m in all those conversations. You have your lists of companies you’d like to be with, WP was high on mind. I’d heard only positive experiences.”

If her own family attends, this could be a sellout. The playwright has nine brothers and three sisters. “I am the youngest,” she says, “so in a way I grew up a little bit alone, creating stories, and playing by myself. I went to NYU Tisch for playwrighting. There is something about the theater, its importance in history, that I hold very close to me, especially at times like this. It’s an inherently collaborative medium. You can create impactful work with just the power and wisdom of the people.”

The playwright grew up not only in a busy household, but a non-English-speaking one. Portuguese Creole is what her family spoke. “I have to figure out how to explain this play to my mother,” she says, “but I want her there opening night. I want to be part of showing African stories in a different light and different genre. What’s exciting about this moment is that the inspiration for minor-ity was the former feeling that there can only be one way to tell a story. Right now, we’re saying there are so many vibrant ways to tell these stories. It is limitless.”

Many credit WP’s Lisa McNulty, who has essentially been at the helm of WP for a decade. “Thinking about who isn’t being represented has always been very much the idea here,” she says. One of her solutions: “our two-year Lab residency, which is the only one which includes women producers along with directors and writers,” she says. “We are setting the stage for future careers. Like a trampoline, these women make their debuts here, and then they go off and soar.”

Daryl Roth, arguably the most important woman in New York’s theater community (with a downtown theater named for her), is a big WP fan. “One of the most important things that it does is offer artists the time and space to work in those labs,” says Roth. “That all-important birthing continues to flourish under the wonderful leadership of Lisa. The words ‘encouraging,’ ‘nurturing,’ and ‘kind’ remain the cornerstones of WP.”

And yet, the company’s slightly under-the-radar rep among locals still rankles. “We’re trying to get the word out to Upper West Siders that they have an award-winning world-class theater in their neighborhood. But it’s a complex time. We have a shifting economy, a shifting audience. I don’t think anyone who does theater does it for any reason other than love. We’re just trying to put one foot in front of another.”

Minor-ity previews start March 29, and it officially opens on April 14 through April 27. WP Theater is at 2162 Broadway at 76th Street); wpthoeater.org