our mission.
The Muse Project is an experimental initiative that seeks to disrupt the imbalance of opportunity and ownership of work for women actors through the development of challenging, actor-driven theater works and focused research into their participation in the American theater. Our company shifts the theater paradigm through the empowerment of women actors as collaborators, creators, and content generators.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Muse launched and is developing a podcast series called A Simple Herstory about all the women who have run for President of the United States. Over a hundred women have made a run for it, but their stories are rarely heard. This podcast series features the lives of the women who aggressively, voraciously, and passionately sought to assume the highest office in the land - and lost. Part experimental radio play, it features an all woman cast, centering their voices, literally and metaphorically. Initiated by Producing AD and performer, Jocelyn Kuritsky, it functions as a kind of über Muse project for challenging theatrical times, with the voice of actress Florencia Lozano at the helm of the storytelling for Season 1, alongside a team of collaborators including Donya K. Washington (director), Jonathan A. Goldberg (writer), and Jane Shaw (technical director & sound designer).
Herstorically, the primary focus of Muse is to move women actors to the center by charging them to identify and generate the roles they want to play. The traditional theater model asks women actors to fit themselves into roles overwhelmingly in service of men characters. Women-centric stories, when produced, are often relegated to the second stage theaters, lower budget productions, and fringe theater scenes. The Muse Project seeks to change the model and put the power into the hands of women actors. The Muse Project gives them the agency to portray the characters and tell the stories that excite them.
Over the past several years, Muse has developed a new model called the "Mini Muse." Muse has given individual women performers time and space and has worked to front them in the funding model during the development of their individual Muse projects. Muse helps women actors to create a team of collaborators, as well (other actors, writers, directors, musicians, and so forth). The work they embark on is shared with audiences to incite discussion and further development through a workshop process (the "Mini Muse").
The Muse Project is focused on empowering a diversity of voices within the New York City theater and media scene, with the very specific aim of highlighting and supporting the expansive work of women actors.
Over the past several years, Muse has developed a new model called the "Mini Muse." Muse has given individual women performers time and space and has worked to front them in the funding model during the development of their individual Muse projects. Muse helps women actors to create a team of collaborators, as well (other actors, writers, directors, musicians, and so forth). The work they embark on is shared with audiences to incite discussion and further development through a workshop process (the "Mini Muse").
The Muse Project is focused on empowering a diversity of voices within the New York City theater and media scene, with the very specific aim of highlighting and supporting the expansive work of women actors.
our leadership.
Women actors comprise one of the largest cohorts in the performing arts community. To facilitate a culture of growth, disruption, interdependence, and community lead work, we make and have been developing the following commitments and infrastructure:
*The Muse Project will always be helmed by an actress or a team of actresses.
*The Muse Project will have thoughtful, periodic leadership change, exchange, and evolution.
*Muse selection will be determined through inter-actress nomination and/or curation.
To learn more about our leadership musings, please get in touch.
*The Muse Project will always be helmed by an actress or a team of actresses.
*The Muse Project will have thoughtful, periodic leadership change, exchange, and evolution.
*Muse selection will be determined through inter-actress nomination and/or curation.
To learn more about our leadership musings, please get in touch.
our research.
The second "branch" under The Muse Project umbrella is our interest in & commitment to research. We seek to provide objective and illuminating information about the demographic breakdown of the New York and national theater communities as it relates to the employment of women actors. We hope that through this research, we can continue to encourage artistic leaders to push their organizations towards greater and more inclusive programming and hiring.