THE MUSE PROJECT
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    • DECEMBER MUSE

herstory.

our story.

The Muse Project began as a question posed by actor Jocelyn Kuritsky: Why do women actors still struggle to feel fulfilled by the roles they play and the opportunities they are given? A search for an answer to this question and an investigation of its genesis has, through a series of successes, failures, and iterations, led to the development of a project devoted to providing women actors with the resources and stimulation to create theatrical art out of their deepest impulses and unfulfilled artistic desires.
The first test of The Muse Project model took place in May and June of 2013, with space granted by director Ian Morgan and The New Group. The selected actor was Tina Benko.

Kuritsky, Benko, and director Mia Rovegno collaborated for about two weeks, creating new material, both scripted and improvised. The resulting piece was presented in workshop format on May 30, 2013 to an audience of invited guests. The Benko piece was a solo performance that delved into universal questions and concerns about female identity in a way that was shocking and electrifying. This workshop paved the way for what we now term a Mini Muse, a developmental model, and our core program.
Tina blew me away. I can't stop thinking about her presentation. I was really surprised with how Tina approached universal questions, concerns, arguments about female identity, gender roles, women in the entertainment industry in a way that was utterly new & engaging. The piece inspired me to examine my own career & what I want to create.

​-Tamara Del Rosso, actor
Actor Tina Benko in a Mini Muse rehearsal at New Georges' The Room. Photo by Alek Deva.
Director Mia Rovegno in a Mini Muse rehearsal for Tina Benko at New Georges' The Room. Photo by Alek Deva.
Actors Jocelyn Kuritsky & Jeff Hayenga in a Mini Muse rehearsal at New Georges' The Room. Photo by Alek Deva.
Playwright Kim Davies, actor/producer Jocelyn Kuritsky & actor/producer Noel Joseph Allain at a Mini Muse talkback at New Georges' The Room. Photo by Alek Deva.
Actor Lynn Cohen in a Mini Muse rehearsal at The New Group. Photo by Anna Lathrop.
Actor Lynn Cohen in a Mini Muse rehearsal at New Georges' The Room. Photo by Jocelyn Kuritsky.
Actor Birgit Huppuch & actor/writer Déa Julien in a Mini Muse presentation at Theaterlab. Photo by Anna Lathrop.
Director Adrienne Campbell-Holt, actor/playwright Déa Julien, & actor/producer Jocelyn Kuritsky in a Mini Muse talkback at Theaterlab. Photo by Anna Lathrop.
Actor/playwright Jessica Frances Dukes in rehearsal with colleagues at The New Group. Photos by various.
Actor/playwright Jessica Frances Dukes presenting an excerpt from her Mini Muse at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Rooney.
In October 2015, The Muse Project officially launched as a brand new, woman-focused theater initiative.
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The 2015-16 year was the first, experimental year of The Muse Project.
 Kuritsky’s own Muse Project was developed and produced. In early 2015, Kuritsky approached director Tony Speciale and playwright Kim Davies ​about creating a new play, inspired by Rolling Stone's blockbuster (and now retracted) A Rape on Campus. Stet, a new play inspired by true events, was written by Kim Davies and conceived & developed by Kim Davies, Jocelyn Kuritsky, and Tony Speciale. Stet premiered at Abingdon Theatre Company - in association with The Muse Project - toward the end of the 2015/16 season, and it enjoyed a successful, extended, Off-Broadway run. To read about the process and the show, click here. Stet also visited the Poconos in September 2016. Read more about it here.
Even without Jocelyn Kuritsky’s virtuosity in the role, Davies has written the type of female lead of intelligence and startling dimension that our American stages need. This is no accident: Kuritsky began The Muse Project to give female performers the opportunity and resources to helm their own dream projects—an admirable reaction to the gender disparity within NYC’s theatre community.
​
​-Exeunt Magazine
Actor Jocelyn Kuritsky, playwright Kim Davies, & actor Lynn Cohen at The Muse Project's 2015 kickoff at Poverty Row Entertainment. Photo by Beth Gittleman.
Actors Megan McQuillan, Mike Crane, Rob Yang, Nicole Golden, Anna O'Donoghue, Havilah Brewster, and Rosalie Lowe at The Muse Project's 2015 kickoff at Poverty Row Entertainment. Photo by Beth Gittleman.
Actors Lynn Cohen, Lynne Marie Rosenberg, Kyra Miller, & Chelsea Dee at The Muse Project's 2015 kickoff at Poverty Row Entertainment. Photo by Beth Gittleman.
Actor Kyra Miller & director Ian Morgan at The Muse Project's 2015 kickoff at Poverty Row Entertainment. Photo by Beth Gittleman.
Actors Quincy Tyler Bernstine & Jocelyn Kuritsky at The Muse Project's 2015 kickoff at Poverty Row Entertainment. Photo by Beth Gittleman.
Tony Speciale prepares for Stet at Abingdon Theatre Co. in 2016 in NYC. Photo by Ben Strothmann.
Déa Julien prepares for Stet at Abingdon Theatre Co. in 2016 in NYC. Photo by Ben Strothmann.
Actors Jocelyn Kuritsky & Bruce McKenzie in Stet at Abingdon Theatre Co. in 2016. Photo by Ben Strothmann.
Actors Jocelyn Kuritsky & Jack Fellows in Stet at Abingdon Theatre Co. in 2016. Photo by Ben Strothmann.
Lexi Lapp & Jocelyn Kuritsky in Stet at Abingdon Theatre Co. in 2016. Photo by Ben Strothmann.
Jocelyn Kuritsky in Stet at Abingdon Theatre Co. in 2016. Photo by Kate Freer.
Playwright Kim Davies, actor Jocelyn Kuritsky, & director Tony Speciale celebrate the opening of Stet at Abingdon Theatre Co. in 2016. Photo by Ben Strothmann.
Playwright, performer, feminist Eve Ensler & director Tony Speciale at the opening of Stet at Abingdon Theatre Co. in 2016. Photo by Ben Strothmann.
Director Kel Haney prepares for a staged reading of Stet for the Pocono Mountains Theater Company at ESU. Photo by Jocelyn Kuritsky.
The company of Stet, post-presentation for the Pocono Mountains Theater Company at ESU in 2016. Photo by Brian Long.
Journalist Sarah Matusek & actor/director Marisa Viola at The Muse Project's 2017 kickoff at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Rooney.
Producer Amy Ashton, model Nora Ariffin, model Kristeen Arnold, & director/producer Adrienne Campbell-Holt at The Muse Project's 2017 kickoff at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Rooney.
Actors Vanessa Aspillaga and Jessica Frances Dukes at The Muse Project's 2017 kickoff at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Rooney.
Actor/director John Gould Rubin, actor Lynn Cohen, and actor/director Ron Cohen at The Muse Project's 2017 kickoff at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Rooney.
Actor/director Jack Fellows, graphic designer & former ED Anna Lathrop, and guest Lionelle Daudel at The Muse Project's 2017 kickoff at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Rooney.
Producer Lanie Zipoy at The Muse Project's 2017 kickoff at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Rooney.
Director/producer Katherine Kovner, guest, playwright Nathan Alan Davis, and actor/director/writer/producer Nana Mensah at The Muse Project's 2017 kickoff at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Rooney.
Actors Meghan St. Thomas, Anna O'Donoghue, and Jill Shackner at The Muse Project's 2017 kickoff at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Rooney.
Director/producer Adrienne Campbell-Holt, actor Gabe Fazio, and actor Erin Wilhelmi at The Muse Project's 2017 kickoff at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Rooney.
The crowd buzzes post The Muse Project's 2017 kickoff at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Rooney.
​In April of 2017, The Muse Project hosted a kick-off party at Torn Page, the historic home of Geraldine Page and Rip Torn. Actresses Lynn Cohen, Déa Julien, and Jessica Frances Dukes all presented short teasers of the projects they planned to work on during the 2017 Season. Mia Rovegno directed the evening.

In June, July, and September of 2017, all 3 actresses initiated projects using the Mini Muse model. 
​Lynn Cohen presented a personal pastiche of famous monologues at Torn Page. She collaborated with dramaturge Jolene Noelle. Jessica Frances Dukes presented the first full draft of her solo show exploring a complex familial lineage of race, class, and identity in America. She collaborated with playwright-mentor Nathan Alan Davis and dramaturge Anna Lathrop. Déa Julien presented one scene from her new full-length play exploring a Syrian refugee’s struggle to adapt to her new life while navigating her relationship with her sponsor. Déa collaborated with director Adrienne Campbell-Holt and actor Birgit Huppuch. 
Actor Lynn Cohen presenting from her Mini Muse - iteration #1 - at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Lathrop.
Actors Jocelyn Kuritsky & Lynn Cohen in a Mini Muse talkback at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Lathrop.
Actor/playwright Jessica Frances Dukes at The Muse Project's 2017 kickoff at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Rooney.
Actor Jessica Frances Dukes presenting from her Mini Muse - iteration #1 - at Torn Page. Photo by Anna Lathrop.
Actors Birgit Huppuch & Déa Julien presenting from Déa's Mini Muse - iteration #1 - at Theaterlab. Photo by Anna Lathrop.
The crowd for Déa's Mini Muse at Theaterlab. Photo by Anna Lathrop.
In 2018, The Muse Project was invited to become an Anchor Partner at The Flea Theater. In the summer of 2018, Artistic Director Jocelyn Kuritsky ran The Muse Project's first ever Kickstarter campaign, and raised over $16,000 to fund a fall festival of Mini Muse presentations at The Flea. The campaign ignited a wealth of support from feminist champions and industry stalwarts, including actor Geneva Carr, musicians David Poe & Duncan Sheik, actor/activist Sheetal Sheth, wellness guru Alexandra Jamieson, and many more. 
In October 2018, The Muse Project's first collection (a kind of festival) of Mini Muses was presented at The Flea Theater. Vanessa Aspillaga joined Muse for the first time. She presented from a piece that incorporated music and her visual art - a creative memoir of sorts - with collaborator José Zayas (director). Lynn Cohen returned to Muse with collaborators Lewis Black (playwright), Ron Cohen (dramaturge), and Ian Morgan (director & dramaturge). Lynn presented the entirety of Black's short play, Dottie's Home, a  reimagining of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Jessica Frances Dukes returned to Muse with a second iteration of her first solo show (exploring a complex familial lineage of race, class, and identity in America), alongside collaborators Taylor Barfield (dramaturge) and Seret Scott (director). Déa Julien also returned to Muse with a second iteration of her piece that seeks to tell the story of a young Syrian refugee and her relationship to her sponsor. Her collaborators included Kylie Brown (director), Megan Sandberg-Zakian (dramaturge, Maia Directors), and Caroline Hewitt (actor). Kyra Miller joined Muse for the first iteration of a new piece exploring puppetry, Gaslight, and Bluebeard, with collaborators Noel Allain (actor) and Katie Pearl (director, co-writer).
Vanessa Aspillaga, Jocelyn Kuritsky, Kyra Miller, Lynn Cohen, Jessica Frances Dukes, and Déa Julien pose for a group shot. Photo by Erin Reynolds. #muses #womenact #muses2018
Actor/director/dramaturge Ron Cohen, actor Lynn Cohen, & director/dramaturge Ian Morgan pose in The Flea Theater's lobby. Photo by Jocelyn Kuritsky. #womenact #muses2018
Actor Lynn Cohen in a Mini Muse presentation at The Flea Theater for Musings. Photo by Jocelyn Kuritsky. #womenact #muses2018
Actors Black Eyed Susan & Lynn Cohen hang out, post Lynn's Mini Muse presentation at The Flea Theater for Musings. Photo by Jocelyn Kuritsky. #womenact #muses2018
Actor Kyra Miller and actor/producer Noel Allain perform in Kyra's Mini Muse presentation at The Flea Theater for Musings. Photo by Jocelyn Kuritsky. #womenact #muses2018
Director Katie Pearl, actor Kyra Miller, and actor/producer Jocelyn Kuritsky in a Mini Muse talkback, post Kyra's Mini Muse presentation at The Flea Theater for Musings. Photo by Erin Reynolds. #womenact #muses2018
Actor Déa Julien and director/dramaturge Kylie Brown in rehearsal at Theaterlab for Déa's Mini Muse for Musings. Photo by Jocelyn Kuritsky. #muses2018 #womenact
Actor Déa Julien in a Mini Muse presentation at The Flea Theater for Musings. Photo by Jocelyn Kuritsky. #womenact #muses2018
Actor Alyssa May Gold moderates a panel discussion with actor Caroline Hewitt, actor Déa Julien, & director Kyle Brown at The Flea Theater, post Déa's Mini Muse presentation. Photo by Carol Julien. #womenact #muses2018
Actor Jessica Frances Dukes in her promo for her Mini Muse presentation at The Flea Theater for Musings. Photo by Jamil A.C. Mangan. #womenact #muses2018
Director Seret Scott and actor Jessica Frances Dukes hang out, post Jessica's Mini Muse presentation at The Flea Theater for Musings. #womenact #muses2018
Press release for Musings at The Flea Theater. #muses2018 #womenact
Actor Vanessa Aspillaga in performance for her Mini Muse presentation at The Flea Theater for Musings. Photo by Jocelyn Kuritsky. #womenact #muses2018
Cookies baked by actor/playwright Domenica Feraud for The Muse Project's first Tea Time event, featuring actor Florencia Lozano, at The Flea Theater. Photo by Domenica Feraud. #womenact #musings2018
Actor Florencia Lozano hosts The Muse Project's first ever Tea Time at The Flea Theater. Photo by Erin Reynolds. #womenact #muses2018
In 2018, in addition to individual support, The Muse Project received support from ART/NY, the Anna Weissberger Foundation, and the Klein Family Foundation. 
In 2019, Muse worked with the So-fi Festival to remount Kyra Miller's BlueBeardGasLight. Muse also hosted two brand new Tea Time events with Emmy Award winner Erin Cherry and the internationally acclaimed Sheetal Sheth.
Actor Kyra Miller in performance for her remount of BlueBeardGasLight with the So-fi Festival at Westbeth. Photo by Jody Christopherson.
Actors Kyra Miller & Erin Cherry pose post Tea Time interview in December 2019. Photo by Melvin McCray.
Actors Erin Cherry & Sheetal Sheth pose post Tea Time interviews for Muse, 2019. Photo by Jocelyn Kuritsky.
Actors Zainab Musa & Sheetal Sheth pose post Tea Time interview for Muse in December 2019. Photo by Jocelyn Kuritsky.
Actors Zainab Musa, Erin Cherry, Jocelyn Kuritsky, & Sheetal Sheth pose post Tea Time interview for Muse in 2019. Photo by Jenn Allen.
In 2020 and 2021, Muse launched and continues to develop a podcast series called A Simple Herstory about the women who have run for President of the United States. Herstory is being presented by The Tank. The voice of actress Florencia Lozano is at the helm of the storytelling for Season 1. A tremendous team of actresses came together to be a part of this first season, including Kara Young, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Rachel Crowl, Kate Burton, Tonya Pinkins, Louise Lasser, and many more.
Early poster sketch for A Simple Herstory. Designed by Anna Lathrop.
Poster for A Simple Herstory Season 1.
Rendering of Victoria Woodhull by Michelle Memran.
Press release for the A Simple Herstory launch party at The Tank. September 2021.
Pre-show lobby for the A Simple Herstory launch party (live and streaming) at The Tank. September 2021. Lobby design by Miranda Dahl. Photo by Jocelyn Kuritsky.
Pre-show lobby for the A Simple Herstory launch party (live and streaming) at The Tank. September 2021. Lobby design by Miranda Dahl. Photo by Jocelyn Kuritsky.
A Simple Herstory launch party (live and streaming) at The Tank. September 2021. Photo by Melissa Fisher.
Florencia Lozano, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jocelyn Kuritsky, and Meghan Finn talk about A Simple Herstory at the launch party. September 2021. Photo by Melissa Fisher.
Florencia Lozano, Jocelyn Kuritsky, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Erin Cherry at the A Simple Herstory launch at The Tank. September 2021. Photo by Miranda Dahl.
Dale Soules and Jocelyn Kuritsky at the A Simple Herstory launch at The Tank. September 2021.
Dale Soules, Jenny Turner Hall, Florencia Lozano, Jocelyn Kuritsky, Jonathan A. Goldberg at the A Simple Herstory launch at The Tank. September 2021.
Jocelyn Kuritsky, Miranda Dahl, Meghan Finn at the A Simple Herstory launch at The Tank. September 2021.
Donya K. Washington, Jocelyn Kuritsky, Jonathan A. Goldberg, and Jenny Turner Hall (not pictured) meet for the first time in person in August, 2021.
Donya K. Washington, Jocelyn Kuritsky, Florencia Lozano, and Jonathan A. Goldberg convene over Zoom to rehearse. (One of many, many, many Zoom rehearsals). 2020-21.
Several members of the crew and cast for A Simple Herstory rehearse and record over Zoom. 2021.
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SITE DEIGN BY JOCELYN KURITSKY. LOGO DESIGN BY COLE TUCKER-WALTON.
  • Home
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  • Recent Newsletters
    • DECEMBER MUSE