Arden – But, Not Without You

Feb 6 – Mar 13, 2022 (The Flea Theater, New York)

By Peter Born, Diana Oh, Okwui Okpokwasili, Niegel Smith and Carrie Mae Weems

Directed by Nia Witherspoon & Niegel Smith

“If all that co-directors Smith and Nia Witherspoon had told the cast was “just do your thing and do it like your life depended on it,” that was certainly enough to bring these talents to the fever pitch that eventually exploded out into this indescribable experience.”

– Christopher Caz, Manhattan Digest

“Arden feels like a poem, an ode to new beginnings, a ritual to solemnize a space, and a group embrace. The performers let us in, open their arms, feed off our energy, and offer us blessings. Together, we can hopefully leave more at peace and bask in this much-transformed version of the Flea.”

– Christian Lewis, Theatermania

Commissioned by The Flea, Arden: But, Not Without You is raw, vibrant, and QUEER AS F*CK. Don’t miss this genre-bending new work. 

Diana Oh describes Arden as “Four Generations of Deeply Intimately Bound All-Kinds-of-Doing-Shit Artists sharing of themselves in a Tender-Ass Room full of Queer Femme Shamanic Energy who Genuinely and Gently Welcome You: Social Anxieties, Yummy Freakiness, and All.”

Okwui adds: “We assume nothing. We know nothing, other than a shared desire to reach out and learn about how little we have known and how much we assume. We bring each other offerings and practices and we ask people to come and join us in these offerings. Can we come together in this spirit? There will be music, there will be dance, there might be a party. You bring what you can, we will hold a space for it.”

And Diana brings it all back, “When the world be moving so fast, and I be so gentle, this is the room I wanna be in.”

Come as you are.

Click here to purchase your tickets for Feb 6 – Mar 13, 2022