Photos by Alexandra Levin

Esther 2018: Love’s Labor

Commissioned by Lab/Shul for their annual celebration of Purim at the House of Yes, Esther 2018: Love’s Labor performance was devised during our 48-hour Renegade Performance Lab. Weaving autobiographical storytelling, song and dance into the aesthetic and structure of a beauty pageant, 17 women share the overlooked labours of womanhood. In this vulnerable and ironic pageantry performed for an audience of over 200 people, an ensemble of novice performers powerfully subvert the power of the patriarchy and celebrate the feminist themes of this Jewish holiday.

Performed at House of Yes, Brooklyn, NY, March 2018 at Lab/Shul’s Prophetic Post Patriarchy Purim Party.

Contributors

Directed

by Nessa Norich

contributors + Performers:

Dani Berjowitz, Ariel Warmflash, Riki Rosenthal, Rachel Stein, Elianna Kan, Elana Brody, Rishe Groner, Leah Goldberg, Florence Nasar, Meirav Ong, Dalit Shalom, Ariela Sharon Canter, Hannah Ross, Melissa Sobin, Sharon Haviv, Daniella Gruenspecht, Wonder Giada, Danielle Friedman, Hannah Roodman, and Mati Engel.