Chidera Nwoko, a WVU theatre student, has received the Cercone New Works Grant to produce her new work “Sugar Girl.” The $5,000 grant is sponsored by Sean Cercone, WVU School of Theatre and Dance MFA Acting alumnus and C.E.O. of Broadway Licensing, a leader in the theatrical licensing industry.
In collaboration with the School of Theatre and Dance and West Virginia Public Theatre, Cercone launched the grant in 2020 to help a new generation of playwrights, directors, puppeteers, dancers and actors develop new works within the arts.
Nwoko’s play, which deals with one sister mourning the loss of another, is set in Nigeria and America, where different funeral traditions probe family dynamics, relationships and what it means to be an immigrant.
“There are very few aspects of life that are universal. Politics, religion and family are all things that vary with continent, country and even state. Birth and death,” Nwoko said. “These are the only things that are bigger than any person, culture or country.
“The best way to illuminate the differences and similarities between seemingly opposite worlds is to look at how we handle our universal experiences. If one can watch ‘Sugar Girl’ and feel connected to a culture they didn’t understand I will feel my work had my intended impact.”
The 2019-20 grant recipient Alexandra Ashworth’s shadow puppetry piece “Hands of Humanity” focuses on the importance of touch from the perspective of a child with a disability.