A Solo Performance & Community Exploration
LENOX, MA (May 27, 2025) — WAM Theatre is thrilled to announce its 2025 Summer Mainstage production: Where We Stand, written by award-winning playwright Donnetta Lavinia Grays (Kudzu Calling, Last Night and the Night Before) and directed by internationally acclaimed theatre-maker Vernice Miller (To Amadou with Love, Inside the Performance Workshop). This powerful solo performance will feature Capital Region-based multidisciplinary artist and performer D. Colin (Simone: A One-Woman Show, Psalm 91), known for her dynamic and captivating presence in performance, poetry, and community engagement. Performances will take place at Lenox Town Hall in downtown Lenox, MA on June 26 – June 29, with a special pop-up performance at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany, NY on Saturday, June 28. Tickets are now on sale. Join WAM Theatre for an unforgettable journey that blends storytelling, music, and a call to community action. For tickets and more information visit wamtheatre.com.
WAM Artistic Director Genée Coreno shared, “As I witness the media coverage of immigration enforcement and the humanitarian crisis unfolding all over the world—one line from Where We Stand echoes in my heart: ‘Justice is what love looks like in public.’ In these times, this idea calls us back to the power of collective care: turning toward community to build shared values, and then standing up for those values in our daily actions, in our art, and at the ballot box. These words remind us that justice is not theoretical—it’s how we choose to show up every day, for one another, for people seeking safety, shelter, opportunity, and dignity.”
Playwright Donnetta Lavinia Grays shares, “I am excited that WAM has taken on the challenge of Where We Stand, especially at this fragile moment in our nation when community feels so very vital to our survival and collective purpose.”
In the play, we meet in a town running low on compassion, where an exile seeks forgiveness, ultimately forcing the community to decide between mercy or justice. Our storyteller spins a tale of a lonely soul tempted by the devil’s kindness on a fateful trip to the crossroads. Where We Stand is an epic fable of penance filled with humor, heart, and music.
This human-centered theatrical folktale, written in the spirit of Rumpelstiltskin, explores the fragile bond between the individual and the collective—and the profound consequences of breaking faith with one another. At a time when recent events ask us to reflect on who we are to each other, this play offers more than a performance; it invites a vital conversation. Under the heartfelt direction of Vernice Miller, and with the poetic care of D. Colin, this production reminds us that theatre—at its best—is deeply communal and fundamentally democratic.
“Through Where We Stand, Grays draws us back to the deeply human parts of ourselves—and our connection to one another—through the rich traditions of folktale, oral storytelling, and call-and-response,” adds Coreno, “It’s a communal experience where the audience is essential.”
“The piece transforms a singular place into a living, breathing character—where a small town doesn’t just set the scene, it shapes the story,” continued Coreno. “The audience gathers around a single performer—an outsider—who shares her journey with the townspeople: how she came to be valued, and why she might be cast away. Through call and response, song, and the shared rhythms of folk tradition, the audience becomes part of the story, part of the community. And then—we vote.”
Where We Stand has garnered wide acclaim since its inception. The play earned Grays the prestigious Whiting Award for Drama, and earned her nominations for a Drama League Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, and an Antonyo Award. It was a finalist for the Dramatists Guild Hull-Warriner Award and earned several other honors, including the Helen Merrill Playwright Award, the Barrie and Bernice Stavis Playwright Award, the Lilly Award, the Todd McNerney National Playwriting Award, and the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award. Where We Stand was also featured on the Kilroys List in 2020, recognizing outstanding new plays by women, trans, and non-binary playwrights.
“Oh, the desire to be/long. To be seen. To be included. To be counted. In these times of king-making and deep division, as the ground beneath us keeps shifting, I return to a question that has followed me across borders, rehearsals, and communities: what does it truly mean to belong? As a Jamaican-born, Afro-Caribbean theatre artist often working in spaces where I am both insider and outsider, I feel the ache at the heart of Where We Stand. What would any of us risk to be/long? What might it cost—to the individual, to the collective? And if redemption is needed, how do we seek it, and who decides it has been earned? These questions don’t just live in the play—they live in me. This is how I enter Donnetta Lavinia Grays’ world,” Miller shared.
D. Colin will play the role of “Man”, a captivating storyteller living on the margins of their community, Man invites the audience into a powerful tale of loneliness, belonging, and moral reckoning. When offered a deal by a mysterious stranger, they must confront the true cost of survival—and what it means to stand with others. Colin’s credits include: (Simon: A One Woman Show (Capital Repertory Theatre), and Psalm 91: Releasing Religion (Creative Action Unlimited). In addition, D. Colin performed for The Moth, PBS, NPR, and Write About Now, and has toured nationally and internationally.
Originally commissioned by The Public Theater’s Mobile Unit, the play received early development support through the Brooklyn College Research Residency in August 2018 and later continued its evolution at SPACE on Ryder Farm. The piece made its world premiere in spring 2020 through a co-production between WP Theater in New York City and Baltimore Center Stage, under the direction of Tamilla Woodard.
Since then, Where We Stand has been produced by Portland Stage in Maine (May 2021) and most recently by Greater Boston Stage Company in Massachusetts (April 2024), further cementing its place as a vital and resonant work in contemporary American theatre.
WAM Theatre is proud to offer equitable ticketing for this production and encourage patrons to select the ticket price that best fits their needs. Tickets range from $26 – $56. WAM invites audience members to choose from one of the suggested price levels. Additionally, WAM offers $5 for EBT card holders.
AT A GLANCE:
Where We Stand written by Donnetta Lavinia Grays, directed by Vernice Miller, and starring D. Colin. Performing at Lenox Town Hall (Lenox, MA) June 26, 27, and 29 with a pop-up performance at Capital Repertory Theatre (Albany, NY) on June 28. Tickets are now available at wamtheatre.com/where-we-stand/
SCHEDULE:
Thursday, June 26 – 7 PM at Lenox Town Hall, Lenox, MA
Friday, June 27 – 2 PM at Lenox Town Hall, Lenox, MA
Saturday, June 28 – 7 PM at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany, NY
Sunday, June 29 – 2 PM at Lenox Town Hall, Lenox, MA
Sunday, June 29 – 7 PM at Lenox Town Hall, Lenox, MA
TICKETS:
Single tickets and passes that include performances for Where We Stand are on sale now. For tickets and more information about WAM Theatre’s 2025 Season, programs, events, and artists, please visit wamtheatre.com/where-we-stand/ or contact WAM Theatre by calling (413) 274-8122.
For more information about the 2025 Season and WAM Theatre’s programs, events, and artists, please visit wamtheatre.com.
MORE ABOUT WHERE WE STAND ARTISTS:
Donnetta Lavinia Grays (she/her) (Playwright, Where We Stand) is the author of Where We Stand (World Premiere WP Theater/Baltimore Center Stage. Lucille Lortel, Drama League, AUDELCO, and Broadway Black award nominee). Kudzu Calling (World Premiere: Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Last Night and the Night Before (World Premiere, Denver Center for the Performing Arts), Warriors Don’t Cry, Laid to Rest, and The Review or How to Eat Your Opposition. Awards: She is the recipient of The Whiting Award for Drama, Helen Merrill Playwright Award, The National Theater Conference’s Stavis Playwright Award, the Lilly Award, Todd McNerney National Playwriting Award, and the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award. Additional Artistic Credits: For television, she has staffed Spectrum’s Manhunt, FX’s Y: The Last Man, served as Executive Story Editor on Joe Vs. Carole for Peacock and as a co-producer on Seconds for AMC. For film, she has penned Otis and Zelma, the upcoming biopic of Otis Redding starring Danielle Deadwyler and John Boyega. Broadway acting credits include The Skin of Our Teeth, In the Next Room, or the vibrator play and Well. Off-Broadway: Where We Stand (WP Theater/Baltimore Centerstage), Men on Boats (Playwrights Horizons/Clubbed Thumb) O, Earth (The Foundry Theatre), In the Footprint (The Civilians- as an Associate Artist), and Shipwrecked! An Entertainment (Primary Stages). Film: The Life List, The Book of Henry, Wild Canaries, The English Teacher, and The Wrestler. TV: Recurring roles on New Amsterdam, Happy, Rubicon, Mercy, and Law and Order: SVU. Guest Starring Roles on High Maintenance, The Night Of, Blue Bloods, The Blacklist, A Gifted Man, Law & Order, Law & Order: CI, and The Sopranos. Ms. Grays proudly hails from Columbia, South Carolina. Connect: https://www.donnettagrays.com/
Vernice Miller (She/Her)(Director, Where We Stand) is a Jamaican-born, Afro-Caribbean theatre artist rooted in New York City, whose work across borders is guided by an unwavering faith in the arts as a common language of transformation and hope. WAM Theatre: Debut Producing Director: Keen Teens, the educational arm of the Obie and Drama Desk Award-winning Keen Company, which provides NYC high school students the opportunity to collaborate with professional playwrights, directors, and designers on world-premiere Off-Broadway productions. Co-founder and Artistic Director: A Laboratory for Actor Training Experimental Theatre Company in New York City. Devising and teaching intensive actor training inspired by Grotowski and Barba, using movement and voice work to strengthen presence and unlock the performer’s physical and imaginative expression. Director: Joe’s Pub @ The Public Theatre, NYC; Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, DC; HartBeat Ensemble, Hartford, CT; Market Theater Laboratory, Johannesburg, South Africa; Ukrainka Dramatic Theatre, L’viv, Ukraine; Glej Theatre, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Warsztaty Teatralne, Opole, Poland; Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland; Skolen Teater, Dans og Musik, Silkeborg, Denmark. Actor: NYC – The Public Theatre; 59E59 Theatre; The Duke; Brooklyn Academy of Music; La Mama E.T.C. Abroad – Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK; Glej Theatre, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Warsztaty Teatralne, Opole, Poland; Odin Teatret, Holstebro, Denmark; Metropole Theatre, Aarhus, Denmark. Additional artistic credits: Writer, director, actor, producer, educator, activist. Creative inspiration: At the core of my artistic work is the belief in dignity—the conviction that every human being deserves the chance to live a worthwhile life—and, like Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who sowed justice through hands-on action, I strive to nurture the seeds of change by channeling the rhythms, resilience, and ancestral wisdom of those who came before me to tell stories that stir awareness, deepen empathy, and inspire meaningful transformation. Community Engagement/Activist work: Facilitator/coach with LEAD FOR IMPACT a social impact enterprise that provides transformational leadership services internationally; Co-produced and directed the fundraiser To Amadou with Love featuring Angelique Kidjo, supermodel Iman. For Partnership for the Homeless directed the 16th, 17th, & 18th Annual Benefits with Jessye Norman, Audra McDonald, Lawrence Hamilton, and LaChanze. Trained as a Peacekeeper with New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG). Membership/Affiliations: Actors’ Equity Association; Ensemble member of HartBeat Ensemble, Hartford, CT; Company member New Circle Theatre Company (Formerly Circle Repertory Company); Alumna WP Directors Lab. Selected training: Cross-disciplinary Performance Studies Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium, International School of Theatre Anthropology, Odin Teatret Denmark. Month Long Intensive Shakespeare and Company, Lenox, MA. Suzuki Actor Training with Ellen Lauren & SITI Company, NYC. Graduate William Esper Studios Meisner Technique, NYC. City University of New York, Hunter College. Awards/proudest achievements: Recipient of the London New Play Festival’s Best Actress Award for the solo performance of Medea:Now. Established THE DRAMA CLUB (ALATetc) a free, after-school theatre program at Public School 282 in Park Slope Brooklyn. Profiled in Best of the Fest, celebrating 10 years of London New Play Festival, edited by Phil Setren, and in Inside the Performance Workshop by Paula Murray Cole and Michele Minnick, Routledge, publisher. Original cast member The Treasure Makers by Patricia Sternberg, Samuel French, publisher. Final word: Oh, the desire to be/long. To be seen. To be included. To be counted. Connect: www.alatetc.org
D. Colin (she/her)(Man, Where We Stand) is a Haitian American multidisciplinary artist based in Troy, NY who works creatively in poetry, visual art and theater. WAM Theatre: Debut Selected Theatre Credits Elsewhere:The Stone that Started the Ripple, Eclipsed, Whitewashed: the racism project, Sides, Once on This IslandAdditional Artistic credits: playwright for Simone and Psalm 91, Cave Canem poet, New York State Writers Institute Fellow, opened for Tank and the Bangas Creative inspiration: I create the way art arrives and open myself up to receive creativity in ways that bend genre and merge artforms. Community Engagement/Activist work: founding member of the Social Justice Artist Collective, board member of Black Dimensions in Art, Inc. and the Hart Cluett Museum Membership/Affiliations: Albany Social Justice Center, KBK Studios, Albany Center Gallery Selected training: on stage experience since 2009 including with Black Theater Troupe of Upstate New York, Callaloo Theater, Creative Action Unlimited and Troy Foundry Theater Awards/proudest achievements: 2022 Excellence in Arts & Letters Award, 2019 Resourceful Woman of the Year in the Arts, and publishing my first book of poetry, Dreaming in KreyolFinal word: Be inspired; then inspire. Connect: dcolin.com, @dcolinpoet
Meg Lydon (she/her)(Stage Manager, Where We Stand) is a stage manager primarily based at Portland Stage in Portland, Maine. WAM Theatre: Debut Selected Credits: Recent productions include the world premier of Darker the Night, Brighter the Stars by John Cariani (Portland Stage), The Thin Place (Chester Theatre Company), and Blue Wrap Project Runway 2025, a fashion show fundraiser for Partners for World Health. She also works as a mentor and guest lecturer for stage management students at Bowdoin College. Creative Inspirations: Meg is continually inspired by the incredible collaborators she gets to work with from all over the country, and specifically by the passion and joy they bring to their art! Community Engagement: Meg is very involved with the Portland Democratic City Committee; she served as the Chair from early 2022 through January of this year. Membership/Affiliations: Proud member, AEA. Many thanks to the whole team here at WAM, and always to Darren. Here’s to a great show!
MORE ABOUT WAM TEAM:
Genée Coreno (she/her)(Artistic Director, WAM Theatre) is a director and producer with a passion for devised theater created in collaboration with women, girls, and non-binary artists and designers. WAM Theatre: Artistic Director. Selected Directing Credits: Outside (Culture Lab, LIC), Madge Love (Theater Mitu & The Brick), The Hopelessly Hopeless Story of All Good Girls (The Brick), “Is This Clear Enough?” (The Poetry Project), Dutchman (UnUrban Cafe, LA), Selected Producing Credits: The Possessed Girls of St. Mary’s (Reading, at Brick Aux), thisamericanplay (pop-up theater by Blue Flamingo), The Stronger & Mother Love (Alchemical Studios), The World is Round (BAM Fisher). Select Company Management Credits: Under the Radar Festival (The Public Theater), The Outer Space (The Public Theater), National Mobile Unit Tour of Sweat (The Public Theater), Mobile Unit’s Twelfth Night (The Public Theater), Various Performances (Big Dance Theater). Community Engagement/Activist Work: Former Manager of Development and Engagement at Every Mother Counts and Clinic Escort at Choices; Adjunct Professor at Purchase College, Women and Performance. Training: MA in Performance Studies, NYU; BA in Drama Studies, Purchase College; Embodied Voice: Intensive Vocal Workshop; The Song of the Goat; SITI Company Summer Intensive; Theater Mitu Artist Fellowship (Japan). Creative Inspiration: I’m inspired by large-scale international work that demonstrates a commitment to dance theater practices and film-making. Connect: (website) www.fringeandfur.org. IG: @Genéealyse_c
ABOUT WAM THEATRE
WAM Theatre is a professional theatre company based in Berkshire County, MA, that operates at the intersection of arts and activism. Now celebrating its 16th Season, WAM creates theatre for gender equity and has a vision of theatre as philanthropy. In fulfillment of its philanthropic mission, WAM donates a portion of the proceeds from their Mainstage productions to carefully selected recipients. Since WAM’s founding in 2010, they have donated more than $105,000 to 26 local and global organizations taking action for gender equity in areas such as girls education, reproductive justice, sexual trafficking awareness, midwife training, and more. WAM Theatre has been widely recognized for having a positive impact on cultural and community development in the region. WAM Theatre is certified as a women owned and operated business by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the recipient of the Creative Economy Standout Berkshire Trendsetter Award and previously, was named Outstanding Philanthropy Corporation of the Year by the Western MA Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. For more information, visit wamtheatre.com
WAM SUPPORT
WAM Theatre is certified as a women owned and operated business by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. WAM Theatre is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). WAM Theatre’s Season is also supported in part by grants from Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Brabson Education & Library Foundation, The Feigenbaum Foundation, GKV Foundation, Lee Bank Foundation, Scarlet Sock Foundation; as well as grants from the Alford-Egremont Cultural Council, Lee Cultural Council, Lenox Cultural Council, Otis Cultural Council, Richmond Cultural Council, Sandisfield Cultural Council, Stockbridge Cultural Council, and Washington Cultural Council. WAM’s sponsors include Adams Community Bank, Blue Q., Berkshire Muse, Berkshire Roots, Blue Spark Financial, Baystate Financial Wealth & Wellness Team, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Garden Gables Inn, Guidos Fresh Marketplace, Handful Photography, Higher Bar, Mill Town Foundation, Inc., Heller & Robbins Attorneys at Law, Interprint, Onyx Specialty Papers, Outpost Productions, RB Design Co., T Square Design Studio, Toole Insurance, a. von schlegell & co, and the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts.