The Stella Show is a hilarious and heart-wrenching exploration of sisterhood, grief, and the unpredictable power of memory. Caroline Potter Shriver started working on The Stella Show in 2019 - it began as a letter to someone she lost very suddenly. With time, it transformed into a poem, a meditation, a dance, and ultimately a story that traverses the painful and magical ups and downs of grief. For the past two years, Caroline has been developing the show with director Marc David Wright, building an abstract inner world where dance, theater, and poetry intersect to bring to life the vibrant stories, characters, and adventures of Stella.

The Stella Show has been presented in segments for feedback through our collective, The Village, at our Salon events. We created The Village out of our desire for a space to present the beginnings of The Stella Show in a creative and communal space. The Village has grown into a collective that fosters the growth of emerging artists by creating a platform to present their works-in-progress.  After a healthy period of workshopping The Stella Show, with six sold-out performances at Salons and a successful staged reading at Theatre Row this July, we are thrilled to embark on this culminating stage of development: The Stella Show’s residency at IRT Theater from October 12-15th. 

As the saying goes, “It takes a village.” We hope we can count on your donation to The Stella Show as we continue to expand what is possible when we bring audiences and artists closer together.

By donating to this production, you support the development of new work and ensure equitable pay for the people who bring this show to life. Over 75% of our raised funds will go directly toward paying our cast, designers, and production team. Much of our funds will go toward renting rehearsal and performance space at IRT. The remaining funds will cover production expenses, including insurance, costumes, props, and sound/lighting equipment.

The Village is a New York City-based arts organization that produces dynamic, live events where emerging artists across all disciplines develop and share “artworks-in-progress” with engaged audiences. By uniting social connection with the creative process, The Village operates as an innovative home for artists, an enlivening community for audiences, and an accessible space for all. In addition to our core Salon events, through this play, The Village is diving into the role of a production company. In the coming years, the projects of other resident artists who present their work in segments at multiple Salons will be produced as complete bodies of work. For more information, please visit our website iminthevillage.org!

Caroline Potter Shriver (she/her)

Caroline Potter Shriver, co-founder of The Village, is an actor, dancer, and writer based in Brooklyn. She graduated from Fordham University and The Ailey School, where she received a BFA in Dance, double majoring in Dance and Latin American Studies. Caroline has taught dance around the United States and Latin America and worked within various non-profit arts education organizations. She has performed and studied under dance and theater artists, including Earl Mosley, Caridad Martinez, Adam Baruch, Laura Henry, Josh Prince, and Lakey Evans Peña. She recently made her film debut in Capsules (2022).

Marc David Wright (he/him)

Marc David Wright is co-founder and Creative Director of The Village. He is a New York City-based director and producer of theatre and film. Born and raised in Bayonne, New Jersey, Marc crossed the Hudson to study drama at Fordham University (B.A. Class of 2019). His directorial debut was awarded an Ars Nova Research Grant and transferred to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it was named one of the “10 Must-See LGBT Shows” of 2019. To stay active during the pandemic, Marc conceived multiple film/web projects, including Enterprise 25: A Cinematic Advent Calendar for Instagram (IG: @enterprise_25), As You Like It (IG: @asyoulikeitfilm), and music videos for Village Artists Billy Recce and Madalyn Baker.