Bio: M’Balia Singley is a Philadelphia-based performing artist who has been exploring and excavating the human condition through story, song and audience engagement for the last quarter century. She has shared her musical talents legendary music halls such as the Jazz Standard and Smalls in New York City and the World Cafe Live and the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. She can also be heard on John Legend’s Grammy-nominated debut album, Get Lifted, Orrin Evan’s #knowingishalfthebattle, and her own self-produced albums, including her recent release, Halfway There. M’Balia is a graduate of Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in history, and she attended Temple University’s Beasley School of Law.
Project Description: "I'm interested in exploring Othello from the perspective of the one voice missing- the Black Woman. Maybe it's a gaggle of muses yelling "Girl, don't do it!" to Desdemona, or perhaps it's simply a re-telling in story and song that looks at the multitude of issues raised in the play through today's lens- religion (Islamophobia), immigration(DACA), sexism(#metoo), power/violence (OJ, Charlottesville), racism (American History), betrayal- it's the perfect stew for our times, and I'm very excited to have it as the foundation for a new piece of work with the narrative centered on the black woman."
Residency Public Sharing: 6/29/18