BEAUTY BEHIND THE NORMS - DESIGN WORKSHOP
Stay tuned - more information coming in early 2026!
For the first time in the Women’s Work Festival's history, we are hosting a Design Workshop for one of the plays previously developed at WWF. For the 20th Annual Women's Work Festival, Nicole Obiodiaka's Beauty Behind the Norms was chosen to be the first participant of this program. Obiodiaka's play was featured in our 18th Annual Women's Work Festival, the 2024 PARC Playwrights Retreat, and is in line for production with TODOS in the near future.
Beauty Behind the Norms is an evocative drama set in West Africa, vividly portraying the clash between traditional cultural norms and the burgeoning desire for change. The play centers on Ada, a young woman who becomes a symbol of resistance and transformation in a society bound by strict expectations for women. Thrust into a polygamous marriage, Ada's journey is marked by her struggle for self-determination against the backdrop of a community deeply rooted in customary practices. Through Ada's eyes, the audience witnesses the emotional and social complexities faced by women navigating these rigid societal structures.
The WWF Design Workshop will offer an opportunity for a playwright to explore and develop the design elements of their play, and it will also serve as a training program for emerging designers by pairing them with mentors from January 2026 to March 2026. This program was designed to support a playwright to bring their play close to production and emerging artists in building practical design skills, expanding their professional networks, and working within a supportive creative community grounded in anti-racist, culturally informed storytelling.
Through hands-on exploration, mentees will receive mentorship from experienced designers to experiment with set, lighting, sound, and costume concepts that reflect the play’s cultural depth and emotional landscape.
Beauty Behind the Norms is an evocative drama set in West Africa, vividly portraying the clash between traditional cultural norms and the burgeoning desire for change. The play centers on Ada, a young woman who becomes a symbol of resistance and transformation in a society bound by strict expectations for women. Thrust into a polygamous marriage, Ada's journey is marked by her struggle for self-determination against the backdrop of a community deeply rooted in customary practices. Through Ada's eyes, the audience witnesses the emotional and social complexities faced by women navigating these rigid societal structures.
The WWF Design Workshop will offer an opportunity for a playwright to explore and develop the design elements of their play, and it will also serve as a training program for emerging designers by pairing them with mentors from January 2026 to March 2026. This program was designed to support a playwright to bring their play close to production and emerging artists in building practical design skills, expanding their professional networks, and working within a supportive creative community grounded in anti-racist, culturally informed storytelling.
Through hands-on exploration, mentees will receive mentorship from experienced designers to experiment with set, lighting, sound, and costume concepts that reflect the play’s cultural depth and emotional landscape.
