photo by John Chandler Hawthorne



Boy Project is a devised theater piece in which Philadelphia boys ages 12-15 imagine their futures as men. This production is the culmination of months of outreach, story circles, and workshops with boys (non-binary, trans, and cisgender) around Philadelphia, using theater-making methodology rooted in civic engagement. These boys will generate the material for the show; telling stories, enacting fantasies, composing original songs, and contemplating questions of desire and power.

A celebration of a new generation, Boy Project asks: what does it mean to become a man in an era where gender is fluid and masculinity is often villainized? What definitions and boundaries remain? What imaginative proposals reveal themselves? The kids involved in the production will be the central content-creators, supported by a professional artistic team. Nell Bang-Jensen is the Lead Artist and Director and Matthew Armstead, Brad Wrenn, Johanna Kasimow and Eva Steinmetz will act as Co-Creators, creating a radically vulnerable and playfully generative space for Philadelphia boys.


Matthew Armstead

Nell Bang-Jensen

Johanna Kasimow

Eva Steinmetz

Brad Wrenn