Images from workshops of WOWEO presented by Hatch Arts Collective, Kelly Strayhorn Theater and Center for New Work Development at CMU
Photos by Kitoko Chargois
Hatch Arts Collective & Kelly Strayhorn Theater PRESENT:
with ourselves, with each other
Created and performed by Maree ReMalia
Co-directed by Adil Mansoor
Produced by and created with Hatch Arts Collective
Design & Production Team
Sound Design and Composer: David Bernabo
Garment Designer: Rona Chang
Media Designer: Kolton Cotton
Dramaturg: Jenny Johnson
Scenic Designer: Sasha Jin Schwartz
Wardrobe Stylist: Rachel Vallozzi
Lighting Designer: Nicole White
Producer: Sarah Ashley Cain
Assistant Director: Iliana Tomasa Sharp
Additional Artists and Collaborators Who Have Contributed to WOWEO’s Development:
Karaoke Consultant: Eben Hoffer
Photo Documentation: Brannon Bowers, Kitoko Chargois, Anna Hanson
Props: Katie Mikula-Wineman
Video Documentation: Paul Kruse, Parker Stephens
Vocal Coaches: Jisook Kim, Lisa Velton Smith, Kara Staiger, Micaela Tobin
Artistic Advisors: Joseph Hall, Paul Kruse, Bebe Miller, Michael J. Morris, Ben Pryor, Nicole Shero, Rashana Smith
CDCP Project Team: Casey Droege, Eriko Hattori, Hannah Turpin
Community Partners:
Jaded, Mandu Handu, Melwood Screening Room, Helen Stickney/Pittsburgh Community Death Care, Millvale House
PROJECT description
What happens when karaoke becomes a way to express grief, memory, and joy?
Set in a “karaoke-funeral-lounge”, WOWEO follows Korean adoptee and ballerina-turned-experimental dance-maker Maree ReMalia as she navigates the grief of losing a parent who raised her and the absence of a parent she never met. Blending dance, storytelling, and pop music, this solo performance explores the longing to understand where we come from. It honors both the pain of early separation and the deep bonds we form with family beyond blood ties.
Sing, laugh, and journey with us as WOWEO asks: How can we hold grief and memory while still making room for joy, connection, and new ways forward?
PROJECT SUPPORT
The World premiere of WITH OURSELVES, WITH EACH OTHER (WOWEO) is co-presented by Kelly Strayhorn Theater and Hatch Arts Collective.
WOWEO is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST), Bates Dance Festival (BDF), Hatch Arts Collective (Hatch), and the National Performance Network (NPN). More information: www.npnweb.org.
Additional developmental support for WOWEO has been provided by Carnegie Mellon University Center for New Work Development in partnership with KST, Ford Foundation, Heinz Endowments' America's Cultural Treasures initiative, Lawrence University, Middlebury College, Opportunity Fund, The Pittsburgh Foundation, University of Vermont, and Workhorse Collaborative.
Images from workshops of WOWEO presented by Hatch Arts Collective and Casey Droege Cultural Productions in February 2024
Photos by Kitoko Chargois
SPECIAL THANKS
Jackie Baker, Anya and Mitsuko Clarke-Verdery, Michele de la Reza, Joseph Hall, Jennifer Jourdan, Taylor Knight, Luke Niebler, Nicole Shero, Jil Stifel, Anna Thompson, Inter-, City Theatre, and Pittsburgh Playhouse.
DEVELOPMENT & performance history
New York Live Arts, Live Artery Festival, January 2026
Three Stories, Pittsburgh, in-process showing, November 2025
Inter-, Pittsburgh, developmental residency, June 2025
Fayetteville Movement Festival, Fayetteville, in-process performance excerpt, July 2024
Inter-, Pittsburgh, NEST residency, February 2024
Texas Dance Improvisation Festival, Denton, in-process performance excerpt, October 2023
Resonator Institute, Norman, in-process performance excerpt, September 2023
Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland, in-process performance excerpt, April 2023
Lawrence University Esch Hurvis Studio, Appleton, in-process performance excerpt, September 2022