Help us Fund Dust of Egypt's March 2026, 4-Week Run at The Sheen Center's Frank Shiner Theater!

THE PLAY

Dust of Egypt, a play by Karin Abarbanel, dramatizes the inspiring activist Sojourner Truth's little-known fight to rescue her young son Peter after he is taken from New York State down South. At a time when slaves and women had no power or voice, she spoke out and confronted injustice. She became the first Black woman to sue a slave owner in court—and she won!

The play explores tangled race relations, the price of injustice, forgiveness and faith, resiliency and releasing the past.

THE WHY: A Message from the Playwright

I first learned about Sojourner Truth from a biography I picked up in a used bookstore in Upstate New York, not far from where Sojourner grew up as a slave. I still remember standing there and thinking: What an incredible name and what a remarkable woman! Wouldn't it be amazing to bring her to life on the stage! In that moment, our journey together began. As my play evolved, it came to focus on one dramatic incident in Sojourner's long and colorful life: her relentless quest to find her little son Peter.

THE TIME: Why Now?

There's never been a better time for Dust of Egypt!

This intense one-act drama:

PRODUCTION HISTORY:

Dust of Egypt enjoyed a sold-out run at the New York Theater Festival's 2022 Winterfest where it won the Best Actress Award for Desi Waters' stirring portrayal of Sojourner, as well as nominations for Best Production and Best Director for Rhonda PASSION Hansome. A series of staged readings at the Sheen Center sparked such an enthusiastic response from audiences that the Sheen presented a full production of the play for a limited weekend run in 2024.

Everyone at Dust of Egypt is thrilled to be returning to the Sheen Center's Frank Shiner Theater in March of 2026.

Please help us fund our 4-week run of this powerful and timely drama!

VENUE:

The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture

(18 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012)

PERFORMANCE DATES:

March 5th- March 29th

OUR CREATIVE TEAM:

KARIN ABARBANEL, PLAYWRIGHT

Karin Abarbanel pursued her training as a playwright at T. Schreiber Studio and Present Tense Productions, theater workshops based in New York City directed by Mick Casale, an instructor of both film and drama at New York University. Karin developed Dust of Egypt in a supportive workshop setting over several years. Her play was given staged readings at the T. Schreiber Studio and the Gene Frankel Theatre. Karin’s goals are to expand Dust of Egypt into a full-length play, to bring her one-act play to college drama programs, and to adapt the play for young audiences.

EMANI BRIELLE SIMPSON, PRODUCER

Emani Brelle Simpson is a theater producer and founder of the production company, The Real Artists LLC (TRA), whose mission is to create an inspirational environment where artists can hone their crafts, thrive and network to build a career out of their passions. Emani is passionate about bringing artists together and collaborating on new works. She is on the Artistic Programming Committee for Breaking and Entering Theater Collective. Some of her recent credits include: SERIALS at The Tank (producer/host), Holes in the Shape of my Father at The Tank. (stage manager), Night Witches produced by PickPocket Project (deviser), Loneliness Was a Pandemic at Theater Lab (production stage manager), Project Sankofa in the Broadway Bound Theater Festival (director), WAAFRIKA 123: A Queerly Scripted Tragedy produced by the National Queer Theater (stage manager), Pecong at BMCC/CUNY (stage manager), Dust of Egypt: Sojourner Truth’s Story at the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture (producer), and Francois & The Rebels: A Punk Rock Musical at the Public Theater (stage manager). Instagram: @short_mani @therealartists_ @serialsnyc @bethtrco

RHONDA PASSION HANSOME, DIRECTOR

Rhonda PASSION Hansome is an AUDELCO Outstanding Pioneer Honoree who’s directed Melba Moore’s Sweet Songs of the Soul at the Bermuda Festival, New Federal Theater (AUDELCO Award Best Solo Performer), and the National Black Theater Festival. She has directed over 40 productions, including Saviour (Dwyer Cultural Center), Another Man’s Poison (Peter Jay Sharp Theater), T’was The Night Before Kwanzaa (Black Spectrum and Billie Holiday Theaters), Real Black Men Don’t Sit Crosslegged On The Floor (New Federal Theater. She directed Stevie & the Infinite Scroll in the inaugural class of Writing & Design for the Musical Theater Masters Program at Berklee NYC; Dust of Egypt in the New York Theater Festival (Best Actress Award, Best Director/Best Play Nominee). She directs for the New Federal Theater Playwright Workshop and the Frank Silvera Writers Workshop. Rhonda PASSION Hansome has directed performances in the Houston and Newark Airports, the National Arts Club, and the Museum of the City of New York. Her memberships have included Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, Women’s Project Directors Forum, SDC, and Tribeca Performing Arts Center Writers-In-Performance Lab. She enjoyed 5 years as Artistic Director of the NJPAC Young Writers Workshop. Follow her on FaceBook: @Rhonda Hansome Comedy, Twitter: @RhondaHansome, IG: @rhondafull, Tik Tok: @lobehold100

For More Information, please view our Dust of Egypt March 2026 Pitch Deck or visit our website DustOfEgypt.com