SISSY is a modern-day reimagining of Sisyphus, expressed through dance and explored from a female perspective, taking place between the worlds of a theater and a miles-long rock quarry. But this isn’t just any woman, and this isn’t just any rock—it is a rock by day, the moon by night, and a disco ball for special occasions. And each day, Sissy must push it up the giant quarry which becomes deeper and more vast every time we extract more of the earth away. Not to mention, she’s pregnant. As Sissy’s belly grows, so does the story, and the dance weaves the imaginary world of SISSY into the real-life world of the theaters’ performers and its director, a new mother grappling with caring for her ill father and her baby boy. This piece beautifully and creatively explores the Sisyphean tasks and challenges of motherhood, being an artist, a performer, a daughter—and how our approach to them is the only thing within our control. With overlapping worlds where the imaginary and the real struggle for attention, SISSY—part dance, part theater, and part personal essay—is a beautiful beast of its own making and expression.
All details are subject to change.
CELIA ROWLSON-HALL (Writer, Choreographer, Director) is a multidisciplinary artist who blends narrative storytelling, modern dance, and film—creating a genre all her own. Her most recent work, the film installation First Snow, was selected by Times Square Arts for their December 2022 Midnight Moment, the largest digital art installation in the world. Celia can also currently be seen playing opposite Paul Mescal as Adult Sophie in award-season favorite Aftersun (A24), in which she also choreographed the final scene. A Bessie Award Winning performer, Celia began her career as a professional dancer but quickly transitioned to choreographing for film and television. After an early collaboration with Gaspar Noé, and three seasons of “GIRLS” with Lena Dunham, Vogue Magazine dubbed Celia “choreographer of the moment.” When not creating her own films, Celia is a prolific and widely sought after choreographer, Smile 2 (Paramount), Merv (Amazon), The Drama (A24), After Yang (A24), X (A24), Birds of Paradise (Amazon), Chapter One of Vox Lux (Neon), and The Fits (Oscilloscope). Her recent TV work includes HBO’s “The Staircase,” two seasons of Ziwe (Showtime), John Mulaney’s Sack Lunch Bunch (Netflix), and The Other Two (HBO Max). She has also choreographed music videos for artists Alicia Keys, Coldplay, Bleachers, MGMT, Romy, and many others. Celia’s debut feature, MA, which she wrote, directed, choreographed, and starred in, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2015. It went on to play at over 40 festivals worldwide, winning numerous awards, including the Breakthrough Audience Award at AFI Film Festival. Celia’s vast body of short form work has garnered a variety of awards, including an Emmy nomination, and have screened at festivals such as Sundance, Venice, SXSW, SFIFF, Dance on Camera at Lincoln Center, and art fairs such as the Armory Show, Performa, and the New Museum. In 2017, Celia was selected to create the latest installment of the Miu Miu Women’s Tales series, going on to premiere at the Venice Film Festival. And in 2020, her short film, Swamp Lake, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival as part of the omnibus feature Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia.
LUCAS HEDGES (Performer) is an Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee. He can next be seen in Eva Victor’s film Sorry, Baby, which is set to release theatrically on June 27, 2025. Lucas stars alongside Victor and Naomi Ackie and the film is produced by Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, and Barry Jenkins at PASTEL. In 2023, Lucas made his West End debut as “ENNIS” in the world premiere stage adaptation of Annie Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain, a new play with music by Ashley Robinson, songs by Dan Gillespie Sells, directed by Jonathan Butterell, and starring Mike Faist as “JACK.” In 2023, Lucas starred in Participant’s Shirley for Netflix, also featuring Regina King and Lance Reddick. Previously, Lucas starred alongside Michelle Pfeiffer and Tracy Letts in Azazel Jacobs’ French Exit, based on the bestselling book by the same title. He also appeared in Steven Soderberg’s HBOMax film Let Them All Talk, starring Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, and Gemma Chan. Hedges was also seen in Honey Boy, a film based on Shia LaBeouf’s childhood. Additionally, he starred in A24’s Waves, written and directed by Trey Edward Shults and in Joel Edgerton’s film, Boy Erased for Focus Features, starring Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman and Edgerton. Additionally, he starred in Peter Hedges’ Ben is Back opposite Julia Roberts and Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, Mid 90s, where he co-stars opposite Katherine Waterston. In 2018, Hedges made his Broadway debut in Kenneth Lonergan’s The Waverly Gallery at the John Golden Theatre. Directed by Lila Neugebauer and starring Elaine May, Joan Allen, and Michael Cera. Hedges is perhaps best known for his turn opposite Casey Affleck in Kenneth Lonergan’s Academy Award–winning movie Manchester by the Sea. For his performance, Hedges was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Gotham Award’s Best Supporting Actor, a Critics’ Choice Best Supporting Actor, and an Independent Spirit Award’s Best Supporting Male, and he won Critics’ Choice Best Young Actor as well as NBR’s “Male Breakthrough Performer of the Year.”
IDA SAKI (Performer)—Originally from Dallas, Texas, Ida Saki trained at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts, and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” and awarded Modern Dance Winner by NFAA YoungArts where she was also named a Presidential Scholar of the Arts. Ida was a closing member of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet after dancing with them from 2011–2015. She has performed in the Off-Broadway shows The Lucky Ones, Sonya Tayeh’s You’ll Still Call Me By Name, Andy Blankenbueler‘s Only Gold, and Sleep No More. Ida is a featured dancer in the film In The Heights and Netflix’s Halston. She was the Assistant Choreographer for the film Cats, and the Associate Choreographer for Amazon’s Birds of Paradise and Showtime’s “ZIWE.” Recently, Ida was on Broadway in Bob Fosse’s Dancin. Ida is also a co-founder of Dancers Give Back Dallas, a non-profit raising funds for cancer research and patient support. She can currently be seen in the prologue of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.
MARISA TOMEI (Performer)—The Rose Tattoo, The Realistic Joneses, Top Girls, Salome. Off-Broadway includes Babe (Lucille Lortel Nomination, The New Group), How to Transcend a Happy Marriage (Lincoln Center Theater). Marie and Bruce (The New Group); Oh, the Humanity and other Good Intentions (The Flea); Slavs! (NYTW). Demonology (Playwrights Horizon) and Dark Rapture (Second Stage). Regional includes We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay! (A.R.T.); Design for Living, Rocket to the Moon (WTF). Film includes Rebecca Miller’s She Came To Me, My Cousin Vinny (Academy Award), The Wrestler (Academy Award nomination), In the Bedroom (Academy Award nomination), Love is Strange, The Big Short, & Spider-Man: Far From Home. Founding Member of the Naked Angels Theater Company.
ZOË WINTERS (Performer) will next be seen in Celine Song’s A24 feature, Materialists, opposite Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans. Winters is best known for her breakout role as ‘Kerry’ on the HBO award winning hit series, Succession. She and the cast received a 2022 and 2024 SAG Award for Best Drama Ensemble. Winters’ other film and television credits include Flatbush Misdemeanors, Hunters and Marc Turtletaub’s feature Jules, in which she stars opposite Ben Kingsley. A longtime New York stage actor, Winters appeared in Heroes of the Fourth Turning at Playwrights Horizons, for which she received an Obie Award and a Lucille Lortel nomination. Other stage credits include White Noise at The Public, Small Mouth Sounds at Signature, Red Speedo and Love and Information at NYTW, An Octoroon at Soho Rep, Walden at Second Stage, The Last Match at Roundabout, The Harvest at LCT3, Much Ado About Nothing at The Public’s Shakespeare in the Park and 4000 Miles at Lincoln Center. Winters recently wrapped production on Kristoffer Borgli’s highly anticipated film The Drama for A24 starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya.