SNOW. Work together
Original theater · A choreopoem · 2020
Soil
Beneath.
An Empirical Decay
Creator, playwright, and performer
Written and performed by Chesney Snow, Soil Beneath: An Empirical Decay brings poetry, storytelling, dance, and music into an examination of race, class, and American political culture. Commissioned by Primary Stages, it was presented with 59E59 Theaters in November 2020.
Original artwork for Soil Beneath: An Empirical Decay, Primary Stages / 59E59 Theaters, 2020.
The work
Poetry, music, and movement
The choreopoem brings Snow's writing and performance into a shared theatrical language with composition and choreography. Its questions about American life unfold through the voice, the body, and the relationships among an ensemble.
The work
A collaboration across disciplines
Kimille Howard directed the work, with original music by Diedre Murray, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and two-time Obie Award winner. A.J. Khaw served as music director.
Winston Dynamite Brown and Latra Ann Wilson contributed choreography and performed in the ensemble. Kevis Hillocks appeared as Homerel, Rachael Holmes as Dori, and Snow as Professor Laurence.
Primary Stages · 2020
The original production artwork.
Photographs and original artwork from the project. Select an image to open it in a new tab.
Original artwork & event posters
Primary Stages' promotional artwork for the 2020 virtual season.
The work
A 2020 Primary Stages commission
Created for the virtual season of Off-Broadway's Primary Stages, Soil Beneath was part of the company's Living Room Commissions. The initiative supported new one-act works made for online audiences during the pandemic.
The 40-minute presentation ran November 11–15, 2020, through Primary Stages and 59E59 Theaters. Opening night included a conversation with the artists and an online celebration.
The presentation
A time. A place.
A shared encounter.
- Presented
- November 11–15, 2020
- Format
- Virtual presentation
- Commissioned by
- Primary Stages
- Presenting partner
- 59E59 Theaters
- Commission series
- Living Room Commissions
- Running time
- 40 minutes
Explore the project records
Creative collaboration
The people behind the work.
- Creator / Playwright / Professor Laurence / Ensemble
- Chesney Snow
- Director
- Kimille Howard
- Composer
- Diedre Murray
Pulitzer Prize finalist; two-time Obie Award winner
- Music Director
- A.J. Khaw
- Choreographer / Ensemble
- Winston Dynamite Brown
- Choreographer / Ensemble
- Latra Ann Wilson
- Homerel / Ensemble
- Kevis Hillocks
- Dori / Ensemble
- Rachael Holmes
Watch the work
A closer look.
Primary Stages · YouTube
Sneak Peek! Soil Beneath: An Empirical Decay
Original artwork for Soil Beneath: An Empirical Decay, Primary Stages / 59E59 Theaters, 2020.
Watch the official trailerExplore further
Project records & credits.
View the sources
Production records, artist conversations and published accounts offer further context. Image sources and credits appear with each photograph and artwork.
- Primary Stages — Soil Beneath project page and full creative/cast credits
- 59E59 — presentation dates, virtual format, roles, and Diedre Murray biography
- 59E59 — Primary Stages Living Room Commissions
- TDF — November 11–12, 2020 streaming guide
- American Theatre — November 2020 production schedule and opening-night conversation
- Existing native Squarespace production-art upload
- Primary Stages — linked virtual-season promotional image
- YouTube oEmbed — official Soil Beneath preview metadata
One project. A wider body of work.
Follow the
full story.
Explore Chesney’s work across theater, music, film, education and community.