Create Fearlessly
WATERWORKS
Signature Commissioning Series
Dance, Music, Performance Art, and Theater
What’s Coming! Check out upcoming new works!
At Harlem Stage, we commission artists at every stage of her, their, or his creative journey through WATERWORKS—a visionary commissioning program rooted in the legacy of our reimagined home, The Gatehouse. Once part of New York City’s Old Croton Aqueduct system, The Gatehouse brought life-sustaining water to millions. Today, it channels something just as vital: bold, truth-telling stories.
WATERWORKS is our commitment to placing performing artists in dance, music, theater, film, and performance art—equipped with the resources they need: investments, space, time, and steadfast support. These artists stand on the frontlines, setting untold stories free—stories that have the power to challenge, transform, and liberate us all.
As MacArthur “Genius” Fellow and WaterWorks artist Vijay Iyer so powerfully said:
“It is shockingly rare that artists of color are invited to become full participants in the national conversation, to respond to today’s world, and to offer a glimpse of tomorrow. Harlem Stage stands out as one of the only presenters in the U.S. that makes this their goal.”