The Seven Deadly Sins

New York, NY

Theater

This outdoor theater anthology series composed of seven 10-minute-long world premiere plays took place in empty storefronts and a shipping container in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District in Summer 2021—a triumphant return to live performance. A Tectonic Theater Project directed by Moisés Kaufman, each play addressed a sin—pride, sloth, greed, lust, wrath, envy, and gluttony—as socially distanced audiences were guided to the different locations.

Client: Tectonic Theater Project

Project Category: Theater

Selected Press: New York Times

Street view of illuminated signage for 'Seven Deadly Sins'.r — Each play had a sign in the transom or outside of the storefront spelling out the name of the sin presented.

Performance of 'Purgatory'. — Guests began their journey in *Purgatory*, a loading dock across from the Whitney Museum with neon and a red Mylar curtain that doubled as the introduction to the performance and a pop-up bar.

The world premiere plays were written by Ngozi Anyanwu, Thomas Bradshaw, MJ Kaufman, Jeffrey LaHoste, Ming Peiffer, and Bess Wohl.

'Quiet please' sign leading to 'Seven Deadly Sins'.

Lust

The smallest of the sets, Lust presents a pole dancer's internal monologue in the midst of her routine.

'Sloth' set. — For *Sloth*, we created a realistic living room in the suburbs. The play features a young couple having a disagreement while the husband plays video games.

Gluttony

Gluttony takes place in the Garden of Eden, with a backdrop inspired by Henri Rousseau’s bold jungle images and Kehinde Wiley’s representation of foliage in his take on Old Masters.

'Pride' performance. — In *Pride*, a trans blogger sells out to a big corporation that begins to craft his content. The set is an explosion of Pride paraphernalia.

Envy

An immersive gold room, a cascading wall of roses, and Rococo furniture evoke Versailles.

Street view of 'Wrath' set. — *Wrath* was set in a dominatrix lair with red walls, padded vinyl surfaces, and bondage objects.