The Black Ophelia: Film Screening & Live Music Performances

Renee Benson is an acclaimed singer, songwriter, rapper, activist and educational enthusiast. Her work has performed in over 15 countries, on TV, film, and the stages of festivals like Glastonbury, Eurovision, and beyond. With Austria’s Vogelberg Jazz Orchestra, Renee is the performing vocalist for "Leelah," a commissioned original experimental opera she co-created with composer Vincent Pongracz. Renee has worked with the Banff Centre for the Arts, on Faculty for the Indigenous Arts: Wîchoîe Ahiya Indigenous Singer/Songwriter Intensive and with the Kennedy Center teaching Trauma Informed Mindfulness. Under the name Sister Raie, Renee is currently producing her solo debut album "Malshun.” www.reneebensonmusic.com

Vagabond Inventions is an award-winning, physical theater production company directed by Jennifer Sargent. The company unites multidisciplinary artists who share a language of investigative, experimental, ensemble-devised performance. VI’s eight shows explore worlds in disequilibrium: unmoored feminine identity at midlife; migrants waiting in an immigration office; social biases that survive even the apocalypse. Vagabond Inventions co-produced the Definitive Figures Festival (hailed as a 2018 "highlight" by the Gambit) and has performed in seven countries and across the U.S. in venues including The Chocolate Factory, Bushwick Starr, Dixon Place in NYC; Detroit’s Sidewalk Festival; and NACL Theatre in NY state. www.vagabondinventions.com