A Story of Resistance Takes the Stage

At the edge of Lower Manhattan, beside the 9/11 Memorial, Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) has created a new cultural space in a place defined by memory and renewal. The center brings together emerging and established artists across theater, music, dance, opera, film, and multidisciplinary performance, welcoming audiences from around the world.

Gifts from WMM Members Dana Su Lee and Mona Sinha are helping bring one of its most anticipated productions to life. Their Art Catalyst Fund grants are supporting Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo, a new musical written by and starring Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, and actress Jennifer Nettles. Recently named one of The New York Times’ 18 Off-Broadway shows to see, Giulia is already earning acclaim as “a richly constructed, tunefully impressive tale of female empowerment.”  

The production recounts the life of Giulia Tofana, a 17th-century Italian apothecary whose work became a covert form of resistance—through her practice of healing, she helped protect women living under violent, oppressive, and deeply patriarchal systems. Giulia’s story evolves from one woman’s defiance into a portrait of women acting together in the face of oppression. exploring power, solidarity, and the quiet ways women have always found to protect one another. In many ways, it reflects the heart of Women Moving Millions: that women draw strength from one another and achieve more together than they could alone.    

Lee and Sinha’s gifts are an investment in the ability of live performance to illuminate untold stories. At PAC NYC, that means creating space for ambitious new work that makes history immediate and deeply human, challenging assumptions and sparking conversation. That is the unique power of theater: it turns stories into shared experiences that linger long after the curtain falls.   

Photo Credits:

All photos by Andy Henderson