The Over Flow: WWD New Works Festival Kick-off and Mixer
An evening of networking, entertainment, and special guests to mark the festival’s grand opening.
No Dream Deferred and The André Cailloux Center for Performing Arts & Cultural Justice proudly announce the return of the WE WILL DREAM: New Works Festival in 2025, March 22- May 2, 2025. Now in its second year, the festival embraces the theme The Water Remembers, exploring the transformative power of water as a vessel of remembrance, connection, and cultural legacy. This theme is in alignment with the Katrina 20 commemoration taking place across New Orleans this year.
This year, we end the festival with a journey across the water as a special WE WILL DREAM delegation joins the 2025 International Black Theatre Summit in Accra, Ghana, deepening connections between Black theatre makers from across the diaspora.
As the largest festival in the gulf coast region dedicated to uplifting new works by Black and Afro-descendant theatre makers, WE WILL DREAM continues to promote innovation, collaboration, and cultural reclamation. With a robust lineup of performances, workshops, and special events, the festival will catalyze artistic and community engagement across New Orleans and beyond.
⏰ Event Schedule:
🔹 5:00 – 5:30 PM Welcome & Opening
Introduction to the evening’s themes and the festival’s mission.
🔹 5:30 – 6:00 PM Guided Conversation
Duggan & Andrews share powerful insights on New Orleans’ cultural and civic evolution.
🔹 6:15 – 7:00 PM Moderated Panel Discussion
🎤 Moderator: Shani Peterson (The Black School)
💡 Panelists:
Gia Hamilton (NOAAM)
Shaddai Livingston (ASHE, Afro-Indigenous Society)
Nick Slie (Mondo Bizarro)
Lauren Turner Hines (Andre Cailloux Center)
Discussion Topics:
🏙 Place & Story – How NOLA’s history and landscape shape its identity.
🧠 Memory & Connection – Strengthening community bonds through collective memory.
🎭 Art as First Responder – The power of art & culture in crisis response.
⚖ Justice & Collaboration – How creative spaces drive social transformation.
📊 Data & Future Directions – Using research to shape the next chapter.