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By Mabel Pais
The hit play “DUST OF EGYPT: THE SOJOURNER TRUTH STORY” by Karin Abarbanel returns to New York City to perform at the Frank Shiner Theatre of the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, 18 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012 – Phone: 212 219 3132. March 6-29, 2026! See below for schedule and price.
(https://sheencenter.org/events/detail/dust-of-egypt).
DUST OF EGYPT
“Dust of Egypt” explores tangled race relations, the price of injustice, faith and forgiveness. It’s a timely and timeless play you won’t want to miss!
What will she do to rescue her son?
The play dramatizes the legendary Black activist Sojourner Truth’s little-known, heroic fight to rescue her 5-year old boy Peter after he was illegally taken down South. At a time when slaves and women had no power or voice, Sojourner spoke out and confronted injustice. She became the first Black woman to sue a slave owner in court – against all odds, she won.
“Dust of Egypt” is a remarkable, moving story of loss and triumph. During this time of upheaval, Sojourner’s resilience and resistance can help light our way. Desi Waters will reprise her award-winning role as Sojourner, along with many of the show’s talented original cast.
“Dust of Egypt” premiered to a sold-out run at the New York Theater Festival’s 2022 Winterfest, where Desi Waters garnered a Best Actress Award for her stirring portrayal of Sojourner and the play won nominations for Best Production and Best Director. The Sheen Center presented a full production of the play in 2024 to enthusiastic theatergoers.
This four-week run of “Dust of Egypt” will be helmed once again by the critically acclaimed director Rhonda PASSION Hansome. It will reunite many of the show’s original cast, including Jade Cayne, Eric Ruffin, Eliott Johnson, and Jeanna Schweppe, who will be joined by Nicholas Louis Turturro and Mark McCullough Thomas.
As a legendary activist who fought for women’s rights, one of Sojourner Truth’s major achievements is little known: She was the first Black woman to successfully win a legal case in the court system. The time has never been better to put Sojourner in the spotlight.
The seven-member cast of “Dust of Egypt” enjoyed three-sold performances at the 2022 WinterFest Showcase/Competition sponsored by the prestigious New York Theater Festival. The new 90-minute play illuminates black abolitionist and women’s rights advocate Sojourner Truth’s unrelenting fight to rescue her son after he is abducted and taken down South.
ACCOLADES
Desi Waters won a “Best Actress” Award for her moving portrayal of Sojourner Truth. Of the 2022 WinterFest’s 90 shows performed at the Theater Latea, “Dust of Egypt” was one of nine shows nominated in the “Best Production” and “Best Director” categories.
CAST
Helmed by acclaimed director Rhonda PASSION Handsome, the “Dust of Egypt” showcase featured a talented cast, including: Jade Cayne, Austin Iredale, Daniel Martin, Eliott Johnson, Eric Ruffin, Jeanna Schweppe, and Desi Waters. The creative team also included Dr. Jaye Austin Williams (dramaturge) and Domani Productions (producers).
TICKETS
To purchase tickets to the performance of your choice, access https://sheencenter.app.getcuebox.com/o/MVQSLDZL/shows/9HSBD4QX
Artists, students and seniors, get a discount. To request the discount code, email frontdesk@sheencenter.org.
Performance time: 1 hour 30 minutes.
Lobby Opens 1 Hour Before Event; Doors Open 30 Mins Before Show
Karin Abarbanel – Playwright
Abarbanel pursued her training as a playwright at the T. Schreiber Studio and Theater’s new playwrights program led by Mick Casale, an award-winning playwright and instructor. Karin created “Dust of Egypt” in a workshop setting and the T. Schreiber Studio and Gene Frankel Theatre both mounted staged readings of the play. Karin currently has several dramatic projects in development, including a screenplay, “Mr. Wilde Goes West,” about the infamous Oscar Wilde; and “Walt and Private Hathaway,” a play based on an event in the life of Walt Whitman. Karin’s nonfiction is published by Penguin Random House, Henry Holt, and McGraw-Hill. Her debut novel, a children’s fantasy, tells the story of a young tree whisperer. Karin brings an extensive corporate marketing background to her creative endeavors. Learn more at
https://karinwritesdangerously.com.
Rhonda PASSION Hansome, Director
Rhonda PASSION Hansome is a critically acclaimed director, actor and comedian. She is an AUDELCO Outstanding Pioneer Honoree. She has directed over forty productions. Rhonda PASSION Hansome has directed performances in the Houston and Newark Airports, the National Arts Club, and the Museum of the City of New York. Her memberships have included Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, Women’s Project Directors Forum, SDC, and Tribeca Performing Arts Center Writers-In-Performance Lab. She enjoyed 5 years as Artistic Director of the NJPAC Young Writers Workshop.
Follow her on FaceBook: @Rhonda Hansome Comedy, Twitter: @RhondaHansome, IG: @rhondafull, Tik Tok: @lobehold100
EMANI BRIELLE SIMPSON- Producer
Emani Brielle Simpson is the founder of the production company, The Real Artists LLC (TRA), whose mission is to create an inspirational environment where artists can hone their crafts, thrive and network to build a career out of their passions. Emani is passionate about bringing artists together and collaborating on new works. She is a proud Line Up member for Breaking and Entering Theater Collective.
Follow her on Instagram: @short_mani @therealartists_ @serialsnyc @bethtrco
SOJOURNER TRUTH
Sojourner Truth began her life as Isabella or Bell, a Northern slave. Born in about 1797, she was owned and sold by five different Dutch and English slaveholders in the Hudson River Valley in New York State. In 1817, New York State passed a law that freed all enslaved adults born before 1799 on July 4, 1827. Bell’s owner at the time, John Dumont, promised her that if she worked especially hard, he would free her a year early, but then refused to honor his word. In the fall of 1826, Bell began her “walk to freedom,” defiantly and openly leaving Dumont’s farm to find work and help her family. After she left, Dumont sold her 5-year-old son Peter to a neighbor and he was taken out of state. New York State was one of a handful of states in which transporting slaves across state lines was illegal. Bell, with incredible courage and determination, impelled the New York legal system to recognize her claim to her boy Peter. She became the first Black woman of record to successfully wage a legal battle through the court system. Coming on the heels of significant new revelations about this series of events, including the discovery of original 1828 court documents a bout the case– previously thought to be lost forever–the time has never been better to put Sojourner Truth’s extraordinary life in the spotlight.
~Karin Abarbanel~
Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Education, Business, Spirituality, Health and Wellness, and Cuisine.
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