A musical in development with Angelique Kijdo
“What I’ve been trying to do as an artist is create a bridge in between cultures.
The culture I come from is so oral and so vivid, it comes with images that you cannot really express. I try to let people understand that there is Ashé in every culture.” - Angelique Kidjo
Conceived by ANGELIQUE KIDJO, JEAN HEBRAIL & NAIMA HEBRAIL KIDJO
Book & Lyrics by Naïma HEBRAIL KIDJO
Music by ANGELIQUE KIDJO & JEAN HEBRAIL
Book by WILL POWER
Directed by Tony Award Nominee JO BONNEY
STARRING 5 TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER ANGELIQUE KIDJO
Inspired by her ancestors, her family, and Africa’s resilience, singer & storyteller extraordinaire
Angélique Kidjo conjures a mesmerizing tale that will shake us awake.
About
Angélique Kidjo on playing Yemandja.
“Kidjo’s music has always been about legacies of women, of Africa, of tradition, of changing tradition when tradition needed changing and the sharing of stories.”
- KATIE PRESLEY National Public Radio (NPR)
Inspired by her ancestors, her family, and Africa’s resilience, singer and storyteller extraordinaire Angélique Kidjo conjures up a timely theatrical work that is at once a family drama and historical thriller, redolent of Greek tragedy and infused with themes of love, betrayal, honor, free will, and the horror and injustice of slavery.
Conceived by three-time Grammy winner Kidjo and a stellar team of creative collaborators, Ashé is currently in development and will make its world premiere in 2025. Featuring a cast of nine performers and four musicians, this is a work of magical realism that illuminates what happens when people are robbed of their culture.
Produced by THE OFFICE performing arts + film
Music
Music composed by Jean Hebrail & Angélique Kidjo
“Yemandja as a goddess has always been the goddess of giving and she loves songs, which is why she gave Omolola the talent and gift of singing… Singing, because it is the mirror of our soul, it empowers you to empower other people.”
-Angélique Kidjo
CREATIVE TEAM
AngeliqueKidjo
Music & Lyrics
Naïma Hebrail Kidjo
Story & Lyrics
Jean Hebrail
Music & Lyrics
Jo Bonney
Director
Will Power
Writer
Angélique Kidjo on Orisha culture and the story of Ashé.
Co-Comissioners
MASS MoCA (North Adams, MA)
The Broad Stage at Santa Monica College (Santa Monica, CA)
Cal Performances (Berkeley, CA)
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington DC)
Holland Festival (Holland, NL)
Brown University Arts Institute (Providence, RI)
Schwarzman Center at Yale University (New Haven, CT)
World Trade Center Performing Arts Center at The Ronald O. Perelman Center for the Performing Arts (New York, NY)
Contact Us
General Inquiries: Erica Zielinski | erica@theofficearts.com | (646) 284-4936
Bruna D’Avila | bruna@theofficearts.com | (917) 325-4106
Non-US Bookings: Olivier Gluzman | ogluzman@visiteursdusoir.com | + 33 (0) 685 03 10 51
Sophie Hossenlopp | sophie.hossenlopp@visiteursdusoir.com | +33 (0) 609 11 24 82
THE OFFICE performing arts + film is an independent curator and production company based in New York and London. We work in ongoing partnerships with festivals, venues, and institutions to create cultural programming that is unique and mission specific. We also produce events around the world, and consult on programming with organizations ranging from museums to universities to libraries to performing arts centers.
Rachel Chanoff, Director