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About Lola B.

Baltimore City

Lola B. Pierson is  a highly collaborative artist, who was born and raised in Baltimore City. She is a playwright, writer, and director. Her work challenges theatrical form, incorporating elements of social media, performance art, visual art,  switcheroos, and boredom. Other words she has used to describe her work in bios include: presence, explore, dynamic, and representation. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The San Francisco Chronicle.

A graduate of Baltimore School for the Arts, Bard College, and Towson… more

See $2,500 Baker Artist Award Winning Portfolio
View Lola B.'s Resume
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Stranger Kindness

Assembled and co-directed by Lola B. Pierson, Stranger Kindness is a misinterpretation of the American classic A Streetcar Named Desire. Using the intentions and emotions of the original script, the piece alternates between a play and a video being live filmed for the audience. Incorporating language from canonical American plays, modernist existentialist writers, and Marxist feminism Stranger Kindness is much more interesting than it sounds like it will be. The production considers the mythology created by the classical American theatre and how that mythology is impacted by plays being made into films. Using live video and inspired by the film version of Streetcar the piece explores how much we rely (or don’t rely) on language to convey meaning.

Baltimore City Paper's Top Ten Stage Productions 2016.
Baltimore City Paper's Best of Baltimore "Best Production" 2016.
  • Blanche speaks to the audience
    Blanche speaks to the audience
    Photo Credit:Tania Karpekina
  • "Stranger Kindness"
    A video of the performance. Video Credit Tom Kessler.
  • Stranger Kindness final.pdf
    The script of the performance, assembled by Lola B. Pierson.
  • Blanche and Stella
    Blanche and Stella
    Photo Credit:Tania Karpekina
  • The set from the side
    The set from the side
    Photo Credit:Tania Karpekina.
  • Blanche's madness
    Blanche's madness
    Photo Credit:Tania Karpekina
  • Mitch talks to Stanley
    Mitch talks to Stanley
    Photo Credit:Tania Karpekina
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    • The World Is Round

    Winner of Baltimore City Paper's Best of Baltimore 2015 "Best adaptation"
    Baltimore City Paper's Top Ten Stage Productions 2015 "#1"
    Baltimore Sun's List of The Best of Baltimore's 2015 Theatre Season

    The World Is Round was directed and adapted from the Gertrude Stein children's novella by Lola B. Pierson. The piece chronicles the adventures of a young girl named Rose who does a lot of thinking and deciding and mountain climbing. Through her encounters with animals, the woods, school, and mountains Rose explores a very profound understanding of what it means to be human with a child’s understanding of the world. The show explored Stein’s unique writing style and its intersection with modern theatrical devices. Using presence, repetition, chance, and stream of consciousness the piece explored boredom, liveness, and believing in yourself. Original music for the show composed by Jenn Wasner.
    • The Chorus
      The Chorus
      The Chorus sings "A Rose Is A Rose"
    • Opening Sequence
      Opening Sequence
      The Chorus and Rose perform the opening song while being projected upon.
    • The Other Shore
      The Other Shore
      A moment from the play. See Project Overview for details on the production. Photo by Chris Hartlove
    • The Chorus
      The Chorus
      The chorus performs a song about drowning.
    • The Chorus and Rose
      The Chorus and Rose
      The Chorus and Rose speak directly to the audience.
    • Rose
      Rose
      Cricket Arrison as Rose the depressed little girl
    • Video of "The World Is Round"
    • Script of "The World Is Round"
      "Once upon a time, the world was round. And you could go on it, around and around. Everywhere there was somewhere, that’s the way it was."

    • The Determination of Azimuth

    "Determination of Azimuth" is a math-space operetta that tells the story of Katherine Johnson, one of the true, but hidden heroes of the Space Age. Katherine was a human computer who rose above the limitations of color and gender to become one of the most trusted mathematicians in the space program and an essential part of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. Directed by Lola B. Pierson with music originally by Andrew Bernstein as part of the BROS Six Pack in 2015. Remounted at Arena Players in 2018 with music by Zack Branch. Written by NASA employee Heather Graham and Eric Church. 
    • The Determination of Azimuth
      The Determination of Azimuth
    • Space dance
      Space dance
      Using minimalist music and abstract geture the human computers act out one of the mathematical principles used in Katherine Johnson's work, "All Moments Are Zero Math."
    • Katherine Johnson solves equations
      Katherine Johnson solves equations
      Surrounded by a whirlwind of activity including projections and puppetry Katherine uses Newton's 3rd law (equal and opposite reactions) to calculate space travel.
    • Meeting
      Meeting
      The white male engineers exclude Katherine Johnson, who is responsible for much of the math used on the mission, from a meeting.
    • Katherine Johnson teaches other computers
      Katherine Johnson teaches other computers
    • Song about orbit
      Song about orbit
    •

    • Thr3e Zisters

    Lola B. Pierson's Thr3e Zisters is an amalgamation of a modern adaption of Chekhov's Three Sisters, a literal translation of the original Russian text,  dramatic criticism of Chekhov's work, and some "sick of this shit" feminist anger. The piece explores the innate conflict between performing classic texts and the changing roles of gender and performance in contemporary culture. Oh, and the sisters are zombies.

    The Austin Chronicle's Top Ten Theatre Riches of 2015: #1
    Austin Critics' Table Winner 2014/2015 "Best Production, Comedy"
    • Gesture
      Gesture
      The three sisters are taught gesture.
    • After the feast
      After the feast
      The three sisters relax after the zombie attack.
    • Irina eats
      Irina eats
    • Video of Thr3e Zisters (password protected)
      Password: Zisters15
    • Preparation
      Preparation
      The three sisters get prepared for their performance.
    • Irina rebels
      Irina rebels
      Jenny Larson as Irina turning into a Zombie.
    • Script of The Thr3e Zisters
      "Olga: To-day thou all shinest, thou-seemest extraordinarily pretty. And Masha also is-pretty. Andre would be good, only he filled-out very, this to him not goes. And I grew-old, grew-thin strongly, from-that, it-must be, that am-cross in college, on girls. There to-day, I-am free, I at-home, and by me not aches head, I feel myself younger than yesterday. To-me twenty eight years only...All well, all from God, but to-me seems, if-I-should-go-out for-husband, and whole day sat at home, then this would be better."
    • Show poster
      Show poster
      Designed by Salvage Vanguard
    • Thr3e Zisters
      Thr3e Zisters
      The three sisters, Andrei, and Vershinin pose for the audience.
    •

    • Play

    Co directed with set design by Lola B Pierson. This show was a combination of theatre and performance art. It was performed on loop for 24 hours continuously by the same actors.Considered one of Beckett’s seminal texts, Play presents three characters trapped in a Purgatory-like situation.

    Winner of Baltimore City Paper's Best of Baltimore for "Best Production of 2013"
    • Woman 2 monologue
      Woman 2 monologue
      Sophie Hinderberger as Woman 2
    • Woman 1 Monologue, 24-Hour "Play"
      Naomi Kline performing a monologue version of her lines from the piece after performing for 20 hours continuously.
    • British Dinner Party, 24 hour Play
      Taken at the 23rd hour of the continuous performance, this video displays one of the 4 incarnations of the script. The directors and cast affectionately referred to this version as "The British Dinner Party."
    • Office Worker version
      Hour 23
    • The finale, 24-hour Play
      The cast reaches the conclusion of the piece after performing for 24 hours continuously.
    • Traditional version, 24 hour Play
      The cast performs Beckett's Play exactly as it is written with no liberties taken. This video was taken in the 22nd hour of the performance.
    • Traditional version
      Traditional version
      Naomi Kline, Nathan Cooper, and Sophie Hinderberger perform the play traditionally.
    • Woman 2 Monologue, 24 Hour Play
      Sophie Hinderberger performing a monologue version of her lines from the piece after performing for 21 hours continuously.
    • Show poster
      Show poster
      Designed by Jennifer Strunge
    • Woman 1 and Woman 2
      Woman 1 and Woman 2
      Naomi Kline as Woman 1 and Sophie Hinderberger as Woman 2.
    •

    • Kaspar

    Winner of Baltimore City Paper's Best of Baltimore "Best Use of Video In a Play"
    Baltimore City Paper's Top Ten Stage Productions 2014

    Directed with portions of the video production by Lola B. Pierson, the Acme Corporation's Kaspar was a contemporary version of Peter Handke's play from 1967. Using video, internet, and the audience members' own cell phones the show explored the idea that language and society simultaneously make us more connected, but less ourselves. Using over 60 local Baltimore artists the show parodied various shows and genres using the text of the original play. Included amongst them were Law & Order, exercise videos, the Eastern Motors commercial that plays on 92Q, movie trailers, soft core pornography, and unboxing videos.
    • Kaspar speaks
      Kaspar speaks
      Sophie Hinderberger as Kaspar speaks with a different effect on each microphone
    • Kaspar and Other Kaspars
      Kaspar and Other Kaspars
      Kaspar's identity splits into Other Kaspars.
    • Kaspar's final moment
      Kaspar's final moment
      "Already with my first sentence I was trapped."
    • Kaspar on Facebook
      Kaspar on Facebook
      Kaspar learns about Facebook.
    • Video part 3 of 3
    • Video part 2 of 3
    • "KASPAR": directed by Lola Pierson, written by Peter Handke, (Part 1)
    • Show poster
      Show poster
      Designed by Jennifer Strunge
    •

    • Office Ladies

    Written and directed by Lola B Pierson, Office Ladies featured music composed and performed by Alex Scally. The show explores obsession, ants, the atomic bomb, and how we use art to construct meaning for ourselves.
    • Foumi's Ant Dance
      Foumi's Ant Dance
      Sophie Hinderberger as Foumi dances about ants.
    • Self
      Self
      Jenna Rossman as Self talks to Rosie (Deirdre MacAllister) about holidays.
    • Midori makes it rain
      Midori makes it rain
      Caitlin Weaver as Midori sprinkles the lower level with rain made out of punched paper holes.
    • Script of Office Ladies
      "ROSIE: Hey, how is your ant infestation? FOUMI:Oh, you know what? I finally just decided to let them in the house. I mean if they want it that badly then as far as I’m concerned they can just come on in. It was easier than fighting them. ROSIE: I know exactly what you mean. We’re planning Christmas with my husband’s family right now and it’s just a complete nightmare."
    • Show Poster
      Show Poster
      Designed by Jennifer Strunge
    • All six ladies
      All six ladies
      Each of the ladies working at her desk.
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