Performances will take place at The Chocolate Factory Theater, 38-33 24th Street, Long Island City.

Co-presented with Live Artery | New York Live Arts.

Acclaimed choreographer Juliana F. May is renowned for creating thrillingly elaborate cycles of song, text, and movement from the wreckage of difficult experience. In the reprise of Optimistic Voices, which premiered at BAM in November 2025, May delves into the tangled contradictions of family, eroticism, and motherhood. Influenced by postmodern dance and musical theater, she uses repetition and off-kilter rhythms in pursuit of a new performative language. For Optimistic Voices—performed by Justin Faircloth, Wendell Gray II, Lucy Kaminsky, Gwendolyn Knapp, Kayvon Pourazar, and Anh Vo—May creates a dreamlike landscape from the quagmire of everyday life.

Choreographed, written and directed by Juliana F. May. Performed by Justin Faircloth, Wendell Gray II, Lucy Kaminsky, Gwendolyn Knapp, Kayvon Pourazar, and Anh Vo. Original Songs: Music and Lyrics by Juliana F. May. Music composition by Clara Hunter Latham. Special music contributions by Lucy Kaminsky. Synthesizers by Jonah Sollins-Devlin. Set design by Juliana F. May. Lighting design by Chloe Z. Brown. Costume design by Mariana Valencia. Dramaturgy by Hilary Clark. Dramaturgical consultation by Matt Shalzi and Iris McCloughan. Development Manager/Special Projects: Amanda Hamline. Production Manager: Shana Crawford. Company Manager: Miranda Brown.