Works & Process at the Guggenheim
presents
Atlantic Theater Company:
The Secret Life of Bees
by Susan Birkenhead, Lynn Nottage, and Duncan Sheik, with Sam Gold
Monday, April 22, 2019 at 7:30pm

Set in South Carolina in 1964, Sue Monk Kidd’s best-selling novel, The Secret Life of Bees, centers on Lily Owens, a restless white teenager who struggles with her merciless father and the haunting memory of her mother’s death. When Rosaleen, her black caregiver, is beaten and jailed for asserting her right to vote, Lily’s rebellious spirit is ignited. She and Rosaleen escape on an adventure where they are taken in by a trio of black beekeeping sisters. While Lily tries to unlock the secrets of her past, she and Rosaleen find solace in the mesmerizing world of bees and spirituality in this extraordinary tale of awakening, fellowship, and healing.

Prior to the world premiere, two-time Tony-nominee and Drama Desk-winning lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Jelly’s Last Jam), two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Lynn Nottage (Sweat), Tony- and Grammy Award-winning composer Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening), and Tony-winning director Sam Gold (Fun Home) discuss their collaboration and creative process of turning Sue Monk Kidd’s novel into a musical. Cast members will also perform highlights.

TICKETS & VENUE
$45, $40 Guggenheim Members and Friends of Works & Process
Box Office (212) 423-3575 or worksandprocess.org
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Avenue, New York

Lead funding for Works & Process is provided by The Florence Gould Foundation, The Christian Humann Foundation, Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Evelyn Sharp Foundation, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Works & Process at the Guggenheim 
Described by The New York Times as “an exceptional opportunity to understand something of the creative process,” for over 34 years and in over 500 productions, New Yorkers have been able to see, hear, and meet the most acclaimed artists in the world, in an intimate setting unlike any other. Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, has championed new works and offered audiences unprecedented access to generations of leading creators and performers. Most performances take place in the Guggenheim’s intimate Frank Lloyd Wright-designed 285-seat Peter B. Lewis Theater. In 2017, Works & Process established a new residency and commissioning program, inviting artists to create new works, made in and for the iconic Guggenheim rotunda. worksandprocess.org.