THe IFÈ LAB
Antonio Duke is the founding program director of The Ifè Lab. Black Ensemble Production's (formerly The Black Ensemble Players) Ifẹ̀ (Ee-fay) Lab is a 12-week fellowship highlighting two black solo performing artists in the Twin Cities. Each fellow will be encouraged to create two pieces: one 10-minute solo piece to perform live and another 5-minute solo piece which we’ll film. We'll document each artist's process by filming their 5-minute piece along with their creation rituals in a space of their choosing. We will edit down their creation ritual to 5-minutes totaling a 10-minute solo cinematic highlight. The film and live performances will be interwoven into a multimedia, multidisciplinary, Afro-futuristic showcase which will take place at Red Eye Theater as part of their Curated Rentals Program. Excerpts of their solo performances will be shared via social media and The Ifẹ̀ Lab’s website for free. Each fellow will receive $1,500 with an additional $750 for development funds throughout the fellowship period.