The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts welcomed playwrights, musicians, and composers Jay Adana and Zeniba Now to campus October 6–16, 2022, launching the Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program series for 2022–2023 in partnership with the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI).
The residency included participation in the first Just Bust! Open Mic and Workshop events of the academic year along with guest lectures, workshops, and rehearsals leading to a performance of The Loophole at the 16th Annual Passing the Mic (PtM) Festival.
About the Artists

JAY ADANA (she | her) is loud and shy. The Loophole (Public Theater Studio, music and lyrics), The Jordan & Avery Show (The O’Neill Theater Center, book, music, and lyrics), The Woodsman (New World Stages, lyrics), Notes From Now (59E59, contributed music and lyrics), Fingerpaintings (Playwrights Horizons Downtown, music and lyrics), LeFay (Musical Theater Factory, book and lyrics), The Last Tiger in Haiti (Berkeley Rep/La Jolla Playhouse, contributed music and lyrics). Currently developing The Jordan & Avery Show as a musical movie. 2020 Richard Rodgers Award, 2021 Vivace Award, 2018 Jonathan Larson Award, 2019 Dramatist Guild Foundation Fellow. Work featured by PBS, The American Theater Wing, Joe’s Pub, and The Dramatist Magazine. Residencies: Public Theater #BARS residency writer under Jeanie O’Hare, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, SPACE on Ryder Farm. Education: #BARS workshop founded by Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, Acting BFA SUNY Purchase Conservatory. www.jayadana.com

ZENIBA NOW is a musical storyteller and artscientist from Los Angeles. Millions of people have enjoyed her performances online and on stage. As a writer of musicals, her work includes Beloved (PBS, #BARS at The Public), Human Resources (St. Louis Rep, Woolly Mammoth), The Loophole (The Public Theater), and Take the Lead (forthcoming). Her one-woman specials “IQuit: Millennial Retirement Gala” and “Sincerely, Z” can be seen on Tik Tok and YouTube. Z has also collaborated with Buzzfeed, The New York Times, Mixed Blood, NYU Playwrights Horizons, Goodspeed Musicals, NYMF, Theatre Raleigh, Theatre by The Sea, RWS & Associates, La Mama, The Dramatist Guild Foundation, The American Theatre Wing, Joe’s Pub, The GreenRoom42, 54 Below, The Gibney, Ring of Keys, Democracy Now, Caveat, SPACE on Ryder Farm, SpeakEasy Stage, Signature Center, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Rhinebeck Writer’s Retreat, and more.
Zeniba is passionate about the effects of heart and brain coherence on human consciousness and has completed Alpha Brainwave Training 1 at Dr. James Hardt’s Biocybernaut Institute and two advanced retreats on piezoelectricity with Dr. Joe Dispenza. She has a degree in Musical Theatre from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee with an emphasis in Directing. Additional training in antiracism and leadership from Urban Bush Women, and graduate coursework in Trauma & Communal Suffering, The Shape of The Story, and Artist Identity from NYU Gallatin where she briefly pursued an Independent Masters in Musical Film and Television. Zeniba is the winner of the 2021 Jonathan Larson Award, 2021 Vivace Award, the 2020 Richard Rodgers Award, and West High’s Funniest Senior. www.zenibanow.com
News
Events
Just Bust! Open Mic
October 7 @ 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm CDT
Wisconsin Historical Society 816 State Street, Madison, WI
Madison’s longest running all-ages open mic, Just Bust! Open Mic, includes community performances, First Wave and alumni spotlight performance, and performances by Jay Adana and Zeniba Now. Performance sign up (in-person) begins at 8 p.m. and goes on throughout the night until all slots are filled. Free, all ages, and open to the public.
Just Bust! Hip Hop Theater Workshop
October 8 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm CDT
Play Circle, Memorial Union 800 Langdon Street, Madison, WI
Just Bust! Hip Hop Theater Workshop led by Jay Adana and Zeniba Now. This workshop centers around an upcoming performance of The Loophole at the 16th Annual Passing the Mic Festival (October 15). Free, all ages, and open to the public.
Residency Reception at Rob Dz – Spoken Word Night
October 13 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm CDT
Café CODA 1224 Williamson Street, Madison, WI
Jay Adana and Zeniba Now invite you to join in celebrating their residency at UW–Madison with Rob Franklin, also known as Rob Dz, as he hosts a Spoken Word Night at Café CODA. As part of celebrating this residency, the presenters are offering a limited number of free tickets to attend.
Passing the Mic Public Showcase
October 15 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm CDT
Play Circle, Memorial Union 800 Langdon Street, Madison, WI
All are invited to join for this intergenerational hip hop festival dedicated to the theme Love & Revolution, featuring a performance of The Loophole by Jay Adana and Zeniba Now. Free, all ages, and open to the public.
Presenters
The October 2022 Interdisciplinary Arts Residency was presented by the UW–Madison Division of the Arts with aryn kresol as program coordinator and by the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) with Director Sofía Snow as residency lead.