Charliese West

United States

Project: “Swell”
Pronouns: She/Her

“Swell” is a musical that follows an ambitious but overlooked young Black woman who wants to protect her coastal town of Swell, Louisiana. “Swell” was inspired by a goal to take the beloved Broadway formula of show-stopping numbers, moving ballads and sweeping orchestration to turn a familiar yet emotionally-powered medium into a new topic of conversation. Through its narrative, “Swell” delves into themes of sacrifice, human resilience and the impact of sea level rise on coastal Louisiana. The musical aspires to offer a fresh perspective to the theatrical landscape while propelling underrepresented BIPOC individuals into the spotlight of the theater world.

Check out Charliese’s work here: Website

“Most stories about our communities across south Louisiana voyeuristically present climate relocation as an inevitability and that we’re ‘hanging on’ by a thread. This singular narrative should be challenged.”
Evan Wei-Haas