Doors 6:30p
Program 7:00p
Tickets $15

UnionDocs
352 Onderdonk Ave
Ridgewood, NY

What do a textile worker in Delhi, a student in a Palestinian refugee camp, and a farmworker in 1960s California have in common? In the midst of their struggle for freedom, they all turned to theatre. And some UnionDocs alum have spent the last two years telling their story. Come celebrate the launch of these stories with them.

Performing the Revolution is a four part documentary podcast capturing the intertwined histories of theatre groups — yes, you read that correctly — from around the world who use the performing arts as a tool for revolutionary change. But this isn’t your typical theatre. These artists stage short, biting, satirical plays on picket lines, at factory gates, in refugee camps, and in the beds of trucks. Anywhere their work can rally everyday people to join the fight for our collective future.

In some ways, this documentary production started here at UnionDocs. And what an honor it’ll be to celebrate these connections and the power of the documentary arts to build meaningful connections across countries, languages and cultures. It’s also a rallying moment to have a drink, dance and meet artists and community members eager to imagine the possibilities of what creative resistance can look like. Join us.

Program

Leading the night is someone who’s no stranger to the world of bringing underreported historical stories to the present: the Spotify exclusive podcast Not Past It’s Simone Polanen. She’ll guide us through these histories from India to the West Bank to the California Central Valley– alongside the producers who reported each of these episodes –including former UnDo pod-pod alums, Ida Hardin and Remoy Philip. Performing the Revolution host and longtime theatre maker Meropi Peponides will also join the conversation to share her experiences that connect these stories spanning across oceans and borders.

Program Duration: 45 mins

Bios

Simone Polanen is a Brooklyn-based podcast host, writer, actor, and film/audio-maker. She hosted Past Perfect, a time-traveling trivia show from ZSP Media, and the Spotify Original history show Not Past It, named one of The Atlantic’s 50 Best Podcasts of 2021. Her work spans acclaimed narrative podcasts including StartUp, The Nod, and Reply All, as well as Trevor Noah’s On Second Thought, HBO’s The Official Jinx Podcast, and Spotify’s The Decade Wrapped. In 2023, she was invited to speak at TEDxCarnegie Mellon University about the lessons she’s learned bringing history to life for contemporary audiences.

Ida Hardin (she/they), Producer, is an Oregon based audio producer and reporter with decades of experience leveraging communication for social good. From leading UNESCO projects to crafting impactful NPR documentaries, she champions diverse voices, fosters engagement, and delivers results that empower marginalized groups.
Highlighting the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion and all the beauty that radiates.

Navani Otero (she/her) who is a producer on the project, is a New York based multimedia journalist and audio producer. Her work has been featured in MTV NEWS, XXL Magazine, Latina Magazine and Hemispheres Magazine. She has worked on narrative non-fiction podcasts for places like Gimlet Media, Spotify, SONY, CNN, iHeartMedia and Group Nine Media covering everything from technology to social justice. She is passionate about telling stories that center and uplift WOC and Latinx/e voices. In her free time, you can find her snapping pics of street art and talking to every dog she passes in the street.

Flora Kwitman (she/her) who is a producer on the project, is a writer, performer, and media producer based in Brooklyn, originally from Portland, Oregon. She holds a BA in Film Studies from Columbia University and brings over a decade of experience across narrative and non-fiction development, podcasting, and marketing. Flora began her career at Scott Rudin Productions and Moxie Pictures, where she supported the development of film and television projects through research and script analysis. She is also a stand-up, sketch, and improv performer, with training from LAMDA and Magnet Theater. Her work explores the intersections of humor, identity, and cultural critique.

Meropi Peponides (she/her), co-EP/Host, is a theater maker, dramaturg, podcast producer, writer, co-creative director of the 2026 Under the Radar Festival and co-founder of Radical Evolution. She has been creating and producing theatre for 19 years with a focus on devised ensemble work, site-specific work and community-based performance. Her work explores cross-cultural affinity and seeks to disrupt cultural hierarchies by drawing inspiration from BIPOC and nonwestern traditions. Upcoming with Radical Evolution: Canciones, an immersive, site-specific play with music and The Hunger Project (working title, commission from Soho Rep). BA, UCLA. MFA, Columbia University (Dean’s fellow).

Remoy Philip (he/him) co-EP/Producer/Engineer on the project is a New York City based editorial journalist and creative producer. His work has taken him around the globe telling stories of underserved and marginalized people groups, resulting in humanization and audience activism.

Radical Evolution is a producing collective committed to creating artistic events across media that seek to understand the complexities of our multicultural existence in the 21st Century. We collaborate with people from many different identities to build capacity to relate to each other across difference, platforming practitioners that represent the intersectionality of perspectives and aesthetics of the city around us. Through this approach, we work to assert a vision for cultural and social equity in our field, city, and nation. radicalevolution.org

Bad Coolie Productions tells intimate, essential stories that agitates, plays, and recenters the role of Asians throughout colonial history. https://badcoolie.mmm.page/