A B O U T
Alva & Co. is an immersive theatre experience that explores the diabolical social ambition and ultimate rebellion of a Vanderbilt heiress and her mother in the dazzling spectacle of the Gilded Age in New York City.

* N E W S *
ALVA & Co. has been invited to premiere
in New York City at The Metropolitan Playhouse in January 2014.

C O N T E X T
Embracing the shrewd and diabolical ambition that is emblematic of the era, Alva & Co. is a biographical portrait of self-reinvention in the Gilded Age. An installation theatre performance piece that illuminate two women’s ultimate struggle to break free from the emptiness of wealth and constraints of society, the performance is inspired by the real historical narratives of Alva and Consuelo Vanderbilt, in addition to the surrounding characters swirling in their lives at the time. Alva notoriously maneuvered the pair into the epicenter of New York Society where they flourished, but eventually used her wealth and influence to lead a powerful rebellion in this world of elitism, where the voices of women were silenced.  The pair then became a force in America’s Women’s Movement, and paved the way for women’s suffrage in New York City.

Fusing historical texts with personal memoirs and biographies, the performance is heavily influenced by the strong resurgence of portraiture among the elite of the time, and the art form provides the physical framework - through stylized interpretation - for the performance.  Alva & Co. is a vibrant, movement-based theatre piece that illustrates the two women’s climb into the dazzling opulence of the Ruling Class in New York City, and then ultimate struggle to break free against the emptiness of wealth and rigid social conventions, paving the way to give women of all classes a voice.