The atmosphere inside the Town Hall Theater on Friday, April 3, was one of kinetic energy and sharp wit as POWERSUITS brings interpretive dance and comedy to Town Hall Theater. The production, a daring blend of movement, music, and dialogue, serves as both a comedic romp and a pointed examination of the frictions inherent in the modern professional world.
Written and performed by Michole Biancosino and Lida Winfield, the reveal eschews a traditional linear narrative in favor of a series of interpretive vignettes. Together, the duo explores the complexities of women in positions of power, using physicality to challenge entrenched gender roles and the performative nature of leadership. The result is a production that manages to elicit loud laughter from a packed house while simultaneously weaving in subtle social commentary on capitalism, consumerism, and the systemic hurdles women face in the corporate and social hierarchy.
For Biancosino, an associate professor of theater, and Winfield, an assistant professor of dance, the project is the culmination of a year-and-a-half of intensive development. The work first premiered at the Women in Theater Festival, an initiative co-founded by Biancosino through Project Y, and has since traveled to venues including the University of Vermont and the Northampton Center for the Arts.
The Architecture of Improvisation
At the heart of POWERSUITS is a technique known as structured improvisation. Rather than following a rigid script, the performers operate within a “score”—a broad framework that dictates the thematic beats and essential movements of the show while leaving room for spontaneous reaction. This allows the performance to breathe and evolve in real-time based on the energy of the room.
Winfield describes this process as an exercise in active presence. The skill of improvisation, she notes, is rooted in the ability to listen and respond to the immediate environment, effectively composing the theater and dance in the moment. This commitment to presence extends to the audience. Biancosino and Winfield treat the crowd not as passive observers, but as active participants in a conversation. By observing reactions and adjusting their timing or delivery, the duo creates an immersive experience that feels tailored to each specific night.
This immersive quality is bolstered by a prop-heavy set and a high degree of physical comedy. Audience members, including Alison Mott, described the performance as riveting, noting the “intelligent humor” and the nostalgic appeal of the Gen X-inspired soundtrack that underscores the action.
A Pedigree of Interdisciplinary Art
The chemistry between the two leads is the result of a professional partnership that began in 2016 at Middlebury College. Their collaboration is defined by a shared interest in how the performing arts can dismantle social divides. In 2018, they partnered for a production inspired by “Recitatif,” the only short story written by Toni Morrison, which used the performing arts to address racial and social fragmentation.
Biancosino brings a deep background in play development to the project. The daughter of a professional musician, she founded Project Y in 1999 in Washington, D.C., before relocating the award-winning company to New York City. Her work focuses on curating raw ideas and refining them into professional premieres, a process she extends to the next generation by hiring student interns every summer. Since 2014, her leadership of the annual Women in Theater Festival has sought to create tangible opportunities for women in an industry where they remain underrepresented in directing and producing roles.
Winfield complements this with a global perspective on movement. An alumna of the School of New Dance Development in Amsterdam and Goddard College, she describes her practice as interdisciplinary, spanning storytelling, visual art, and theater. Her career has taken her from the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts and the Bates Dance Festival to teaching at MindMingle, an experiential school in New Delhi. Having chaired Middlebury’s Dance department from 2021 to 2024, Winfield views the act of creating art and the act of teaching as inextricably linked.
Art as a Feminist Tool
While the comedy is a primary draw, the underlying intent of POWERSUITS is political. The show avoids explicit polemics, opting instead for a subtle approach that encourages the audience to draw their own conclusions about power dynamics and governance.
Biancosino explains that while the production does not make explicit statements about the government or specific political figures, those themes are woven into the fabric of the performance. By portraying the absurdity and the tension of women navigating power, the show asks the audience to reflect on their own relationship to authority. This approach is, in the words of Biancosino, “what feminist art looks like”—work that is celebratory and humorous, yet fundamentally subversive.
The production’s rigor is also evident in the preparation. With the assistance of stage manager Graydon Hanson ’25, the duo employs grounding rituals to ensure they remain connected to the physical space. Biancosino often spends time lying on the theater floor before a show, using the vibration of the building to center herself and establish a non-verbal connection with Winfield before the first curtain rises.
The Intersection of Classroom and Stage
Beyond the performance, both professors employ their creative work to inform their pedagogy. They advocate for an exploratory approach to the arts, encouraging students to enroll in courses like their Creative Process class, which prioritizes experimentation over a polished final product.
Biancosino specifically highlights the transformative nature of her directing class. She notes that the course provides students with transferable leadership skills—such as navigating group dynamics and managing a room—that are valuable regardless of whether the student intends to pursue a career in the theater. The ability to collaborate while maintaining a position of charge is a central theme of both her teaching and the themes explored in POWERSUITS.
The journey of POWERSUITS continues this summer as the duo prepares to bring the production to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest performing arts festival in the world. As they move toward the international stage, Biancosino and Winfield plan to continue innovating the script, adding new sections and refining the “score” with every performance.
We invite you to share your thoughts on the intersection of comedy and social commentary in the comments below.
