The NOLA Project

A.J. Allegra, artistic director of The NOLA Project, a theater company, knows the ups and downs of succeeding in the art world. “Most theater companies, like garage bands, don’t make it past a year or two,” he muses. But six years after its inception, the NOLA Project has become prevalent on the scene.

After performing sold-out renditions of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the New Orleans Museum of Art’s Besthoff’s Sculpture Garden, the troupe promised the audience: There will be more Shakespeare. In December they will perform the Bard’s Romeo and Juliet; this month they perform Mark Twain’s Is He Dead?. But the group doesn’t just stick to traditional theater – they are also known for edgy dramas and dark comedies.

Presently, the group’s biggest obstacle is finding space in which to perform. “The closures of Le Petit [Théâtre du Vieux Carré] and Le Chat Noir put a damper on some local theater,” says Allegra. “Losing two iconic stages is very tough. But we’re overcoming the space challenge by finding places such as the Besthoff Sculpture Garden or the Stern Auditorium inside the museum.”

Allegra says that a major component to their sustainability is how well they get along. “We are like a large family that understands each others’ personalities and quirks, and that translates onto the stage. We have all grown to love living and working in New Orleans – we love the audiences and their honest and vocal reactions to our work.”

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