Rag Doll on a Bomb Site: A Solo Musical with Dance

What happens when a woman refuses to let her name be erased from history? 

 At our conference, two-time Off-Broadway award-winner Shelley Cooper took us inside one of theater's most explosive backstage moments with her solo musical "Rag Doll on a Bomb Site."

Berlin, 1928. Opening night of The Threepenny Opera. Kurt Weill walks into Lotte Lenya's dressing room with shocking news: her name isn't in the program. He wants to cancel the show. But Lenya - who survived poverty, abuse, and impossible odds to reach this moment - laughs in his face.

Shelley Cooper brought this pivotal story to Austria, Lenya's homeland, during our conference with a powerful solo performance that resonated with the very roots of this theatrical legend. After six years of development and workshopping at our 2024 Performing Arts Conference, Shelley has transformed this story into a stunning fusion of contemporary music, dance, and raw theatrical power. The Hollywood Reporter called it a show that "weaves a poetic spell."

This performance won Shelley the River Cities Reader Critics Choice Award for Best Lead Actress, and the show was nominated for Best Physical Theatre and Dance Show by Hollywood Fringe. Shelley was also nominated for Best of Feury for Best Musical and Best Solo Show.

Experience the full performance and join the conversation about artistic resilience, women's stories, and the power of refusing to be silenced.

Learn more about Shelley's work: shelley-cooper.com