Welcome to lifeview
LifeView is a new operatic musical about the Irish goddess of war and prophecy as a corporate CEO
Off-Broadway premiere on December 11-13
at the A.R.T./New York Theatres
As an independently produced operatic musical, we are seeking support from our community to raise funds for our cast and crew. Contribute to our Kickstarter campaign by October 28th to help us meet our goal!
About the Show
LifeView is an original operatic musical premiering Off-Broadway at the Mezzanine Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres on December 11-13. The musical is written by Malikah Stafford, SÖNUM, and Abagael Cheng, and directed by Stephanie Rolland.
LifeView is a dark comedy inspired by the mythology of The Morrigan, the Irish goddess of war, death, and prophecy. Over a millennia of guiding humans to their destiny and stewarding their souls into the afterlife, The Morrigan has seen the best and worst of humanity. Our story finds her in modern times, where she spends her days as the CEO of LifeView, a billion-dollar company that sells guidebooks for manifesting your dream life. As she witnesses greed and desire consume mortals century after century, The Morrigan becomes disillusioned with her godly responsibilities. But when a new hire shakes up the sales department with her unwavering optimism, The Morrigan and her devout employees are forced to reckon with their divine purpose. Can people change for the better, or are we all destined to become the worst version of ourselves?
CAST
Samantha Martin, The Morrigan
Seyquan Mack, Ryan
Leanna Finol, Angie
Lizzy Stant, Victoria
Brian J. Alvarado, Paul
Abagael Cheng, Dina
CREATIVE TEAM
Stephanie Rolland, Director
AJ Francisco, Conductor
Emily Goes, Production Manager
Michelle Saguinsin, Set Designer
Matt Wiener, Set Builder
Juniper Stuart, Lighting Designer
Audrey Peterson, Costume Designer
Joshua Lowery, Sound Designer
Joel Bobby, Sound Engineer
ENSEMBLE
Amber Scherer, Keyboard
Chandra Xu, Keyboard
Amy Chryst, Violin
Ethan Tajalle, Viola
Angelina Kim, Cello
Victoria Carchietta, Flute
Danielle Sopchak, Flute
Emily Mendez, Oboe
Johann Palo, Clarinet
Camila Bermudez Ortiz, Percussion
Kathrina Davila, Keyboard
Noah Hogan, Guitar
Nya Holmes, Guitar
Meet the creators
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Malikah Marie Stafford (librettist) is a playwright, television writer, singer, actress and spoken word poet from Atlantic City, NJ. After receiving her B.A. in Communication Studies with a minor in Africana Studies from Stockton University, she matriculated to New York University, and acquired her M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing. Her original television pilot, Mixed Up, is available on Amazon Prime Video. In addition to this, her original play, Domino, was a finalist for the 2024 Goldberg Playwriting Prize and a second rounder in the 2024 Austin Film Festival. Additionally, her pitch for my screenplay, Miss Black & Beautiful, was a semifinalist in Screencraft’s 2024 Virtual Pitch competition. She is also the recipient of the 2025 Clifford Odets Ensemble Play Commission—sponsored by the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.
In her work, Stafford explores the variations of marginalized human experiences. She hopes to create pathways of healing for audiences and inspire introspection through the stories she tells.
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For NYC-based composers Sonia Wang and Johnum Palado, their duo SÖNUM (composers) is an eclectic creative voice for their love of storytelling on the screen. Despite their varied backgrounds in classical performance, church music, and theatre work, they found a unique vernacular of minimalist ideas and improvisational strokes that translates into any visual medium. With an affinity for creating and recording live players for a human touch, they believe in the utmost quality and efficiency of the art to serve and elevate any project. SÖNUM collaborates frequently with many on-the-rise directors and production studios, including akaproductions, 345Pictures&Media, and SunBlue Sound.
Since its inception, SÖNUM’s media work has been featured in premier festivals such as the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s ShortFest and the Asian American International Film Festival. Their recent ventures include music for Devolver Digital's MYCOPUNK, fashion label OUER, and several award-winning shorts such as On the Horizon and The Messiah’s Daughter. SÖNUM’s latest soundtrack release “ebb&flow” explores dreamy ambient textures and symphonic highs and lows through a collection of works from different short film collaborations; the album weaves a loose narrative of the ever-evolving facets of human self-awareness and scores an appreciation of the ups and downs of lived experience. Meeting at NYU, they both graduated with Masters of Music at Steinhardt’s Screen Scoring Program. They also hold degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.
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Chinese American soprano Abagael Cheng (creative producer) is an opera singer, creative producer, and organizer who strives to move audiences toward social activism through storytelling. Cheng has received recognition for both her impactful productions and her skills as a vocalist. She was awarded grants from Flushing Town Hall and NYFA in 2025 for her interdisciplinary classical recital and AANHPI community resource fair, The Hunger & The Haunt. She won first place at the 2023 Delta Symphony Orchestra YA Competition and was awarded the PDH Honorable Mention at The Philharmonic Society of Arlington 2024 YA Competition. In 2024, she received grants from the Puffin Foundation and The Anna Sosenko Assist Trust for her theatrical chamber recital, Awakening, co-produced with City Lyric Opera.
Cheng is currently the Associate Director at Broadway Advocacy Coalition, where she brings together artists, justice-impacted advocates, and policy experts to advance change in the criminal legal system. She also serves as the Interim Board President of The Why Collective, an arts non-profit that presents accessible interdisciplinary performances. An enthusiast of contemporary music, Cheng has participated in the development and premieres of operas with The Why Collective, The American Opera Project, and Church of the Incarnation. In the 2025 season, she performed as Joan of Arc in City Lyric Opera’s Savior by Amy Beth Kirsten. She received a B.M. in Vocal Performance and a B.A. in Mathematics from Oberlin College & Conservatory, as well as a M.M. in Vocal Arts from Bard College Conservatory.