April 16, 2026 | Theatre,

Meet DNAWORKS, the Team Behind The Secret Sharer

In a few weeks, ArtsEmerson will welcome the world premiere of The Secret Sharer, a new multimedia production based on Joseph Conrad’s 1909 novella of the same name. This production is brought to life by DNAWORKS, an arts and service organization dedicated to dialogue and healing through the arts, based in Fort Worth, TX, New York, NY; and Pittsburgh, PA.

Founded in 2006 by Daniel Banks and Adam W. McKinney, DNAWORKS creates interdisciplinary work across theatre, dance, film, writing, and installation. Their mission centers on amplifying Global Majority and LGBTQ+ voices while exploring identity, culture, and heritage in complex and meaningful ways. Over the past 20 years, DNAWORKS has reached over 100,000 people worldwide. Their work is rooted in a simple but powerful belief: art = ritual = healing = community, a philosophy that shapes every performance they create. 

DNAWORKS has brought that approach to ArtsEmerson, with The Real James Bond…Was Dominican in 2023 and now again in April 2026 with The Secret Sharer. In DNAWORKS’ hands, this 100+ year old story becomes something more expansive: a queer-centered exploration of connection and resilience, created in response to contemporary conversations around identity, belonging, and safety.

With The Secret Sharer, audiences are invited into a work that is at once intimate and grand – a story about two people at sea, and a larger meditation on how we navigate identity, connection, and care in an uncertain world.