THE SHARK LADY

a unique new york & sarasota story

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Christina Meiping Chen

Music and Lyrics by Grace Strickert

THE SHARK LADY is a new musical centered around the early life of Dr. Eugenie Clark, the founder of the Cape Haze Marine Lab — now known as the Mote Marine Lab and Aquarium.

Synopsis: Genie Clark has always wanted to swim with fish after spending every Saturday at the Battery Park Aquarium growing up in New York City. She fearlessly pursues her education and career in marine biology, despite being a mixed Japanese American woman living in the patriarchal and white nationalist political climate of America in the 1940s. The events of World War II and the incarceration of Japanese Americans heightens tensions and presents roadblocks to every path Genie tries to embark on. Determined to follow her dreams, Genie refuses to give up, and forges her own path while paving the way for other “difficult women” who journey on after her - all while working selflessly to protect the sea and the sharks that inhabit it.

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

December 7th, 2025: First ever (self produced via grassroots crowdfunding) 6 day workshop and concert style staged reading at Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center. 

• Read the Digital Program HERE

• Read the press releases below:

  • https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/arts-and-entertainment/2025/11/shark-lady-musical
    
    

• https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2025/oct/15/the-shark-lady-new-musical-tribute/
  
  

• https://voyagetampa.com/interview/rising-stars-meet-christina-meiping-chen-of-sarasota

• Read the Dramaturgical Resources

  • https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y94cWehMk6GXSTDaTy-7vXY_zCuWp01-/view?usp=sharing

THE SHARK LADY on NPX page: https://newplayexchange.org/script/3284970/the-shark-lady

Photos by Adrian Van Stee