Jazz District Program Notes
Written by Logan Myles Stacer
Original music by John Love
Director's Notes
"Why do we need a Black History Month?" "Isn't it racist to celebrate just one race?" "Why are we forced to learn about this in school?"
Every February, as beautiful tributes and excellent discussions and lessons about the history of our country begin to circulate, so too do these critiques. Conversations about race and its power in America have become less avoidable year by year, exploding into a new wave of civil rights last year. In the first February since Black Lives Matter protests swept the nation, it feels more important than ever to respond to these questions in every avenue of life, including the theater. There is no proper answer to these questions, though, because they frame "black history" as a subject, and not an experience. For people of color, specifically Black people, the history of oppression and struggle is not history at all, but a real-time, lived experience. So how do we escape? We learn more. We seek out knowledge and connection and community. And we honor the past. Jazz District explores all this while hitting close to (my) home, and I hope between the laughter and the conflict, what shines through is what Black History Month has always been about: resilience, bravery and unity.
Darrington Clark, director
Creative Team and Cast Bios
Cast
|
Darrington Clark |
HODAD |
|
David Grigsby, Jr. |
KING |
|
Kenedi Renee Kelley |
MEL |
|
Zachary Smalley |
LANGSTON |
|
Samuel Martin |
MR. RUSSO |
|
Nikela Reed |
ELLA |
|
Ana Vasquez |
NARRATOR/CUSTOMER 1 & 2 |