Flow is Will Power’s percussive look at one urban community and its seven storytellers, who gossip and riff, declare and reveal, showing off their neighborhood through its stories, from trivial to tragic. Backed by a live DJ and unfolding in rhythm and rhyme, Flow is a call and response through history, from the griot tradition to the next artists who will make the tradition for their times.
On June 2, DC Public Library and Studio Theatre hosted a conversation with members of Flow’s creative team. Hear from director Psalmayene 24, actor Justin Weaks, sound designer DJ Nick tha 1da, and choreographer Tony Thomas for a discussion about the making of the show, the legacy and life of hip-hop theatre, and the role of storytellers in their communities.
Okinawa Demo Reel is an episodic video project from playwright/director and Georgetown University professor Natsu Onoda Power that let's viewers into a rehearsal room of ideas that are being tested out for a play about imperialism, colonialism, militarization and connecting across differences. Through the video project, Natsu invites viewers along for the evolution of this emerging theatre piece, tests out ideas she plans to integrate into the final product, and refines her devised Zoom-based development process with dramaturg Soyica Colbert.
The project is part documentary, part theatre, a voyeuristic look into a playwright's creative process, and "something else entirely," Natsu explains.
Okinawa Demo Reel is part of our new work incubator series, Studio R&D: Works in Process. For more information on the project, read Howlround's interview with Natsu and Soyica.
We interviewed Kings director Marti Lyons and sound designer Mikhail Fiksel about their artistic process. Learn more.
Psalm's Salons at Studio are an online gathering space to highlight the work of Black creatives, signal boost local and Black-owned businesses, kick back to live music, and promote a sense of community. Created in collaboration with Studio Artist-in-Residence and emcee Psalmayene 24, Psalm's Salons are sponsored by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's Building Demand for the Arts program. Learn more.
To commemorate the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington, held the weekend of August 28, 2020, Studio Theatre commissioned seven artists - all of whom have appeared on its stages in recent productions - to share creative responses that encapsulate their experience at the event in Washington, DC. Learn more.
Juneteenth, the annual holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the United States, is celebrated on June 19 each year. In recognition of the importance of this day to our country, we asked five Black, Studio-affiliated artists to consider what freedom means to them and respond creatively to this question. Learn more.
While social distancing, we checked in with Studio collaborators in our Video Postcards series. Learn more.