Long before ships, before borders, before systems that tried to measure human value, there was rhythm. There was drum language. There was circle. There was the earth under bare feet and the understanding that sound could carry memory, prayer, story, and community. Africa is a starting point of civilization, artistry, spirituality, and joy. What slavery interrupted, it did not create. Modern scholarship makes clear what our bodies have always known: Before chains, there was rhythm. African culture did not begin with slavery. We may watch dances, rituals, and moments of history and still frame them only through oppression — but I choose to uplift them as something far greater. Bomba lives in our truth — the truth before chains. Bomba is not the sound of oppression. It is the sound of life. Survival. Growth. Community. Earth and beyond. It is the sound of continuity. A door to what was and what can be. It is the sound of a people remembering themselves in real time. It may even be a path ...
No one truly knows what it means to experience the sacrifice, the passion, the pain, and the joy that come with walking—faithfully—toward one’s dreams. Some things are easy, others deeply complex. Some are achieved, others are left behind. But in the end… being able to create ART is the highest purpose. And why do we make art? Because the human experience we share is immeasurable. Because we need to feel, to question, to connect. My design team for 1776 is exceptional: Scenic Design: Milagros Ponce de León Costume Design: Ivania Stack Lighting Design: Venus Gulbranson Sound Design: David Budries Projection Design: Clint Allen Props Design: Marie Schneggenburger & Hair & Make-up Design: Kelley Jordan Orchestrations: Daniel Gutiérrez Music Director: Clay Ostwald Dialects and Voice Director: Rachel Hirshorn-Johnston Production Stage Manager: Craig A. Horness Assistant Stage Managers: Taryn Friend, Jessica Hagy, Julia Singer Deputy Director and Director of Programm...
Tomorrow, May 16th, we close 1776 . And today, as I reflect on this journey, I can honestly say this has been one of the most inspiring experiences of my career. As a director, one dreams of those rare moments when every department comes together with precision, passion, artistry, and trust. When the pressure is high enough to polish the diamond. That is what 1776 became for me. This process demanded everything. Detail. Patience. Listening. Courage. Precision. Humanity. For months — and truly, for years through all the roads that led here — we worked to get this right. Every transition. Every visual beat. Every emotional turn. Every conversation about history, storytelling, rhythm, tension, and truth. Thank you FORD'S! This production reminded me why I love directing... somehow, through that intensity, something extraordinary emerged. It all reminded me that theatre is one of the greatest collaborative art forms in existence. We had some of the finest actors in Washington D....
Comments
Post a Comment