EMERGENCY!: Written and performed by Obie Award-winning playwright and Russell Simmons Def Poetry alumnus, Daniel KOA Beaty and presented as part of the Fall Crossroads Festival Theatre by Crossroads Theatre Company and Voza River’s New Heritage Theatre Group. The one-man show runs until October 10th at the Arthur Laurents Theatre at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.

EMERGENCY! is billed as a captivating theatre experience that begins when a slave ship emerges from the depths of the Hudson River in contemporary times. Funny, thought-provoking, and always entertaining, Beaty performs over forty characters that together unearth the many meanings of freedom across Black America.

Raised in Dayton, Ohio, a child of a heroin-addicted, incarcerated father, in and out of prison 60 times and an older brother addicted to crack cocaine also in and out of prison, Daniel Koa Beaty is a passionate advocate for criminal justice reform as well as a voice for the impact of mass incarceration on children and families. For years, Daniel battled low self-esteem and depression rooted in his childhood trauma, including physical and sexual abuse, even as he graduated at the top of his class at Yale University and American Conservatory Theater.  He soon discovered the power of the arts to help heal childhood trauma, transform that pain into power and inspire a new generation of change agents to dismantle the systematic racism and oppression at the core of the challenges Daniel, his father, brother, students and so many Americans face.

“Purpose is the bridge past ego and purpose is rooted in what we can give. And ego is rooted in a focus on self.’

Daniel’s work as an actor, singer, writer, and activist is deeply rooted in a desire to tell stories that illuminate our shared humanity by giving voice to the voiceless and often overlooked in our society. He believes a story is at the heart of every challenge and every possibility, and we individually and collectively have the power to write a story that creates opportunity and access for all.

An award-winning actor, singer, writer, and community activist, Daniel’s critically acclaimed plays Through the Night, Emergency, Mr. Joy, and The Tallest Tree in the Forest – Paul Robeson, have been performed at venues ranging from the Public and Lincoln Center to the White House and maximum-security prisons. He has garnered numerous awards including an Obie award for writing and performance and five NAACP Theater Awards.

We had the chance to sit down with the multi-hyphenate artist. Check out the full interview below.

Daniel KOA Beaty c/o Jeffrey Richard Associates

DREW SHADE for Broadway Black(BB): Emergency. Why bring back your play Emergency now?

DANIEL KOA BEATY: We’ve all been through such an intense time with the pandemics of cOvid and race in this country and Emergency imagines if a slave ship were to rise in front of the Statue of Liberty in front of New York City in the present day. It’s really an opportunity for us to ask what stands in front of our freedom and what stands in front of our ability to see ourselves as connected to each other and responsible for each other. I think that’s really a question we’re asking as a nation and as a world right now. I think also people are a bit overwhelmed by all we’ve been through and Emergency uses music and humor, it’s a play with over forty characters. It’s an inviting theatrical way to process a lot of what we’ve all been dealing with.

BB: How has your approach to the piece changed?

DANIEL: You know this is my first time back on stage in over two years. I’ve always looked at my opportunity to perform as being a vessel. A vessel for spirit and I define spirit as God and also ancestors. I feel even more of an urgency to be a vessel to offer something that’s going to feel healing, inspiring, and loving to people because of all that we’ve been through. So, I would say that my approach is the same but the sense of urgency and the desire to have it reach people is even more profound.

BB: Do you have any rituals that help you get into the space of this piece?

DANIEL: Absolutely. I do a lot of stretching and vocal warmups because to play the characters I have to go very high in my range to very low. Then I also have a moment of prayer where I really offer myself as a vessel to the spirit and just ask that the story but also even just the vibration of my voice, of the body in space can be a balm, can be a healing, can be a joy, and inspiration to someone in the audience.

BB: We’re in a time where it seems more people want to create work for themselves. You’ve done multiple one-man shows where you’ve played multiple characters. Do you have any advice for someone looking to do the same?

DANIEL: The main thing I would say is..something I say is that purpose is the bridge past ego and purpose is rooted in what we can give. And ego is rooted in a focus on self. And so a lot of times when people hear ”solo show,” one of their fears is that the person is just going to be up there kind of showing off or it’s going to be self-absorbed or boring. But, one of the things that I’ve found is that if you root the storytelling in what you want to create and then also your expression of it, in terms of something you want to say that’s greater than one’s self, if there is something you want to say about humanity or about one of your passions, while still making it personal and theatrical and exciting using your talents that that’s going to reach audiences more but its also going to make it more producible.

You may remember Daniel KOA Beaty from his amazing performance of “Knock, Knock” on Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry Jam. It’s still as fresh as when we first watched it. Watch below!

 

The post Daniel KOA Beaty’s <em>EMERGENCY!</em> Open Now at Crossroads Theatre Company appeared first on Broadway Black.

“The Hairpiece” from The Colored Museum

The PBS broadcast of George C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum is now streaming online from February 3^rd through February 28^th.

The Colored Museum originally premiered at Crossroads Theatre Company in 1986, which is fitting since they are hosting the stream on their website.

The show features 11 scenes designed to satirize stereotypes in Black culture, bring awareness, and, ultimately, dismantle those same stereotypes.

The PBS cast includes original cast members Loretta Devine, Tommy Hollis, Reggie Montgomery, and Danitra Vance.

You can view The Colored Museum in its entirety here. Also, visit Crossroads Theatre to check out André De Shields and Haarlem Nocturne, Melba Moore: Sweet Songs of the Soul, and more!

The post Crossroads Theatre Company Now Streaming <em>The Colored Museum</em> appeared first on Broadway Black.

Opening Jan. 26, the 90-minute play runs through Feb. 21, at The Pasadena Playhouse – the official state theatre of California. Talkback sessions will take place Feb 9. and Feb. 16, featuring a panel of community experts, while Feb. 14 will include members of the cast and crew.

Khan, also the director, is the Tony Award-winning co-founder and former artistic director of Crossroads Theatre Company – a company known as one of the foremost Black theatre companies in the United States.

The cast features: Brooks Brantly; Ross Cowan; Anthony J. Goes; Brandon Nagle; Desmond Newson; Damian Thompson; Terrell Wheeler; and Omar Edwards as Tap Griot. Edwards, the show’s improvographer, uses tap dance “to set a mood that is part sublimated anger, part empowerment.”

Khan shared with Pasadena Now:

This cast for The Pasadena Playhouse/Crossroads production is extraordinary. We took much longer than usual to finally assemble the perfect group, but with Pat McCorkle casting, we did it. And here we are with an exceptionally talented, passionate and committed ensemble of young men ready to take California by storm with a story of unparalleled positivity, pride, courage, achievement.

The creative team includes: Hope Clark (choreographer); Beowulf Boritt (set designer); Toni-Leslie James (costume designer); Rui Rita (lighting designer); John Gromada (sound designer); Clint Allen (video/projection designer).

Throughout the years, the Tuskegee Airmen have been the subject of numerous films, television shows and documentaries, including: 12 O’Clock High Graveyard (1966) with Ossie Davis; The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) with Laurence Fishburne; and Red Tails (2012) by George Lucas. During the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, more than 180 airmen attended. The 45th National Convention of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., will take place during July, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The New York Times called Fly “ a superior piece of theatrical synergy.” The production began its rehearsals the last week of December at the The New Victory Theater in New York, where it will have its Off-Broadway premiere in March. The production’s journey extends as far back as 2005, when it was presented as part of Lincoln Center Institute’s educational outreach. Since then it has played at venues such as Flat Rock Playhouse (North Carolina) and Ford’s Theatre (Washington, D.C.). A trailer of the 2012 D.C. show is below.

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