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.