The show formerly known as Witness Uganda, is inspired by the true story and life of its creators Matt Gould & Griffin Matthews. The show follows the life of a New York City man, Griffin, who volunteers for an aid project in Uganda, the challenges he faced and how it changed his life. Matthews stars as himself in the new musical with Jeremy Pope (Choir Boy) as the alternate, playing the role of “Griffin” in some performances.

Determined to find his place in the world, 20-something Griffin leaves his job and his New York City apartment to volunteer for a charity in Africa. But when his altruistic aspirations collide with the real world, his life is changed in unexpected and profound ways. Inspired by a true story, this rousing new musical infuses a world pop score with African beats in an electrifying journey about discovering whether changing the world is even possible.

Co-creator Griffin Matthews will be joined by Melody Betts (“Chicago PD”); Rodrick Covington (Central Avenue Breakdown); Kevin Curtis (A Chorus Line National Tour); Tyrone Davis, Jr. (Shrek National Tour); Nkrumah Gatling (Hair); Latrisa Harper (The Color Purple); Jason Herbert (Fela!); Aisha Jackson (Beautiful); Kristolyn Lloyd (Heathers The Musical); Michael Lluwoye (Fable); Corey Mach (Hands on a Hardbody); Tiffany Mann (Lincoln Center’s Sweeney Todd); Jamard Richardson (The Book of Mormon); Nicolette Robinson (Brooklynite); Adeola Role (Lily’s Revenge); Conor Ryan (Cinderella) and Jamar Williams (Broken Window Theory)

We take you back to our Off Book series and into the world of Invisible Thread with this musical preview. This show begins previews Oct 31 at Second Stage Theatre. See what the creators & director have to say about the process and watch some vibrant musical numbers.

New York Premiere in association with American Repertory Theater

INVISIBLE THREAD

A New Musical

BY
MATT GOULD and GRIFFIN MATTHEWS

CO-CHOREOGRAPHED BY
DARRELL GRAND MOULTRIE

CHOREOGRAPHED BY
SERGIO TRUJILLO

DIRECTED BY
DIANE PAULUS

The post Off Book: Sneak Peek of Invisible Thread at Second Stage Theatre appeared first on Broadway Black.

For the last ten years, UgandaProject, has been sponsoring the education of 10 Ugandan students. Facing difficulty raising funds for the project, co-creators Griffin Matthews and Matt Gould decided to write a performance piece that would help raise money. Through the years, the musical continued to be refined and receive critical acclaim and awards, such as the 2012 and 2014 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater, ASCAP’s Dean Kay Award, ASCAP’s Harold Adamson Award, and a grant from Conde Nast c/o Summit Series. Eventually, the show came to the attention of Tony winner Diane Paulus, who took over direction in 2014 for its world premiere at the American Repertory Theater.

In an effort to more deeply connect with the mission, the cast of Invisible Thread will travel to Uganda this year. While there, according to their website they will be

participating in service projects, mentoring orphans, and working alongside local artists to take part in an exchange that will help to shape our performances and our lives! Our goal is to connect with the people and places that have inspired our show and to come home and share an authentic theater experience with our audiences in New York City!

The cast needs your support in raising money for housing, transportation, visas and on the ground activities. A film crew will be on hand to document the journey.

For more information about the show and to donate, click here.

The post Help the Cast of Invisible Thread Travel to Uganda appeared first on Broadway Black.