THIS IS THE TRUE STORY:

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In my hometown, Sacramento (CA), two policemen fatally shot an unarmed Black man, Stephon Clark, in his grandparents backyard. When the news broke, I was confident that I was somehow linked to Stephon. Instead, I learned that my childhood friend was one of the cops who shot him.

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THIS IS COMMERCIAL

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Based on a true story and yet, not committed to it, COMMERCIAL is an imaginative blend of autobiography, metadrama, and alternative history. Marquise Johnson is an avatar for the playwright whose artistic principles are confronted upon learning that his childhood friend was one of the officers involved in the shooting of Stephon Clark. A play within a play unfolds as Marquise attempts to process the news through his art, beginning as an earnest, poetic meditation on his complicated connection to this hometown shooting. As media coverage wanes and the movement for Black lives becomes dormant once again, Marquise plots to capture the attention of a national audience, manifesting a real-life sensational drama – interrupted progressively by intrusive commercial segments.

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CHECK OUT COMMERCIAL TRAILER + Clip:

PAST PERFORMANCE

Based on the book Long Way Down By

Jason Reynolds

© Jason Reynolds, 2017. Used with the permission of Pippen Properties, Inc.

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Long Way Down follows 15-year-old Will who is raised to follow the rules- number one, no crying; number two, no snitching; and number three, always seek revenge. Following the murder of his brother, Will enters an elevator intent on revenge, but on the way down to the ground floor is haunted by ghosts of family and community.

Mixing classic and contemporary hip-hop with R&B, the musical explores the cycle of violence, the nature of grieving, and the power of decision-making.

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KIND WORDS OF OTHERS

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“It’s boisterous and bracing and moving and funny and even fun…”

~ The Washington Post

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“An exciting piece of theatre.”

~ Broadway World

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“a short-and-sweet hip-hop focused score…minimally bodacious…effective in its narrative push… great, and well-crafted for its cast”

~ Morris Theatre DC

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“a boundary-breaking and important musical…”

~ Talkin’ Broadway

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“This one is a must-see, a memorable Broadway-worthy production in which everything just visually and audibly clicks.”

~ MD Theatre Guide

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CHECK OUT LONG WAY DOWN BTS + TRAILER:

CHECK OUT LONG WAY DOWN PRESS:

MORE INFO

CHECK OUT THE Try/Step/Trip TRAILERS:

“The epitome of ‘def’ poetry”

~ MOS DEF

CHECK OUT THE Try/Step/Trip CLIPS:

“This tale

so old…”

are the first words

you hear in

Try/Step/Trip

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It becomes a loaded refrain that not only serves to comment on the recurring American story of Black subjugation, but also nods to the piece itself: my second attempt to tell the story of my personal experience through the criminal justice system.

To “try” again, at the same time, felt like the process and the point. I believed that there is “something to be gained through repetition”. And there has been. That something is Try/Step/Trip.

In Spiritrials, addiction, religion, and the law intersect

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in a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program. A timely exploration of the American criminal justice system, this multi-dimensional play blurs the line between hip-hop and dramatic performance. Dahlak Brathwaite (writer/performer) weaves through the autobiographical and the fictional, music and monologue, to examine his place in what appears to be a cultural rite of passage as a young Black male.

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CHECK OUT THE SPIRITRIALS TRAILER:

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KIND WORDS OF OTHERS

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“It’s a powerful and persuasive account of the racism and injustice the War on Drugs has wrought…humorous and poignant”

~ The Portland Mercury

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“In the first minute he shows us the problem, and at the one-minute mark, he tears the whole thing down”

~ UPWORTHY.COM

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“His presence is breathtaking, and chilling…dynamic and heartfelt…”

~ Sacramento News & Review

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“The play offers much more than a clear voice and authentic vision…[asking] audiences to walk the fine line between freedom and confinement, and to examine the tenuous relationship between justice and oppression.”

~ On Maui Magazine

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