Redfern Presents Play About Fatherhood
Redfern Arts Center Presents Theatrical Work on Pregnancy From the Father’s Perspective
Pregnancy from a young single black father’s perspective is the subject of Word Becomes Flesh to be presented Wednesday, October 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Theatre of the Redfern Arts Center at Keene State College. Written and directed by nationally acclaimed performer, educator, and artistic curator Marc Bamuthi Joseph and performed by San Francisco’s The Living Word Project, this ensemble piece uses poetry, dance, hip-hop and live music to tell the provocative and absorbing tale of fatherhood from a black man’s perspective, embodying the complexities surrounding race and gender in the United States.
Tickets are $20 for adults; $13 for senior citizens, children, and Keene State alumni; and $5 for KSC students. For tickets, call the Box Office at 603-358-2168 or order online at www.keene.edu/racbp.
Two free community programs are scheduled the day of the October 2 performance. A pre-show talk on masculinity and gender norms with Keene State College Assistant Professor of Communication Jamie Landau will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Harry Davis Room off the lobby of the Redfern Arts Center. A post-show lobby talkback with the artists follows the performance.
The ensemble of Word Becomes Flesh is also in residency with several KSC departments and community groups, leading workshops and discussions about their work and creative process.
The five performers — Dahlak Brathwaite, Daveed Diggs, Khalil Anthony, Michael Wayne Turner III and B. Yung — all of whom have their own careers as musicians and spoken word artists, take turns leading the 12 movements that make up the show. Through the show, the DJ Dion Reiner-Guzman, backs the performers with musical riffs, rhythmic pulses, and the constant thump of a child’s heartbeat.
Word Becomes Flesh is a universal birth story, a piece that challenges the notions of patriarchy and the perception of how present a father is during pregnancy and childbirth.
The Washington Post said that while many choreographers attempt to tackle social issues, “few interweave their own stories in a way that makes sense. Word Becomes Flesh as a performance piece… makes for a searing, satisfying evening.”
The Redfern performance of Word Becomes Flesh is funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.
About Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond
The Arts Center is named in honor of Dr. Leo F. Redfern, Keene State College President from 1969 to 1979 for his vision, commitment, and eloquence on behalf of the arts that made funding and construction of the facility a reality. In 1981, KSC inaugurated this new performing arts center, with the goal of providing unforgettable artistic encounters for the campus and community. Since then, the Redfern stage has hosted hundreds of amazing shows, from internationally renowned artists to emerging young talents to KSC’s own student performers. Over the years, the Redfern has expanded its outreach programs, curricular and community partnerships, becoming an indispensable resource for the Keene community and beyond.
