A Music, Drama and Dance Party
By Derek Lee McPhatter
Bring the Beat Back is a queer, black, sci-fi music-theater experience, set in a funky futuristic, groove-centered alternative reality. Inspired by Afrofuturism, house music and the underground ball scene, the show follows a young man struggling to reconcile his sexuality with his faith.The hero journeys towards spiritual affirmation and self-discovery as conservative religious authorities and an ostentatious queer subculture clash over the music at the center of his world.
Bring the Beat Back is the brainchild of playwright Derek Lee McPhatter, who explored the tradition of sci-fi themes in black popular music as he developed the world of the show. McPhatter explains further: “the story reflects some of my own challenges growing up as a black gay male. I struggled to overcome the homophobia I internalized from church, school and in our culture. I found hope in music, particularly artists like Parliament Funkadelic, Sun Ra, and Meshell Ndegeocello. That journey at the core of
Bring the
Beat
Back.”McPhatter explains further:
“the story reflects some of my own challenges growing up as a black gay male. I struggled to overcome the homophobia I internalized from church, school and in our culture. I found hope in music, particularly artists like Parliament Funkadelic, Sun Ra, and Meshell Ndegeocello. That journey at the core of Bring the Beat Back.” Executive Producer Bryan E. Glover explains: “
April will be the first time we present the show with a live audience - part performance, part dance party. There aren't very many queer, black, sci-fi, music-theater projects out there for us to learn from, so we're definitely charting our own path.”
MORE ABOUT THE SHOW
The April presentations at JACK are the next phase of the show’s evolution, building on music workshops in Chicago in 2016. Executive Producer Bryan E. Glover explains: “
April will be the first time we present the show with a live audience - part performance, part dance party. There aren't very many queer, black, sci-fi, music-theater projects out there for us to learn from, so we're definitely charting our own path.”
The show is poised to even more opportunities following the April presentations. Director Christopher Burris has been awarded a residency with The Drama League to support show development, and an exciting roster of producers and collaborators are providing a solid foundation for next steps. Derek reflects, “we’ve got big dreams for the project - a dance workshop, a touring production and more. But we can’t do that without more help, and I’m thrilled about the amazing support that has mobilized to make this a success.”
His enthusiasm is shared by many members of the team, some black, some queer, some sci-fi fans, and some are none of the above. But all of them have found something resonant about Bring the Beat Back, and audiences are in for a treat: a funky example of what becomes possible when we celebrate the diversity of our experiences.
Photo Courtesy of Fink Productions
Promotional Music Videos
Revelation of the
Beat -
vimeo.com/187072729
MORE ABOUT THE TEAM
Derek Lee McPhatter (Playwright): Alongside Bring the Beat Back, recent plays include: This App is Not the Business, a cyberspace corporate America dramedy, and Life Hack: A Geek Boy Fever Dream. Derek is a 2016-2018 I Am Soul Resident Playwright with Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre in Harlem and was an inaugural playwright with the Obie award-winning The Fire This Time Festival. The Institute of Contemporary Arts (London), The Lyric Opera of Chicago, Horse Trade Theater Group, and Harlem9 are among the organizations that have presented his work, with awards from the Jerome Foundation, Harlem Stage, and the United States Embassy in the U.K., with three plays published by Indie Theater Now. Derek holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in English from Morehouse College and a Master’s of Arts in Humanities from New York University. He is originally from Pickerington, Ohio and splits his time between Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. derekleemcphatter.comChristopher Burris (Director) is an artist and educator. He’s an adjunct professor at Pace University, a trainer with Ovation Communications, and a member of Home in the Time of Brooklyn (651 Arts). He directed THE BROTHERS SIZE at Luna Stage which has received five 2016 Broadway World Award nominations including Best Play and Best Director. Other directing credits include the world premiere of GEESE (Samuel D. Hunter) at The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, and WHEN WE WAKE UP DEAD (Dennis A. Allen II) at Brooklyn College. Christopher directed POTATO SALAD (Keith Josef Adkins) for the inaugural year of the Obie-winning 48Hours in…Harlem, as well as the first four years of Obie-winning Fire This Time Festival, culminating in their premiere full-length production, LORDS RESISTANCE (Camille Darby). Acting credits include television (The Guiding Light, Damage Control, As the World Turns), stage (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse), commercials (Dr. Scholl’s, ESPN360, NY Post), and voice-overs (Grand Theft Auto V, McDonald’s, AT&T). AEA Member. SDC Associate Member. Twitter/Instagram: @misterburrisBryan E. Glover (Executive Producer) is an award-winning arts producer, filmmaker, writer, and certified professional life coach. He is a co-founder of Harlem9, producers of the Obie award-winning “48Hours in…Harlem.” Bryan has supported the arts and emerging artists for over 25 years, having worked with musicians, choreographers, performance artists, and playwrights in a variety of contexts and cities, and previously served as a founding board member of Freedom Train Productions, the groundbreaking Black LGBT theater company based in Brooklyn, NY from 2006 – 2011. Previous NYC productions include: First Dark Drama (Co-producer, Ontological Theater, August 2006); A Love Like Damien’s (Associate Producer, Here Arts Theater, November 2006); It Goes Unsaid (Producer, Poet’s Den, July 2007); Monstah Black and the Sonic Leroy: Submerged in Blue (producer, various venues, 2010); and A Raisin in the Salad: Black Plays for White People (Producer, FringeNYC, 2010). bryaneglover.com.
Richard E. Pelzer II (Executive Producer), President & CEO of MEGA Personalities a Business Development Management Firm founded by him in 1994 based in New York City and Founder of
Harlem2020. A graduate from Kent State University in Ohio, with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Art History and Business management, Pelzer's strong leadership skills and creative vision assist clients with national and international business opportunities, developments and manages them for clients in the fashion, beauty and/or entertainment industries. Clients included; The NYSE Diversity Council, Sephora, Essence Magazine, Celebrity Makeup Artist Sam Fine, Musical Duo Les Nubians, International Artist Emmanuel Jal, and the March On Washington Film Festival. Currently producing Nathan Hale Williams films, 90 DAYS and BURDEN. He prides himself on the ability to cultivate creative partnerships and long-lasting relationship to stay within budget in our current economic climate.