Damon Cardasis Wants to Take You to Church

The congregation is gathering at New York Theatre Workshop! The new musical Saturday Church, is officially in previews and set to open on September 15. The geniuses behind this daring new production are Tony-nominated director Whitney White, music by pop icon Sia (with additional music by Honey Dijon), and a book by Pulitzer Prize winner and Tony Award nominee James Ijames and the man who started it all, Damon Cardasis.

Saturday Church tells the story of Ulysses—New York City kid, devoted son and the fiercest tenor at his aunt’s church. A chance encounter on the subway introduces him to the world of Saturday Church, a sanctuary for LGBTQ+ youth. Caught between two worlds, Ulysses wrestles with family and faith as he strives to find the place where he can love and be loved—in all his fabulousness. It stars such Broadway heavyweights as Joaquina Kalukango, and J. Harrison Ghee, with breakout performances from a slew of newcomers, including 2021 Jimmy Awards winner Bryson Battle.

Before it was a musical, Saturday Church was an acclaimed 2017 Spring Pictures film written and directed by Cardasis. He just checked in with BroadwayWorld to tell us all about how the project came to be and why audiences need to run (not walk) to check it out for themselves. 

Previews have begun! How are they going so far? 

They're going great! That's the honest, quick answer. It seems like the audience response has been (knock on wood, don't want to get too far ahead of myself) that the show is really emotionally connecting people, and people are feeling a lot of the love and the joy in the room. There's been a lot of tears and there's been a lot of laughter and it's really fun overhearing conversations when people don't know who you are. I mean, it also could be awful [Laughs]... but every once in a while I overhear things.

Obviously we're learning a lot and we're tweaking. There's sort of one show going on in the daytime and another one that we're rehearsing at night. But there have been standing ovations every night, tears, audible gasps, lots of laughter... I think it's doing what I hope a musical will do- hit on multiple levels.

Previews are a crazy time!

I know, and I'm so proud of the cast and the creative team and just everybody who's firing on all cylinders to make it all happen. Any changes happen really quickly and seamlessly and with grace. 

I know that Saturday Church has been with you for a while. When did you realize it had potential to be a musical?

So, my background is in theater. I got a BFA in theater from Tisch and I'd been a dancer in high school and ballet programs, but I was originally actually a vocal major... but I got into the film side of things. 

Even when I was creating the movie, I was always thinking in the back of my mind, "this would make an amazing stage musical." But of course my focus then was on making the film, especially when it's your first one! It would come up in Q&As all the time. Someone would ask if I would consider making this a stage musical. I knew that sounded like a wonderful dream, but also it sounded crazy.

A crazy-wonderful dream!

Yes! So then I woke up from a nap one day to a Tweet from Sia. She'd watched it, I guess saw that it was a New York Times Critics Pick and it got some nice critical attention. But the Tweet was totally random. That blew my mind, especially because she was one of the artists that, on top of just being massive, has such artistic integrity. So that was an amazing compliment to me. 

Then someone brought up the musical thing at another Q&A and my now-agent Kevin Lin at CAA was like, "Would you really consider turning this into a stage musical?" And I was like, "Oh my God, yes." And he said, "Well, if you could have anyone do the music who would it be?" and I was like, "Well... I know Sia saw it, so... Sia?" And then he came back two weeks later and said she'd do it! And that was how it all started. Then it was off to the races.

What does it mean to you being able to bring a story that's so authentic and celebrating LGBTQIA+ themes and bringing that to audiences in 2025?

Especially given sort of the divisive nature of the world right now, it means everything because I think as we can clearly see, it's more important than ever to link arms and support one another. The only way people make it through these horrifying moments is by loving one another. If there's an atmosphere of everyone for themselves... we're screwed. So I think we need to be a united front and I think we need to lead with love and support and community. That's what this show is about. The easiest thing is actually to love one another. It really is very simple and it's a choice. 

To be able to do it now, it means the world. I think it's reflected not only in the production and what people are seeing, but in the creation of the production with the amount of love with the people from so many different walks of life all working harmoniously to the same goal. I think something like this needs to be made with a lot of love. And I think you see it reflected in the work. 

What do you think will most surprise audiences about Saturday Church?

Mostly it's the emotion. I think they will think it is so fun, so beautiful. I think that in these times, people sometimes become hardened to get through the day to day. And so to just sort of feel emotion and be joyous for a moment, I think is in some ways wonderfully overwhelming. 

Secondly, it's the cast- both the known and unknown. And thirdly, it's the music. The music is so incredible that these songs are locked in your head the second you get out of the theater. I love that about musicals. The ultimate dream is that someday people are singing these songs at Marie's Crisis... alongside "Master of the House." 

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