Natasha Yvette Williams to Star in THE LAST GATEKEEPER Staged Reading

THE LAST GATEKEEPER – an Afrofuturist, Black Queer musical theater work by Germono Toussaint – will be presented in a developmental staged reading on Monday, October 19 at 7:00 PM. The event will take place at Dorothy Maynor Hall at Harlem School of the Arts. The event is free, but reservations are required.

The cast will include Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee NaTasha Yvette Williams (Some Like it Hot, Chicago), Anastacia McCleskey, Terrance Lamont Johnson, Bryson Battle (Cats: The Jellicle Ball), and Zemy Burke. For information and reservations, please contact thelastgatekeepermusical@gmail.com.

The presentation will be followed by a conversation about the work's spiritual and cultural themes, its creative process, and the development of its immersive theatrical world. The panel will be moderated by Patrick L. Riley and feature Dr. John-Martin Green (Founder and Executive Director, The Gatekeepers Collective), and Antoine Craigwell (Founder, President and CEO, DBGM).

THE LAST GATEKEEPER features book, music and lyrics by Germono Toussaint. The show is directed by Kevin R. Free, with Patrick B. Philips serving as music director. The vocal arrangements are by Crystal Monee Hall. A.J. Muhammed serves as dramaturg, with Trisha Jeffrey as associate producer.

THE LAST GATEKEEPER is a musical theater experience combining music, projections, and performance to tell a story of ancestry, resistance, and liberation. Inspired by the teachings of West African Dagara scholars and spiritual leaders Malidoma and Sobonfu Somé, the musical draws upon the tradition of Gatekeepers, same-gender-loving/Queer spirit workers, community leaders and diviners who serve as sacred intermediaries between the physical and spiritual worlds.

Through Soku, a spiritually gifted young Black Queer revolutionary, THE LAST GATEKEEPER explores the power of Black Queer people as visionaries, healers and leaders capable of restoring balance during times of chaos. Told through a West African-influenced cinematic score and theatrical projection design, this musical is a prayer, a reckoning, a warning and a prophecy.