POETRY FOR THE PEOPLE: THE JUNE JORDAN EXPERIENCE To Play Berkeley For One Performance

The Fountain Theatre will present its production Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience in Berkeley for one performance only on Tuesday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m. The event will take place at The Freight and is presented in collaboration with University of California, Berkeley, where June Jordan founded the “Poetry for the People” program. The performance will also be available via livestream.

The production was devised by Fountain Theatre artistic director Raymond O. Caldwell and composer Adrienne Torf, who was Jordan’s longtime collaborator and life partner. The work combines spoken word, music, and movement to explore Jordan’s writing and activism, emphasizing her belief that poetry functions as a political act.

The performance features six performers—America Covarrubias, Naseem Etemad, Kita Grayson, Mackenzie Mondag, Savannah Schoenecker, and Janet Song—who present Jordan’s poetry alongside live music, with Torf performing on piano. The production also incorporates material from Jordan’s collaboration with composer John Adams, for whom she wrote lyrics for the opera I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky, and includes musical interpretations by Sweet Honey in the Rock.

“June reminds us that love must be at the center of every revolution,” Caldwell said. “In today's fractured political climate, her voice is more urgent than ever. We're not just staging her work—we're channeling her joy, her rage and her uncompromising vision.”

Born in Harlem in 1936, June Jordan was a poet, essayist, teacher, and activist whose work addressed civil rights, gender equality, LGBTQ+ visibility, and social justice. She authored 27 books across multiple genres and contributed to publications including The Progressive, The Village Voice, The New York Times, Ms., Essence, and The Nation. In 2019, Jordan was inducted into the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor at the Stonewall National Monument. She died in 2002.

“This work carries all of whom June was, capturing not just her artistry but her presence,” Torf said. “It allows audiences to feel like they've spent an evening with her—inspired, challenged, and embraced.”

The production premiered in Washington, D.C., where it received the 2023 Helen Hayes Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play.

The Berkeley engagement will take place at The Freight, located at 2020 Addison Street. Tickets range from $40 to $75 and include all fees. ADA-accessible seating is available upon request. Livestream tickets are available for $25 and may be viewed in real time only.