Will Power Performs at Bristol Riverside Theatre 12/5

 

Bristol Riverside Theatre continues its Bridges Informance Series with visionary Hip Hop Theatre artist Will Power on Friday, December 5. Viewed as a pioneer in the genre of Hip Hop Theatre, Power has created his own style of theatrical communication, fusing original music, rhymed language and dynamic choreography to produce compelling evenings of work.

Power's appearance will continue to introduce audiences to innovative performances as the theatre gears up for the February 2009 World Premiere of What You Will, a BRT original urban theatre adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night. To illuminate the unique concept of What You Will, the Bridges Informance Series brings nationally renowned theatre artists to the Philadelphia area for evenings of performance and conversation that challenge and inspire audiences' ideas of theatre today.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. at Bristol Riverside Theatre, located at 120 Radcliffe Street in Bristol. Tickets are $15 for adults or $10 for students and are available by calling the BRT Box Office at (215) 785-0100 or in person. A special website has been created with artist video interviews, photos and information about the development of What You Will and the Bridges Informance Series at www.howwewill.org.

Power's Bridges appearance is the culmination of his residency at BRT over the past several months. He has been working in the community and offering creative writing and performance workshops at area schools and community centers, giving participants the chance to develop confidence in their written and spoken language skills. He will also host the By The River Poetry Slam for area high school students on Saturday, December 6 at 7:00 p.m., with music from DJ Reborn.

Power is a New York-based award-winning actor, rapper, playwright and educator. His adaptation of the Greek tragedy Seven Against Thebes, re-titled The Seven, received international attention and had a highly successful Off-Broadway run at the New York Theatre Workshop. The New York Times described Power's work as combining "the complexity of serious drama with the visual and sonic arsenal of MTV."

Power's skills have also been captured on television and film as a featured performer on Last Call with Carson Daly and Russell Simmon's Def Poetry Jam on HBO. He was the lead male in the film, Drylongso, a hit at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and was also featured in the documentary, All Fathers are Sons. Power has been highlighted in publications as varied as his skills. From glowing reviews in The New York Times and American Theatre Magazine, to interviews in VIBE and The Source, Power deftly walks the line between serious, studied actor and urban hip hop MC.

A daring and bold take on Shakespeare's classic comedy Twelfth Night, What You Will premieres on February 10 and runs through March 1, 2009. This new adaptation is created by BRT Artistic Director Keith Baker and collaborator Donald Byrd, acclaimed choreographer of Broadway's The Color Purple and Artistic Director of Seattle's Spectrum Dance Theatre. Shakespeare's original language is heard with a distinctively contemporary American voice as the worlds of modern urban and classical theatre are fused. Music by composer and hip hop producer Justin Ellington completes the marriage of text, high-energy movement and heart-pounding music. Ellington also composed music for Will Power's acclaimed The Seven and is a member of the multi-platinum production company Bangladesh which has created songs for artists such as Ciara, Kelis, Marsha (Floetry), Lil Wayne and Ludacris.

Donald Byrd's Spectrum Dance Theatre will conclude the Bridges Informance Series with an evening of dance on January 9.

The Bridges Informance Series has been supported by a grant from the Marketing Innovation Program, a program of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, and administered by The University of the Arts, Philadelphia.

What You Will has been supported by a grant from the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative with additional support from the Marketing Innovation Program, both programs of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, and administered by The University of the Arts, Philadelphia.

 

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