A Son Directs His Father In A PARTY IN THE CROSSROADS At Cotuit Center for the Arts This April

When Mwalim first performed "A Party at the Crossroads" as a performance piece in 1996 at the Falmouth Public Library for Black History Month, with a subsequent production in Boston through New African Company, little did he know that the show would become a touring piece that took him around the country to theaters, venues and festivals.

In 1999, it was presented as a workshop piece at the National Black Theatre Festival, and had a run at the American Indian Community House and Nuyorican Poet's Cafe in the early 2000s. Revised and updated repeatedly over the years, as most storytelling performances are, the latest version will be running running at the Cotuit Center for the Arts Black Box theater April 7 - 23 with a preview performance on April 6.

Cited in the May 2002 Village Voice as, "an entertaining blend of storytelling and performances of original and classic soul, blues and jazz," the latest version of the show features a myriad of local artists randomly appearing during the show's run. Aside from being the revival of a multi-award-winning performance work, this production marks the directorial debut of The ZYG 808 (born Morgan James Peters, II).

Mwalim is a tenured professor of English, Communications & Black Studies at UMass Dartmouth, where he teaches creative writing, digital filmmaking, and oral traditions. "A Party at the Crossroads" was first performed at the Falmouth Library in 1996, and subsequently produced by New African Company in Boston and the Nuyorican Poet's Cafe in New York City before becoming a touring piece from 1999 - 2004.

When you are a single parent and a performer, your kids often get to grow up directly exposed to the production process. Attending rehearsals and performances since the age of 2, ZYG grew up watching his father, and such directors as Naheem Garcia, Born BiKim, Cilla Albee, and Vincent Siders develop productions and plays.

Currently in his junior year at Goddard College, majoring in music composition and audio engineering, this production is pat of his coursework in live performance production. and decided to work on this show as a class assignment for the social engaged arts program at Goddard College where ZYG is a junior, majoring in music composition and audio engineering.

Mwalim recalls a performance of the show about 15 years earlier, where a 4-year-old ZYG came out on stage and switched off his father's amp in the middle of a song, and returned to the wings. "I told the audience that we train performers in our family by starting them out as hecklers." The two artists are no strangers to collaborating. Both are members of the popular soul-funk band, The GroovaLottos as well as part of the production team at Polyphonic Studios in Buzzards Bay.

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