THUNDERCHILD And A PARTY At The CROSSROADS is Coming To The Cape And Cambridge This October

Multi-award-winning artist Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor will return to the Massachusetts stage this October with two performances of his acclaimed Blues Storytelling Theatre works: THUNDERCHILD and A PARTY at the CROSSROADS.

These deeply personal, music-infused solo performances are a blend of storytelling, theater, and live blues that have earned Mwalim acclaim throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean for over three decades. Both shows are directed by The ZYG 808, Mwalim's son and frequent collaborator, continuing a long tradition of creative father-son productions that span music, theater, and multimedia performance.

On Thursday, October 10 at 7:00 PM, Mwalim will perform THUNDERCHILD at Wellfleet Preservation Hall, a work that shares its name with his latest blues album and explores themes of ancestry, survival, and cultural memory through music and monologue.

Later in the month, on Saturday, October 26, he brings a revised and reimagined version of his early solo piece A PARTY at the CROSSROADS to the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, presented as part of the long-running Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam. The evening begins with a poetry slam at 7:00 PM, with Mwalim's performance starting at approximately 9:00 PM.

Mwalim is a prolific playwright, composer, musician, and spoken word artist. His solo performance work, which fuses African American and Indigenous storytelling traditions with original music, has garnered numerous honors including the Ira Aldridge Fellowship (three times), the Osborne Trust Fellowship, the Healy Grant, and awards from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Bronx Council on the Arts, and the New England Foundation for the Arts.

As a playwright, his works have been produced across New York City, including the New Globe Theatre on Broadway, and featured at the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, NC. His pieces Working Things Out, Backwoods People, and Wetu in the City have resonated with diverse audiences through their exploration of culture, identity, and resilience.

A PARTY at the CROSSROADS was first workshopped in 1996 at the Falmouth Public Library, then produced at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in 1999. It returned in 2023 in an updated form at the Cotuit Center for the Arts. "My experiences and points of view in my 50s is a bit different than my 20s," Mwalim says, reflecting on the work's evolution.

A jazz and classically trained pianist, Mwalim is also a founding member of the multi-Grammy nominated soul-funk band The GroovaLottos, serving as keyboardist, vocalist, and songwriter. He's currently on tour as a blues artist supporting the release of THUNDERCHILD, bringing his dynamic stage presence and compelling narrative style to new audiences.

Performance Information:

THUNDERCHILD

• Thursday, October 10 at 7:00 PM
• Wellfleet Preservation Hall - Wellfleet, MA
• Tickets available at: http://wellfleetpreservationhall.org

A PARTY at the CROSSROADS

• Saturday, October 26
• Poetry Slam at 7:00 PM | ? Performance at 9:00 PM
• Lizard Lounge - Cambridge, MA
• Tickets available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lizard-lounge-poetry-jam-mwalim-daphunkee-professor-tickets-1596371914369