Wilbury Group Announces World Premiere of NEW AND DANGEROUS IDEAS

The Wilbury Theatre Group proudly announces the world premiere of New and Dangerous Ideas by internationally acclaimed playwright and poet Christopher Johnson, directed by Christopher Johnson and Wilbury Artistic Director Josh Short.

A stunning work of documentary theatre rooted in transcripts and interviews about race in America, the development of New and Dangerous Ideas was originally commissioned by AS220 and supported by funding from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

"As much as we were looking forward to presenting Branden Jacob-Jenkins' Neighbors this Fall, the opportunity to engage our audiences in a more meaningful discussion around issues of race, community policing, and the state of America with Christopher's incredible work was too wonderful to pass up," said Wilbury Artistic Director Josh Short. "With support of RISCA, the NEA, and the people at AS220, Christopher's put together an amazing piece of documentary theatre based on in-person interviews, online transcripts, archival footage, and performance poetry that paints a stunning picture of America right now. We couldn't be more proud to be the first produce this important new work before it enjoys what is sure to be a long life in productions around the country."

New and Dangerous Ideas is presented November 2-18, 2017 at The Wilbury Theatre Group's new performance space, 40 Sonoma Court, Providence RI. Tickets are $15-$28. Call 401.400.7100 or www.thewilburygroup.org.

ABOUT NEW AND DANGEROUS IDEAS

Inspired by Roger Williams, Bill T. Jones and Everett Stage and School, New and Dangerous Ideas is the world premiere documentary theatre piece by internationally known poet, Christopher Johnson. A multi media experience, New and Dangerous Ideas challenges ideas of criminalizing race and expatriating police while humanizing statistics by using personal stories of several members of different communities intersected with spoken word poetry, framed in music, dance and video.

Performances of NEW AND DANGEROUS IDEAS will be followed by a talkback with members of the cast, creative team, and community leaders. Full schedule of talkback guests to be announced.

ABOUT POET/PLAYWRIGHT Christopher Johnson
An internationally known Poetry Slam champion, Christopher is known for his constant evolving style that without complaint, combines the experience discord of his past, the wisdom of now and the hope of the future to give voice to a universal message of human spark that connects us all. Using the intricate combination of academia, hip hop, traditional story telling, theater, and just plain old common sense, Christopher provides a soulful, uplifting experience guaranteed to move his audience through several states of equilibrium, challenging the listener to remain in an emotional stagnant state. As a fiercely engaged resident of Providence, Rhode Island, Christopher organizes spoken word events, gives workshops on writing, performing, and public speaking, as well as growth and empowerment for youth and adults through words. He has been an active community member oF Brown University's student spoken word/poetry organization "Word!" since since 2006. In 2010, Christopher was commissioned by Providence's Department of Art Culture and Tourism to write the poem "Providence Divine to commemorate the city's 375th birthday and by Brown University in 2012 in celebration of the the inauguration of the university's 19th president.

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