Video: Psalmayene 24 Speaks with Idris Goodwin About DC Premiere of BARS AND MEASURES

Mosaic Theater Company has cast its first 2023 production, playwright and breakbeat poet Idris Goodwin's play with music Bars and Measures. The production features Joel Ashur and Louis E. Davis as brothers Eric and Bilal, classical and jazz musicians, respectively, whose shared love of music bridges the physical and ideological barriers between them. Afsheen Misaghi and Lynette Rathnam round out the story of Bars and Measures, embodying a collection of characters, from corrections officers, prosecutors, and reporters to classical vocalists. The production runs February 2-26, 2023 and marks the directorial debut at Mosaic of Artistic Director Reginald L. Douglas, who joined the organization in 2021. Tickets are available at mosaictheater.org.

Watch Mosaic Theater's Andrew W. Mellon Playwright-in-Residence Psalmayene 24 speak with playwright Idris Goodwin about the DC premiere of his play with music, Bars and Measures below!

Mosaic's production features an original score by DC-area jazz musician and composer Kristopher Funn. He has performed internationally at every major jazz festival with some of the genre's most influential and innovative musicians, and can be heard on the Grammy nominated albums Emancipation Proclamation, Ancestral Recall, and AXIOM by Christian Scott. He serves on the jazz faculty at the prestigious Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University.

Additionally, Mosaic will open performances with pre-show live jazz in collaboration with the DC Jazz Festival. Kristopher Funn will serve as DC Jazz Festival Artist-in-Residence at Mosaic during the run of Bars and Measures, performing and curating solo musicians to spotlight the area's rich and diverse jazz talent. Patrons can enjoy pre-show jazz sets 30 minutes prior to weekday evening and all weekend performances.