“Blackbird, Fly”: A Concert for Voice, Body and Strings

— by Rachel Newcombe —

on the left, Marc Bamuthi who goes by Bamuthi, and DBR with the violin

Woman in the Woods Productions is delighted to be bringing to Orcas Island on June 23rd,
the highly acclaimed performance entitled, “Blackbird, Fly.”

How should we best describe this show to you? Multitudes is a start. Blackbird, Fly is a genre-jumping collaboration with Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Daniel Bernard Roumain (who goes by the initials, DBR). These two men are arts activists, using music, spoken word, movement, and Haitian folklore to engage the audience in dialog, in thinking about critical questions unfolding in our society. Bamuthi has been described as “a curator of words, ideas and protagonists. His bold poetically-driven work investigates social issues and cultural identity.”

Bamuthi and DBR are an experiential duet accessing their personal histories as first-generation Haitian-Americans to interrogate questions being asked about our society’s past, present and future, especially how it relates to Black life in America. The overarching question of the performance is, What do people need to understand one another? Two words never used to describe this dynamic-duo are pedantic and traditional.

Bamuthi and DBR use everything to disrupt our habitual ways of thinking. One aspect of this performance is the kaleidoscopic music offerings: hip-hop sensibilities, classical and rock, and electric violins bursting from the stage. “Blackbird, Fly” also incorporates DBR’s classical violin training and Bamuthi’s background as a dancer and literary performer. Sounds that envelope and shatter how we think about ourselves and the world will be swirling through the theater.

Past performances have addressed topics such as police bias, mass incarceration, fatherhood, friendship and how empathy is a valuable community builder. No two performances are the same because no two audiences are the same. The only element you can expect during “Blackbird, Fly” is the unexpected.

Quoted in Vancouver’s indie entertainment newspaper The Georgia Straight, Roumain said, “As much as we may be confrontational in our approach to our instruments, we are very conversational and gracious in our approach to our audience.” Michell Marshall, WIWP founder and Executive Director was fortunate to see a previous show by Bamuthi, red, black and Green: a blues at the Intiman theater in Seattle. Michell said, “I knew after the performance that Bamuthi was one of the most powerful performers I have ever seen. I was still shaking when I walked out of the theater.”

Following on the success of our inaugural event, “Dragon Lady” with Sara Porkalob, we trust that you will be equally engaged and entertained with “Blackbird, Fly”. Bamuthi and DBR embody WIWP’s mission, “To promote a better understanding and appreciation of racial and cultural differences through various forms of artistic expression”

The show is one night only, June 23rd at Orcas Center, 7:30 pm. Tickets are $25.00 and can be purchased directly from The Office Cupboard or from www.strangertickets.com. WIWP looks forward to sharing this experience with you.

If you have any questions please contact Michell Marshall 206-794-4127
To stay updated on WIWP events visit our website: womaninthewoodsproductions.com