RECORDED 12/9/15: Okay, these guys are amazing. I’m was so excited to talk with these exciting emerging artists from the Mixed-Race Mixtape who are mixing up the stories of the Mixed experience in a whole new way. But the thing is: they were even more awesome than I imagined. This is what they say in their own words in advance:
Through the eyes of Fig, a young mixed-race chicano man, we watch as he struggles with his identities, issues of class and casual and not-so-casual racism – all performed through Hip-Hop on the theatre stage. Mixed-Race Mixtape portrays the experiences that shaped one young person’s identity and through these interactions with police, teachers, friends and family, we are led to reflect on what has shaped our identities.
Fusing theatre and Hip-Hop, Mixed-Race Mixtape makes difficult topics relatable, stirring and vivid. It’s a performance experience accessible to all, and specifically designed for communities typically excluded from traditional theatre spaces. It’s the coming of age story we need to hear.
But check out what they had to say on the fly on the show. These are young artists who are making the change happen! The watchword from today’s show: Liberation! Listen here or download the episode from itunes. DON’T MISS THIS!-Heidi Durrow
Jorrell Watkins (Artistic Director) is an interdisciplinary artist of martial arts, poetry, dance, and theater. Most of his work is contextualized through an historical framework that serves to bridge the gaps between written history and collective memory. Watkins’ education and experience background includes but is not limited to: B.A. from Hampshire College, certified conflict resolution trainer, and educator at North Star Self-Directed Learning for Teens.
Andrew J. Figueroa (Writer/Performer) better known by “Fig,” is an up and coming Hip-Hop artist, theatre maker and arts educator from Southern California. With a Mexican father and British mother, he is the first US-born member of the household and the younger of two. He is a recent graduate of Hampshire College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latino Studies, and Performance through Theatre and Hip-Hop. His art strives to challenge how society engages with traditional theatre spaces and to open dialogue around how we can re-imagine the stage to include historically marginalized communities through a critical Hip-Hop lens. His work aims to exist as an agent of educational and social change directed at youth (specifically youth of color) by tapping into the influence Hip-Hop has on US culture and young people.
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