CHRCH, A BLACK MUSIC STORY
BY
SESHAT YON’SHEA WALKER
The place: A dance club afloat somewhere in the universe. The time: The Present, Past and Future
Folks, Saints, Heathens, and Heads! Welcome to CHRCH. You are invited to experience a sweaty and joyful service. Anointed by CHRCH, PastHER Teesh offers both sermon and testimony reflecting upon her own spiritual journey from a musically emotional country girl to PastHER. CHRCH is an original werk of self-love, self-acceptance and enlightenment for the club, the stage and beyond.
Cast
PastHER Teesh VOICE OF CHRCH DJ
FIRST READING ANACOSTIA ARTS CENTER BLACK BOX THEATRE APRIL 30, 2022
MICRO DEVELOPMENT SESSION NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
KENNEDY CENTER REACH LOCAL THEATRE RESIDENCY OCT. 17-OCT. 21, 2022
PLAYGROUND EXPERIMENT'S FACES OF AMERICA MONOLOGUE FESTIVAL MAJORIE S THEATRE, NYC NOV. 19, 2022
PASTOR TEESH’S SERMON, AN EXCERPT FROM CHRCH, POP CONFERENCE NYC APRIL 29, 2023
PUBLIC READING, THE WAREHOUSE @1360 WDC MAY 17, 2023
FESTIVAL ON THE SQUARE READING SERIES, CONGO SQUARE THEATRE, CHICAGO JULY 29, 2023
KENNEDY CENTER LOCAL THEATRE FESTIVAL , KENNEDY CENTER REACH, WASHINGTON DC SEPT. 2, 2023
2023 POPCONFERENCE NYC
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APRIL 30, 2022 FIRST READING ANACOSTIA ARTS CENTER BLACK BOX
PHOTOGRAPHY BY C. WALKER
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WORDS FROM THE CONGREGATION
(audience)
THIS IS SUCH A RICH PIECE. LOVED THE POETRY OF IT ALL"
"THIS WAS SO MOVING"
"IT WAS AN AMAZING PIECE. THIS WORK HAD ME DANCING, LAUGHING, REMINISCING, LONGING REFLECTING AND CRYING. "
"SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE"
"IT'S JUST A READING BUT IT FEELS IMMERSIVE"
"IT'S A NEW STORY. NECESSARY"
"LOVED THE AUTHENTICITY OF VOICE, CAST AND MUSIC SELECTION"
"LOVED THE INTEGRATION OF THE VARIOUS MEDIA"
"I LOVED THE TESTIMONY, THE STORIES"
"THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHRCH AND HOUSE IS INCREDIBLE"
"ALL OF IT ENGAGED ME FULLY AND TOLD A CAPTIVATING STORY"
"THE WOREDS ARE POWERFUL"
"LOVED THE METAPHORS OF CHRCH AND LIBERATION"
WHY CHRCH?
I always knew I’d write something about house music. It finally came to me in 2018. CHRCH was originally entitled HOME: a fictional piece centered on three young Black adults experiencing house music for the first time while navigating their own complicated lives. The first iteration was drama filled but as I began to place pieces of myself into each character; I just wasn't feeling it. Anyway, fast forward to 2019 and I come across my old poetry chapbook, rediscovering a poem entitled HOUSE that describes one Sunday night at the infamous State of the Union. At the onset of the pandemic I took an online workshop about docu-theater, which sparked the idea to finally dust off my journalism and design management degrees to interview folks in DC's house community.
Through the WERK I share my own story, my spiritual journey and how house music allows me the space and freedom to be me. I’m also exploring the ideas of Black dance music's contribution to popular music culture, club culture as a safe space and house music history. In regard to space my vision and intention is to present this work in dance clubs or non-traditional theater spaces to gather the energy of the environment where the lines between theater and dance club culture can become blurred. Since the 70's dance clubs continue to serve as a safe and oftentimes spiritual space for those who feel neglected by traditional church. As we look at popular music in 2022 Beyonce and Drake, who are two of the world's biggest music artists, brought Black dance music to the forefront with their latest albums. It's important to center Black dance music creators and innovators while honoring it as the origin of all dance music.
CHRCH also celebrates the many folks I've connected and shared dance floors with over the years. I believe I created my own structure during this whole process. It’s my hope that CHRCH captures the intense energy and deeply joyous spirit of house music. Cheers to DJ Genesis who asked me to carry her records that first night at State of the Union. Cheers and rest in the pulse to the community's Pastor and Minister of Music, Sam “The Man” Burns for curating spaces of love, connection and freedom.
Seshat Yon’shea Walker, Playwright