CHRCH THE STAGED READING

CHRCH, The Staged Reading ( private invite only)

I always knew I’d write about house music. It finally came to me in 2019. 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 degree and interview folks in DC's house community. CHRCH celebrates the many folks I've connected and shared dance floors with over the years; reflects my own spiritual journey, and is the first choreopoem I’ve ever written; however, 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. Welcome to CHRCH.

Photography by KOKAYI.