Calarts School of Theater 2023 - 2024 Season

CNP/Duende CalArts welcomes Hip-Hop Theater pioneer Rickerby Hinds for the latest in a series of workshops. Hinds is developing Blackbox, a new project inspired by Henry Box Brown, who escaped slavery and became a noted abolitionist speaker, magician, and showman. Blackbox takes the narrative of Henry Box Brown and transforms it into an epic poem with hip-hop influences…and magic. The story unfolds around a mysterious box, a re-envisioning of the box in which Henry spent 27 hours on his way to freedom. As Henry’s life transforms from one setting to another, the dialogue, movement, and music take multiple forms: spoken word poetry, black minister’s sermon, political stump speech, academic lecture, sports announcer, TURF Dance, Butoh, rap, and gospel. And of course, Henry performs feats of magic inspired by the horrific and spectacular events in his life.