A troupe of misfit Blacktivists struggle to build a coalition via the rallying power of rock and roll!
They want to damn the dam, a partition constructed to “protect” Lake Michigan from the restless people of Chicago.
Working together, the protestors can defy the Artificial Intelligence overseeing their city and find their way back to balance with the natural world.
water riot in beta
a cyber punk rock opera
music samples
songbook workshops at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago 2020 - 2022
ANTHROPOCENE’S END (2022)
UPLOAD ME (2020)
more about the show
featuring four primary performers and a live band, water riot explores the potential for movement-building across virtual and physical realities.
the music draws on the under-acknowledged legacy of Black voices in rock, punk, electronic, and experimental music.
2020 - 2022 collaborating ensemble
Lawrence Baker, Myra Boone, Steve Corley Goldgrrl,
Nicole Michelle Haskins, Jerrell L. Henderson, Aaron Holland, Nancy Moon, Casey Robards, DMA, Jasmine Robertson, Meika Sha, Matthew Skillz
ensemble leadership
Derek Lee McPhatter - writer / producer
Michael Przygoda - composer
Maija García - director
Dionne McClain-Freeney - music director
INSPIRATION FOR THE SHOW (Derek’s statement)
I’ve channelled my own feelings on our swiftly tilting climate into water riot.
I’ve found myself longing for ways of dreaming, thinking and feeling that don’t deny the facts, but do not leave me feeling hopeless.
From there, the project has grown into an energetic 75-minute music-theater experience, informed by own contemplation of the splendor of Lake Michigan. (The shore is a fifteen minute walk from my home in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago).