THE POET DARIAN DAUCHAN THE VIOLINIST CURTIS STEWART THE DIRECTOR DANIEL BANKS
A HIP HOP REMIX OF HANDEL'S MESSIAH
THE VIOLINIST
THE DIRECTOR
THE POET
DARIAN DAUCHAN
CURTIS STEWART
DANIEL BANKS
“I was on a journey the entire time. A journey of history, the history of my own activism, but also the activism that's personal. Powerful.”
–Rev. Derrick W. McQueen, Pastor of St. James Presbyterian Church
SUPPORT
We The Messiah has received funding from the Arts, Equity, & Education Fund; InHEIRitance Project; the Mac Miller Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation; New Music USA; Opportunity Fund; and The Pittsburgh Foundation.
TIMELINE
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2021—Artists Residency with the InHEIRitance Project
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2025–26—Final Developmental Residency, Tech Rehearsals, and Premiere
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2025–26—Begin Touring
We The Messiah is a Hip Hop remix and social justice reimagining of Handel’s Messiah in which three immortal MCs embark on an epic path to social change, facing power, passion, and persecution while holding on to the promise of a better future. A theatrical concert driven by verses, beatboxing, live looping, community voices, and classical music, We The Messiah is a melodic ode to activism, a crescendo call for collective action, and an instrumental invitation to awaken the Messiah that lives in us all. The production features Hip Hop Artist Darian Dauchan, violinist Curtis Stewart, and the PUBLIQuartet, and is directed by Daniel Banks.
We The Messiah features a community collaboration and co-creation process as an integral element of the piece. During the first developmental workshop in New York City, we conducted interviews with African American congregants of Harlem’s St. James Presbyterian Church and members of the Jewish LAB/Shul congregation. These interviews are woven into the live-mixed soundscape of We The Messiah, which also includes the Three MCs, the PubliQuartet live, and recorded or live choral samples from Handel’s Messiah. Darian Dauchan, as one of the MCs, loops and mixes the MCs journey that spans facing danger and violence to finding community and purpose. In its next iteration, we will expand the interfaith dialogue to include Christian, Jewish, and Muslim community partners for the world premiere in Pittsburgh.
“I felt so much awe, and so much inspiration from the 3 MC's working together. There was a flow between them. It created dissonance at certain moments and fluidity at other moments. Incredible.”
–Joan Beard, Community Member Lab/Shul
THE POET: Darian Dauchan is an award winning actor, writer, poet, and musician who has appeared on both Broadway (Twentieth Century starring Alec Baldwin and Anne Heche) and Off-Broadway theater (Classical Theatre of Harlem's Cherry Orchard starring Wendell Pierce). Darian is most known for The Brobot Johnson Project, an Afrofuturism, Sci Fi Hip Hop transmedia piece which won for Outstanding Comedy Series at the LA Web Festival and BEST soundtrack at the Escape Velocity Festival sponsored by the Museum of Science Fiction. The show The Brobot Johnson Experience is a critically acclaimed Ben Brantley New York Times Critics' Pick. More recently Darian was nominated for a Drama League award for Darian's piece Brobot PSA in the AFO Solo Short series and is a New Music USA grantee. Darian's music Doin' it Live and Ohm can be found on all streaming platforms. www.dariandauchan.com www.brobotjohnson.com
THE VIOLINIST: Praised for “combining omnivory and brilliance” (The New York Times), six-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated violinist and composer Curtis Stewart translates stories of American self-determination to the concert stage. As a solo violinist, composer, Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra, professor at The Juilliard School, member of award-winning ensembles PUBLIQuartet and The Mighty Third Rail, and Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient, he realizes a vision to find personal and powerful connections between styles, cultures and musics. Learn more at www.curtisjstewart.com.
THE DIRECTOR: Daniel Banks is an award-winning director, deviser, dance dramaturg, and community organizer. He has directed, led workshops, and/or instigated projects in 39 states and 23 countries. Daniel is Co-Founder/ Co-Curator of DNAWORKS and is Founder and Director of the Hip Hop Theatre Initiative that engages Hip Hop Theatre to catalyze youth self-expression and leadership. The Hip Hop Theatre Initiative has worked on campuses and in communities across the U.S. and in Azerbaijan, Ghana, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, and South Africa. He is Co-Convener and Board Co-Chair of Transform 1012 N. Main Street, the project to repurpose the former Ku Klux Klan Auditorium in Fort Worth, TX, into The Fred Rouse Center for Arts and Community Healing. Daniel is the 2020 recipient of Theatre Communications Group’s Alan Schneider Director Award.