September 20, 2005

Charismatic actor-rapper Will Power makes his Santa Barbara debut in the hip-hop theater work Flow at UCSB Campbell Hall

Summary Facts:

• Will Power
• Flow
• A stellar performance by Will Power, a pioneer in hip-hop theater
• Flow won the theater trophy at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival
• Tuesday, October 25 / 8 pm
• UCSB Campbell Hall
• General public: $30 / UCSB students: $19
• Tickets/information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535

Will Power, a pioneer in the emerging genre of hip-hop theater, performs his sensational and energetic monologue Flow on Tuesday, October 25 at 8 pm at UCSB Campbell Hall. Written and performed by the dynamic young actor, rapper and modern-day griot Will Power, and directed by theater pioneer Danny Hoch, Flow is the tale of seven storytellers, their quest for survival in a world of modern, urban pitfalls, and the search for a new language to make age-old lessons endure for a younger generation. This winner of the theater trophy at the 2004 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival blends powerful narratives, live beats spun by an on-stage DJ, and vital rhythm and rhyme into an unforgettable performance. The New York Times extols the virtues of Flow, claiming it “combines the complexity of serious drama with the visual and sonic arsenal of MTV.”

Power has created his own style of theatrical communication, fusing original music, rhymed language and dynamic choreography to produce compelling evening-length works. Produced by New York Theatre Workshop and the NYC Hip Hop Theater Festival, Will Power’s solo show Flow has been described as “astounding” (Curtain Up) and “theater with the refreshing aroma of originality” (The New York Times).

As one of entertainment’s new shining stars, Will Power has been called an “electrifying” (Newsday) and “dynamic performer” (Variety). Most recently Will Power received the prestigious 2005 Joyce Award. The Joyce Award will enable the Minneapolis-based Children’s Theatre Company to commission Power to develop a new play titled Cipher. Stemming from a conversation between Power and a young soldier on his way to Afghanistan, Cipher will tell the story of a young man who packs his Gameboy and goes off to a war with a video game soundtrack, embedded journalists, and offers of a steady income and a secure future. The play will offer a war story for the current generation of young soldiers.

In 2001, Power was commissioned to write and compose The Seven, a hip hop theater adaptation of the Greek tragedy Seven Against Thebes. The Seven was a hit at the 3rd Annual NYC Hip Hop Theater Festival and won three Bay Area Critics Circle Awards, including Best Book/Lyrics. The Seven, directed by Jo Bonney, had a successful off-Broadway run in the 04/05 season.

Power’s honors and awards include a 2005 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, a 2004 Jury Award for Best Theatre Performance at the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival and a 2004 Drama Desk nomination for Best Solo Performance. Power has also received two Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO (Audience Development Committee, honoring achievement in black theater) award nominations for his solo shows, including the Gathering: a hip hop theater journey to the meeting places of Black men, as well as winning the Trailblazer Award from The National Black Theater Network for his contributions to theater.

Power’s skills have also been captured on television and film as a featured performer on Last Call with Carson Daly and Russell Simmon’s Def Poetry Jam on HBO. He was the lead male in the film Drylongso, a hit at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival that the Austin Chronicle called “truly extraordinary,” and was also featured in the documentary All Fathers Are Sons.

Power’s skills do not stop with acting and rapping alone; in addition to composing the music used in all of his theater shows, Power has composed lyrics and music that have been heard on MTV, UPN’s Moesha and Kingpin on NBC. He has also been featured on four critically acclaimed albums Free Roots, Spirit of the Roots, Bembon and Prietos as the lead vocalist for the Omar Sosa Sextet.

The audience is welcome to stay after the performance for a Meet-the-Artist discussion with Will Power.

Will Power is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and sponsored by the Daily Nexus and Ramada Unlimited. Tickets are $30 for the general public and $19 for UCSB students who must show valid ID at ticket purchase and the evening of the show.

For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.

Editor: For photos, please call
George Yatchisin at (805) 893-3494.