Playwright, actor and rapper Will Power, an artist-in-residence at Princeton, will present excerpts from his newest work and deliver a talk in events scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 14-15.
The McCarter Theatre Center and the Fields Center have collaborated to sponsor an 18-month residency for Powers, during which he will present several performances, readings and dialogues. On Nov. 14, actors will perform excerpts from his new play "Fetch Clay, Make Man" at 7:30 p.m. in 10 East Pyne. A conversation with Power will follow.
On Nov. 15, Power and Princeton scholar Miriam Petty will present a discussion titled "Stepin Fetchit to Flava Flav: The Politics of Shuffling, Signifying and Satire" at 7:30 p.m. in 106 McCormick Hall. Petty is a postdoctoral fellow in race/ethnicity studies in the Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts and a lecturer in English.
Viewed as a pioneer in the genre of hip-hop theater, Power has created his own style of theatrical communication, fusing original music, rhymed language and choreography. His adaptation of the Greek tragedy "Seven Against Thebes," retitled "The Seven," recently completed a successful off-Broadway run at the New York Theater Workshop. In addition to composing the music used in all of his theater shows, Power has written lyrics and music that have been featured on several albums and television programs. He also has performed on HBO's "Def Poetry Jam" and starred in the film "Drylongso," which was featured at the Sundance Film Festival.
