COVER STORY | Hozier Charts the Infernos of Desire

10 years ago this month, Andrew John Hozier-Byrne—known simply as Hozier—released a song called “Take Me to Church” and it became a smash hit across the globe. It was the kind of track that, instantaneously, anyone could recognize the singularity of. “Take Me to Church” was going to, to put it plainly, be a crucial part of the musical zeitgeist for a long, long time. And, in many ways, it absolutely has lived up to that prophecy. But that’s not to say that Hozier’s career can be dwindled down to just that singular song, or that his future will stretch only as far as it will continue to take him. It’s much more than that, especially given how now, in 2023, he’s just put out the greatest album of his career—a spiritual, intense and pleasurable masterclass. His voice, one that is gargantuan and soulful and can pull the most innate, abounding plangency from listeners, still carries across a room—across a stage, a theater, a stadium—remarkably, perhaps even greater so now. Currently, Hozier’s holed up in New York, about to make an appearance on Good Morning America and then, later, play a gig at Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn before setting out on a massive tour and taking Unreal Unearth far across the world.

But his career began in a much smaller way, as he was a 23-year-old struggling to make a living as a musician while playing open mics all around Dublin. Yes, “Take Me to Church” was the Irish singer/songwriter’s debut single and, very quickly, it became a massive, global hit—infiltrating the Top-5 on nearly every chart keeping score. But it was penned at his parents’ place in County Wicklow and demoed in their attic. Now, you can put the song in conversation with all of the other tracks that were dominating the radio at that time and you can immediately recognize how much of an outlier it was. No other #1 hit from 2013 can even stand up with it, not even Lorde’s “Royals” or Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.” The song might go down as one of the greatest #2 hits of the 21st century—as it, weirdly, stalled out just before ascending to the top spot. When I think about that period of music, I don’t know if there’s a track that sticks out more—it truly felt like “Take Me to Church” had taken over the mainstream.

And, with a first outing as anthemic and moving as “Take Me to Church,” you wouldn’t be wrong to imagine that such a massive amount of success would set its maker’s aim towards replication or trying to capture lightning in a bottle twice—but Hozier’s intentions have been much more grounded than that. “I wasn’t moved to just change tact and make charting music,” he tells me. “It’s a very different motivation, it’s a very different set of tools that you use. In 2016, I felt pressure to write music that, in some way, was useful or helpful or, at least, addressed or acknowledged some elements of the social change that happened.” And that’s exactly the trajectory he took. After putting out his debut, eponymous album in late 2014 (more than a full year after “Take Me to Church” was unveiled as a single), Hozier took a hiatus—returning to Ireland in an effort to re-center himself and connect with his surroundings. It wasn’t until 2019, when he released his sophomore album Wasteland, Baby!, that things started to click back into place for the songwriter.

The catalyst of Wasteland, Baby! was when the Doomsday Clock moved two minutes closer to midnight in 2018. Though not rooted in anything but communicating the faults of present-day humanity, the Doomsday Clock symbolizes chaos and man-made end-times. Whether it’s through nuclear warfare or the ongoing perpetuation of climate change or the very real and very small and devastating undercurrent of systematic and scientific apocalypses, there is something existential and visceral about what we are collectively, as a country and as a planet, going through. In turn, the clock is currently 90 seconds from midnight, the nearest it’s ever been in its 76-year existence.

“When the stench of the sea and the absence of green are the death of all things that are seen and unseen,” Hozier muses across the bridge of “Wasteland, Baby!” “Not an end, but the start of all things that are left to do.” The lines were inspired by the terrible bleakness and grayness of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame—a tragicomic, one-act play about a disabled man, his servant and his geriatric parents eroding away in the face of a post-apocalyptic hellscape. During the pandemic, Hozier had revisited Endgame and Not I—living in the austerity of Beckett’s work in new ways and marveling at how the playwright could envision such destitution in still darkness.

“In Endgame, obviously, it’s this terrifying picture of the future, where this man—who owns everything that’s left to own—has one servant who he screams at to come in and, every now and then, asks him to pull out the ladder so he can climb up to look out a window and see if the ocean is still there,” Hozier says. “They have this line, ‘Everything is dead, there’s nothing still living.’ There’s this other great line, ‘Nature has forgotten us,’ and he’s like, ‘No, I ache. I am bleeding. I’m aging. Nature is still with us.’ There’s this ‘Thank God for that,’ this terribly bleak humor. I think he wrote Endgame after Waiting For Godot because he wasn’t happy with how optimistic people thought Waiting For Godot was.”

I think back to my first spring semester of college, just a few months after Trump was elected into office. I took a seminar called “Apocalyptic Comedy,” in which we would read, watch and study various comedic approaches to the end of the world—be it Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle or, of course, Beckett’s Endgame. The previous semester, the school’s theatre troupe performed a rendition of Waiting For Godot. Back then, I hadn’t really understood the weight—the magnitude—of those texts or connected with them. I was fascinated with the human inclination to laugh through devastation, of course, but I’d not yet lived through the type of aimless wandering and disenchanted curiosities that plagued what Beckett was writing about. When COVID happened, I—and I suspect many, many others—found something to consider when it came to massive isolation and an unnecessary, almost-inescapable cycle of death that consumed us. In retrospect, having a record like Wasteland, Baby! to turn to was a gift—as it, unknowingly, set a precedent for exhuming love through the caverns of massive, relentless sociological and environmental destruction.

In late 2019, Hozier had gotten off the road from a long tour. Two months later, the pandemic shut the world down—giving him the space to check out of a scheduled lifestyle and tap into some semblance of a community back home. He worked on his next batch of songs in solitude, assimilating into a workflow he could then, once lockdown lifted, take to Los Angeles and finalize what would become Unreal Unearth. He found something familiar to mine through in Brian O’Nolan’s The Third Policeman, an Irish novel that so deftly considers the idea of identity or lack thereof—a soul separate from the carrier himself, so to speak. It’s an apt mirror to what life turned to during the pandemic. But, near the end of 2020, the visual imagination of Dante Alighieri’s 14th-century poem Inferno, along with the relentless catastrophe unraveling in his own backyard, is what sank its hooks deep within Hozier and really began influencing and shaping the album’s architecture—continuing his very noticeable interest in identifying how other folks write about and present end-times and finality and damnation and making sense of how he might begin interpreting it through his own art.

“At this time, living on my own in the countryside at the beginning of the pandemic, looking over Italy—which was Ground Zero, in some respects—news reports each day were what the death toll was and what the case numbers were,” he says. “There was something surreal, something dreamlike, about that. Governments were looking at public buildings to see which would be appropriate makeshift morgues, and news stories of prisoners being put to work digging large grave sites in case things got really out of hand—we weren’t really sure what the death toll could really rise to. There’s these lines in the poem that just resonated with me, at a time when there was so much potential loss hanging in the air—every single one of us knew somebody who we could lose, every single one of us was in such a sea change that we had to re-contextualize the way we understood the simplest of social interactions and the simplest gestures of social justice, physical contact and being in a space with other human beings.”

The potential energy of loss and the disintegration of jobs were both alive in Hozier’s mind. There’s a line at the beginning of Inferno that captured him immediately, when Dante reaches the Gates of Hell and reads the inscription above it: “…through me you enter the city of woes. Through me you enter into eternal pain, through me you enter the population of loss…abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” The way Dante tried to make sense of how death could undo the lives of so many was a catalyst that led to Hozier’s work taking the shape of a multi-part opus—a descent, a nod to the nine Circles of Hell and then seeing the sky for the first time in a long time.

“Although I’m totally adverse to writing songs that focus too much on what that lockdown period was like, what that experience was like and what the pandemic experience was like, I do have an allergy to indulging in that,” Hozier says. “It felt wrong to not acknowledge, in some way, shape or form, the passing through of something, the journey into some new condition and out the other side—and to mark that and acknowledge that and credit it in some way.”

The extension of Dante even makes its way onto the Unreal Unearth cover, where we see Hozier buried in the soul, only his mouth visible beyond the mulch. The dark, negative space—a mouth and teeth floating in the ether of natural interment—was something he was drawn to. Dante moves through a similar continuum in Inferno, where he’s met with different voices and opinions and grievances. “Every circle he gets to, he meets another character who just tells him his story and offers their view and their regrets, their sorrows,” Hozier says. “To play with that, to not impose too much of my identity onto the cover—it was important to me that each song is allowed to just be what it needs to be. Having plenty of negative space, I think it offers some freedom.”

The early demos of Unreal Unearth found Hozier fixating rather heavily on Inferno, holding the text quite closely and writing about events and perspectives of characters from the poem in the songs. He would let go of the majority of that, apart from a song like “Francesca,” which finds him interrogating the second circle of Hell—lust—and attempting to make sense of love and commitment and the double-edged sword of devotion, all through a narrative that mirrors the tragedy of Francesca da Rimini. “Heaven is not fit house a love like you and I would not change it each time,” he sings in the outro, monitoring the confines of cosmic, spiritual space and its propensity to bear havy souls. “What I found was I held [Inferno] too tightly, and it became too narrative-driven, it became too musical theater,” Hozier explains. “When I loosened it and let myself reflect on the themes more so, it broadened it. It expanded it a little bit and made it a bit more universal—allowing the structure to nod to [Dante’s] journey rather than these very specific references to the text itself.”

Unreal Unearth is augmented into segments that are meant to, partly, mimic the sections of Inferno. Rather than make another straightforward record, he instead put this huge weight of consideration into the sequencing and construction of the project—achieving a separation that makes for really lovely compartmentalization, but one that didn’t arrive without its fair share of hitches. “It presented a challenge, I won’t lie,” Hozier laughs. “Because, it meant that I didn’t have full freedom to go, ‘Okay, what is the optimum flow here for a tracklist?’” Before he even had much of the record finished, he knew that the two-part “De Selby” would be at the beginning—in an effort to reflect on the infinite space that you receive when you’re in sheer darkness. He knew that the curve of the record had to follow the shape of lust, greed, gluttony and the rest of Hell’s circles.

“What was good was how much work had been made at that point,” Hozier explains. “In many cases, there were a few different songs to choose from. Heresy, in particular, had a few, Violence had a few—many of which won’t be released until, maybe, next year. We ended up recording 26 songs, and I’m proud of all of them. It meant that I was locked into a structure that I had to see through. And that offered freedom in ways that it relieved me of certain considerations.”

Perhaps the most intimate allusion to Hell on Unreal Unearth comes on its lead single, “Eat Your Young,” where Hozier elects to use Gluttony as a proper mirror for putting a critical lens onto war profits and class struggle and global poverty. “Get some, pull up the ladder when the flood comes, throw enough rope until the legs have swung,” Hozier sings. “Seven new ways that you can eat your young. Come and get some, skinning the children for a war drum, putting food on the table, selling bombs and guns.” It was an idea he’d wanted to put into a song for a few years, this idea that his generation and the one beneath it were being placed into circumstances with zero mobility—inheriting existential threats to immediate futures and the unlikelihood of shedding systematic exploitation and violence and destruction at some point within the next century.

“I always wanted to get that feeling into a song,” Hozier explains. “Having these themes offered me license to do it and to take it head on. I think [‘Eat Your Young’] is supple, in that the verses sound like they nearly could be romantic. And the choruses, the text and the lyrics of them, are very direct and grotesque. [Inferno] offered me license to just be playful in that and adopt a new voice that’s not exactly my own, this unreliable narrator. That’s something I enjoyed in writing this album, allowing myself to take a step back from the perspective of that song and the voice that is singing that song.”

Hozier Unreal Unearth

Hozier Unreal Unearth

Much of Unreal Unearth contains some of Hozier’s most poignant songwriting yet. His duet with Brandi Carlile, “Damage Gets Done,” is a profound, mature take on realizing that the worth of love is fleeting; “All Things End” muses on personal and romantic exile, as Hozier sings from a solemn, introspective place about holding a desire for someone who has moved on. “We’ve gone long enough to know this isn’t what we want and that isn’t always bad,” he croons. “When people say that something is forever, either way, it ends.” Operatic album closer “First Light” harkens back to that darkness that plagues Dante, especially when Hozier sings “One bright morning goes so easy, darkness always finds you either way. It creeps into the corners as the moment fades, a voice your body jumps to calling out your name.” At the heart of it all, through the pitfalls of Heaven and Hell, a beacon sits fixed in the faraway distance. Painted the color of passion and wanting, Unreal Unearth begs to make better sense of how we might begin to love better behind our closed doors.

There’s a strong sense of wide-ranging devotion on Unreal Unearth, with a focus pointed directly at how we might continue to embrace the intimacy and sexuality in our own commitments to other humans. With that comes an opened-up entry point for listeners—an innate, poignant sense of accessibility where people from all walks of life can tap into the personal intricacies that Hozier has chosen to archive his music around. He has long been someone who refrains from speaking publicly on his love life or getting into the specifics of his personal ventures—save for the music, where he often gets confessional and tries to make sense of how his life has changed or the redemption he is gifted through experiencing intimacy.

“I look back at some of the work and the way it approaches intimacy and closeness and, yeah, some of my experiences with that were so revolutionary to me and they changed my sense of personhood,” he adds. “I think your life can be changed by loving somebody or being loved by somebody. A lot of the work has been trying to make sense of that. Because I’m a person who thrives—and has thrived, to his detriment—in solitude and in keeping people at arm’s length, some of it, admittedly, is written from a place and a view of yearning. I look back at a song from eight years ago and say, ‘Christ, that’s a pretty vulnerable-sounding lyric.’ And, at the time, I didn’t even think about it, it never really was conscious. It’s just how it came out of me and what felt right at the time.”

Something about Hozier’s work that I admire is how open for interpretation it has always been—and his fanbase is always decoding his songs online in ways that make the most sense to them as a listener. Whether it’s the queer undertones of “Take Me to Church” or the conversations about BDSM around the track, or how “Run” might about a romance between pagan spirits, there is something so poetic and lyrical about Hozier’s efforts that ring in as universal to such a diverse landscape of people. There’s a strong intersection of sensuality and sexuality and spirituality in his music, and many folks have taken a strong kinship with that—there’s something in these songs, in the push and pull of sin versus pleasure and the themes of worship and the interactions between grief and loss and sex, that feel very present on Unreal Unearth, as well.

“It is the knotted jumble that is where the personal, the spiritual and the sexual cross over into each other,” he notes. “Trying to wrestle those away from the traditional frameworks of religion, there’s this mysterious crossing over that is very much so ingrained and so deep in the private internal world and the infinite space of the internal world; it’s trying to wrestle that away from the external, institutionalized language and orthodoxies and dogma and stories created and perpetuated by powerful organizations and their forces—and trying to make sense of something that is so deeply personal and so deeply of the self that you could nearly call it something spiritual, it’s where this experience of love and grief and sexuality and personhood all meet.”

Hozier has long been a prominent figure of allyship, be it in the LGBTQIA+ community or in community with women. His queer fans have deemed him a sapphic icon, while his 2022 single “Swan Upon Leda” became a stark, anti-patriarchal anthem in the wake of Roe V. Wade being overturned. Much of that is attuned to Hozier’s ability to flood his own catalog with effortless empathy. At his core, he is a very, very good person. When we began our interview, there was an immediate gentleness to him and the way he carried himself through the hour we spent together. He paid attention to every word I brough to him, and he didn’t hesitate when giving such thoughtful responses. To put it bluntly, he gives a shit—a truth that is so often lost in the cluttered, exhausting noise of press cycles. And his interest and genuineness speaks volumes when I broach the topic of his continued performance of musical genres prominently built off the backs of (but not always popularized by) Black artists.

Because much of Unreal Unearth is greatly indebted to the work of R&B, soul, disco, funk and blues. On Wasteland, Baby!, Hozier sang “Nina Cried Power” with Mavis Staples and paid his respects to activist musicians of the generations that came before him—notably name-checking Marvin Gaye, Billie Holiday, Patti LaBelle, BB King and countless others, including the song’s namesake Nina Simone. Simone had recorded her own rendition of “Sinnerman,” an African-American traditional spiritual arrangement from the 1950s, in 1965—and it includes the lyric “I cried power.” Hozier often pays homage to the singers and performers who laid the groundwork for the life he gets to live in music, and he’s long been someone who’s conscious of injustice and inequity. His father, John Byrne, was a blues drummer in County Wicklow—so he grew up in a close proximity to the genre, and blues has its own dense history in Ireland. But, when American soul musicians with white skin attempt to take their turn in the genre, it often arrives like an artist hijacking a tradition that doesn’t belong to them for the sake of furthering their own mark.

On “Nina Cried Power,” however, Hozier aims to recognize how Northern Ireland wouldn’t have had the Civil Rights Movement that it did in the 1970s had it not been for the Civil Rights Movement in the United States a decade prior. Much of Hozier’s work is out of his deep appreciation for the work of Black artists and naming that—along with admitting just how much there is to be thankful and grateful in that truth. “If I weren’t to write music that was authentic to my influences, I would no longer feel [like] an authentic artist,” he asserts. “But what wouldn’t feel right is to not mention that all of my influences—the vast majority of my influences—come from Black artistry.” He likens it to how, if someone from Poland or Scotland came to Ireland and were a remarkable uilleann pipe player and they carved out a life and a career and were rewarded for their pipe playing, but didn’t mention Seamus Ennis or Finbar Furey, it wouldn’t make sense to him. “All I can do is keep pointing back,” he adds. “What I try to do is create breadcrumb trails to constantly signpost in the work where it is coming from—whether it be naming a song after Jackie Wilson or, in a song like ‘Almost,’ there’s something like 18 nods to jazz songs.”

The island where Hozier comes from has its own history with survival and escaping the horrors of colonial rule. Even though he donated 100% of the publishing money from his single “Jackboot Jump” to the NAACP, he can’t answer for America’s history, nor can he rise to the question of answering for America’s particular failures towards Black people—or how they are still, actively, kept out of conversations around becoming the beneficiaries of industries that make fortunes off of the music that is built from their innovations.

“I listen to music everyday that’s released in America and I find gospel chords, neo-soul chords, jazz chords, R&B beats, hip-hop beats, the legacies of funk,” Hozier says. “Gospel and jazz are constantly used in modern popular music, but what isn’t part of the conversation is that, no matter what, the music is all influenced by Black artists and it rests on the shoulders of the achievements of Black artistry. All I can do is be honest about that and try to honor it where I can. The idea of writing music that isn’t influenced by Black artistry, that ship has sailed. It’s impossible. I challenge anyone to do it, but I don’t think it can be done. If you look back at Frederick Douglass and his travels to Limerick, meeting Daniel O’Connell—our emancipator—the struggles are tied. The question of anti-racism, it’s a global question—so I try to just acknowledge that influence and honor that work.”

A few weeks before Unreal Unearth’s release, Ireland lost one of its greatest children, Sinéad O’Connor. While many folks in America were never truly able to achieve a great intimacy with her critiques of fundamentalism and what the damages of Christofacism were on a global scale, it’s almost impossible to explain just how much grief washed over Western Europe when she passed. Her approach to advocacy imprinted on not just Hozier’s own approach to advocacy, but in his relationship with the world at-large. “As is so often the case—and, unfortunately, for many, was the case here—the true value and size and significance of an artist isn’t measured until you are making sense of their loss,” he says. “That’s when the measuring happens, when you’re trying to quantify the significance of this artist and their life’s contribution into the fabric of our collective identities, our collective values, our collective psychic space.”

With Sinéad, it was the case of a creative and moral force disappearing many decades before anyone thought they would ever have to reckon or reflect on that type of loss. As Hozier puts it, it seemed like everyone in a close enough proximity to her gravity would continue to be beneficiaries of her moral clarity and unapologetic view of the world. She was somebody who explored her spiritual identity in ways that were removed from the dogmas and traditions of a religious sector that laid the foundations of so much global horror. The impact of her work in Ireland across generations is almost unquantifiable, because it’s woven into the tapestry of the country and its people. In Hozier’s own words, her view of the world “changed the color of the water and made it clearer.”

“It’s hard for me to make sense of what her impact meant to me, because it was the water I swam in,” he adds. “She shaped the fabric. I owe so much to Sinéad and her rattling the sensibilities that people had in their aversion to the moral question of abuses in the institutionalized Roman Catholic Church. She was absolutely right in her observations; she was unapologetic, but she had this searing, sharp moral clarity that she presented in the courage and the brilliance of her own artistry and in the way she conducted herself. And people were deeply uncomfortable with that. And, like anything that people don’t have the collective courage or stomach to face, they find a reason not to look at it—and, in many ways [Sinéad] paid a high cost. But she opened that door in a way that was no doubt uncomfortable to a lot of people, painful for a lot of people. I can’t say for sure whether, without that, I would feel in full allowance to play with the themes that I was playing with on ‘Take Me to Church,’ because that door had been opened before my time—and she paved those roads at a great cost to herself.”

It’s difficult coming to terms with the fact that “Take Me to Church” is now 10 years old, much like it’s difficult to wrap my head around how Hozier has been making music for almost half of my life and has only just now made his grand, career-defining statement. I remember being a young, closeted queer kid in a rural, religious town and finding solace in that song. In Hozier’s songwriting, I, too, had a voice—even if I didn’t know I’d been silenced all that time before. On Unreal Unearth, perhaps more so than ever, Hozier has seen the finality of a fixed life—but he chooses to unfurl his own exile in the name of re-learning how to love another person and another body before it’s too late. It’s a hopeful avenue to look down. I think back to a quote from Beckett’s Endgame, when he wrote: “The end is in the beginning and yet you go on.” On Unreal Unearth, all we can do is grin at what curiosity is still alive in the DNA of our own futures. It’s easy to find sincerity when the last sentence of a life has already been written, when there are still pieces left to lock back into place.


Matt Mitchell reports as Paste‘s music editor from their home in Columbus, Ohio.

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Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a Syrian refugee, visiting Baltimore next week

Your Wednesday morning news roundup: September 6, 2023

Your Wednesday morning news roundup: September 6, 2023 02:15

BALTIMORE — Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl that travels the world to draw attention to young refugees, is stopping in Baltimore this month as part of a United States tour. 

The puppet lands in Boston Thursday and will begin making its way down the East Coast, stopping in New York City and Philadelphia for engagements before appearing in Baltimore on Friday, September 15. 

Since July 2021, the puppet made of cane, carbon fiber and other light materials, has visited 15 countries.

Theater-Puppet-Little Amal
A 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refuge named Little Amal walks around Grand Central Station in New York, on Sept. 15, 2022. Seth Wenig / AP

Little Amal will be welcomed to the city by Mayor Brandon Scott and faith leaders Friday afternoon at Baltimore City Hall. 

The puppet will then have three public engagements in Baltimore on Saturday, September 16 at the Inner Harbor, Patterson Park and the Love Groove Festival at Robert C. Marshall Park. 

Each engagement is free and in partnership with a host of local organizations and businesses.  

Here’s a schedule and description of each event. 

  • Where’s my ice cream? 11 a.m. on Sept. 16 at Rash Field Park: In partnership with The Charmery, Skatepark of Baltimore and other local organizations, Amal looks for a very special ice cream cone with a flavor created just for her.
  • Separated, together 2 p.m. at Patterson Park. In partnership with the Creative Alliance, Amal makes a friend from Mexico who is also alone at the park, where a Latin American festival street festival is being held. 
  • Look what grows here 4:30 p.m. at Robert C. Marshall Park. Amal experiences Baltimore’s rich Black arts scene at the Love Groove Festival. In Partnership with Baltimore Center Stage, Black Arts District,

The puppet will continue on to Washington D.C., and by the end of the two month U.S. trip it will have more traveled more than 6,000 miles and visited dozens of towns. 

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A dramatic top ten for fall

Since opening in March 2023, Andersonville’s Understudy bookstore and cafe has stayed busy by offering a robust selection of theater-related titles, coffee, pastries, and public programming. With the fall theater season about to kick into high gear, we asked the staff what they’ve been reading lately.

The Understudy
Mon-Thu 7 AM-6 PM, Fri-Sun 7 AM-7 PM, 5531 N. Clark, 872-806-0670, theunderstudy.com

Witch by Jen Silverman
Though this play had its world premiere at Writers Theatre back in 2018, it’s a perennial bestseller at the Understudy. In this witty, modern retelling of the Jacobean drama The Witch of Edmonton, when the devil comes knocking at their doors, those in the village of Edmonton are forced to decide what they’ll sacrifice to change their own lives. Poignant, devastating, and an excellent fall read! Understudy employees have a soft spot for this play, which was one of the first staged readings we produced.

The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be.” —Rick Rubin. The Creative Act is a beautiful and generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow. It distills the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime’s work into a luminous reading experience that puts the power to create moments—and lifetimes—of exhilaration and transcendence within closer reach for all of us.

Fat Ham by James Ijames
Winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for drama! A modern retelling of Hamlet set in the deep south, this play explores Black queerness, intergenerational trauma, joy, and complex family dynamics—all while giving us a karaoke number or two! Fat Ham was the very first pick of our play reading club here at the Understudy.

English by Sanaz Toossi
Winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for drama and playing at the Goodman in 2024, this play is about four Iranian adults preparing to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The stakes are high, as passing this exam will allow each student to migrate and fight for their dreams abroad. 

Tambo & Bones by Dave Harris
Playing at Refracted Theatre Company this fall! A unique, dark comedy about two characters who find themselves trapped in a minstrel show. How do they escape? 

. . . what the end will be by Mansa Ra
Commissioned by Roundabout Theatre Company, three generations of men live under one roof and grapple with their own truths of what it means to be Black and gay. It’s an exploration of pride, pain, and patience through the unflinching eyes of fathers and sons.

Ain’t No Mo’ by Jordan E. Cooper
An alternate present-day U.S., where every Black American is given a one-way plane ticket to Africa. Told in surreal, witty vignettes, this play is hilarious and heartbreaking all at the same time.

Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarías
Set in the northern Mexican desert in 1950, Mariela in the Desert is a deadly mystery—a layered yet profoundly honest story of what happens to a family when creativity is forced to dry and wither away.

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy by Ryan Calais Cameron
Nominated for best new play at the 2023 Olivier Awards. Father figures and fashion tips. Lost loves and jollof rice. African empires and illicit sex. Good days and bad days. Six young Black men meet for group therapy, and let their hearts—and imaginations—run wild. Inspired by Ntozake Shange’s essential work for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy is a profound and playful work of drama.

Contemporary Black Theatre and Performance: Acts of Rebellion, Activism, and Solidarity edited by DeRon S. Williams, Khalid Y. Long, and Martine Kei Green-Rogers
Coedited by Chicago’s own Martine Kei Green-Rogers, dean of the Theatre School at DePaul University, this book is a big hit at the Understudy. How are Black artists, activists, and pedagogues wielding acts of rebellion, activism, and solidarity to precipitate change? How have contemporary performances impacted Black cultural, social, and political struggles? What are the ways in which these acts and artists engage varied Black identities and explore shared histories? Contemporary Black Theatre and Performance investigates these questions to illuminate the relationship between performance, identity, intersectionality, and activism in North America and beyond.

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Here’s what to know about PVDFest 2023

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Here’s a guide to this year’s PVDFest, including tips about what to do and expect each day. (You can view the full schedule of events on the PVDFest website.)

Day 1: Friday, Sept. 8

The festival kicks off on Friday at 5 p.m., and attendees can either start their evening with eats from one of the 20 vendors at the Food Truck Village on South Water Street, or check out interactive art installations from Pneauhaus at District Park. The two installations, “The Grove” and “Street Seats,” will be on view until 8 p.m.

“The Grove” is an inflatable spectrum of glowing lights meant to look like the mycorrhizal — or “root” — network, said Matt Muller, one of the four artists who created the exhibit. “Street Seats” is a colorful display of inflated tubes people can sit on, he said. The exhibits are open for people to touch, bounce on, and interact with, and will also be displayed on Saturday from noon to 7 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

At 5:10 p.m., musician EhShawnee will bring her soulful salsa to the main stage at District Park. She will perform with her 12-piece band, and bring an “energy you won’t want to miss,” Providence’s Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism said on Facebook.

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At 6:30 p.m., Chachi Carvalho and the International Players bring their blended hip-hop to the main stage. “These artists have established the reputation of bringing the party to every stage,” the PVDFest website said. The performance is scheduled to wrap at 8 p.m.

A ticketed PVDFest Opening Night Party starts at 7 p.m. at CIC on 225 Dyer St. Hosted by Barbara Morse Silva and Mario Hilario of WJAR NBC 10, the party will overlook District Park and provide views of the new PVDFest footprint. The party will feature Empress, a singer, songwriter, and performer based in Rhode Island. Tickets to the event are between $35 and $100.

Day 2: Saturday, Sept. 8

Among the dozens of events on tap for the second day of PVDFest, there a few that stand out.

Day two of programming begins at noon, but guests that want to get an early start can choose from two walking tours that begin an hour earlier. Gallery Night Providence, a local art organization, will take attendees on a tour of Providence’s art scene, starting with the University of Rhode Island campus.

The Bannister Art Community Project — a committee dedicated to celebrating Edward Mitchell Bannister, a prominent 19th century Black artist and founder of the Providence Art Club — will also host walking tours of the city, with a focus on the history of “Christiana and Edward Bannister’s Providence.” The tour starts at 10 Westminster St., and happens again on Sunday at the same time and place.

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From noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday (and Sunday), guests can check out the PVDFest artisans market, located along South Water Street, which will showcase some of the region’s best artisans and makers.

A number of musicians will also perform throughout the day, including local singer-songwriter Alyssa Borrelli, who will perform at the PVDFest Lounge from noon to 12:30 p.m., and The Callouts, a Providence-based pop band, who will perform on the Point Street stage from 12:45 to 1:15 p.m.

Grammy award-winning artist Mavis Staples is the Saturday headliner, and will take the District Park main stage from 6 to 7:15 p.m.

PVDFest boasts six stages in all, which offer “dynamic concert experiences,” according to organizers.

The second day ends with a full WaterFire lighting that will illuminate the Providence River starting at 7:05 p.m. The installation features 85 fire braziers floating on the river, which are lit at dusk and will burn until midnight. The spectacle will be accompanied by music and other performances.

Waterfire in Providence, R.I.Erin Cuddigan

Day 3: Sunday, Sept. 10

Early birds can head to South Water Street next to the Pedestrian Bridge starting at 9 a.m. for the PVDFest flea market, which will showcase works from local artists and makers until 3 p.m.

From noon to 6 p.m., an indigenous art market, hosted by Tomaquag Museum’s Indigenous Empowerment Center, will be open for guests at Memorial Park.

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The annual PVDFest parade begins at 12:30 p.m., stepping off at the 195 District Park in front of the CIC building, and ending at Memorial Park about an hour later. The signature event will honor Bannister, a leader in the history of American landscape painting.

Mayor Smiley named Helen Baskerville-Dukes and Gonzalo Cuervo as this year’s Grand Marshal honorees, according to the event website.

The parade will bring festival goers through Innovation Park, over the Providence River via the Michael Van Leesten Pedestrian Bridge, and concludes at Market Square. At 1:30 p.m., a new sculpture of Bannister will be unveiled, and Smiley will officially declare Sept. 10 “Edward Mitchell Bannister Day.”

“This is the very first sculpture of a person of color in the city, and the first public art memorial to be installed in many years,” a spokesperson for the Bannister Art Community Project said via email.

Jake Hunsinger and The Rock Bottom Band, a local Americana powerhouse, will conclude the festival with a performance at the Memorial Park Stage from 5:30 to 6 p.m.

Parking and transportation

Several downtown streets will be closed throughout the festival weekend, and event organizers are encouraging the public to bike, rideshare, or take public transportation. Folks driving can park at the South Street Landing Garage, according to the event website. See the festival’s street closure map for details.

Attendees should check the PVDFest website for more updates as additional vendors and artists join this year’s the festival.

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The official map for PVDFest 2023.PVDFest

Brittany Bowker can be reached at brittany.bowker@globe.com. Follow her @brittbowker and also on Instagram @brittbowker.

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Jamaica: Sean Kingston, Byron Messia join Chris Brown for new song

Sean Kingston, Byron Messia join Chris Brown for new song , Image: Facebook
Sean Kingston, Byron Messia join Chris Brown for new song , Image: Facebook

Jamaican-American Sean Kingston, known for his chartbursting releases, “Fire Burning”, “Take You There”, and “Eenie Meenie has teamed up with the African-American Rapper Chris Brown and the rising star of the St Kitts Music Industry Byron Messia. The trio of talented artists have come together for a new project.

They have started filming a music video in Tivoli Gardens, Kingston, Jamaica. Two of the three artists, Sean Kingston and Byron Messiah, have common roots in Jamaica. While the African-American artist has worked with Sean previously, Chris Brown’s discography is yet to feature an official collaboration with St Kittitain DJ Byron Messiah.

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Following the success of Chris Brown’s Under The Influence concert at the National Stadium in Kingston, he is enjoying the hospitality of Jamaica. While enjoying his time in the capital of Jamaica, he got together with the two artists for an undisclosed project. The three artists have had brief yet significant associations with one another.

For example, Sean Kingston and Byron Messia were a part of the highly anticipated concert, Under The Influence on Sunday, September 3. Chris has worked with Sean Kingston on the singles Beat It and Ocean Drive. He also previewed Byron’s most loved single, Talibans, on social media.

Music lovers across the globe were looking forward to the collaboration between Brown and Messia as there were several rumours doing rounds on the internet regarding an upcoming project. These rumours have turned out to be true as the three artists were spotted together in the Tivoli Gardens neighbourhood.

They filmed the song’s video on Tuesday, September 5, 2023. Their presence at the site drew a crowd as hundreds of admirers came to the apartment building to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch the shooting of the scene.

During the video, some motorcyclists were performing stunts and action sequences while the artists shot for their scenes. Later, the musician changed into a different jacket and left the neighbourhood to shoot for a different scene.

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Ella West Gallery Is Carrying On the Legacy of Black Wall Street

The day that Linda Shropshire opened her dream art gallery turned out to be a lively one. 

A summer storm had blown through the city two nights before, leaving behind a trail of damage and more than 70,000 Durham County households, including Shropshire’s, without power. Downtown, though, the lights were still on, and so was the press preview event for Ella West Gallery at 104 West Parrish Street. 

Arriving at the gallery, Shropshire surveyed the storefront. Inside the pristine space, named for Shropshire’s mother, was the inaugural exhibition, Return to Parrish Street: A Dream Realized. Outside, street debris and cardboard boxes had blown up against the entryway. 

“These guys from the barber shop saw me struggling and yelled out the window, ‘Hey sister, we got those, don’t worry about it!’” Shropshire says. “Next door, there’s a Black women-owned dental office, Bull City Dental, and one of my friends is a dentist there. She comes out in her dental scrubs and sees me sweeping and grabs the broom and says, ‘Go get ready.’” 

Such a synchronous moment of Black community on Parrish Street is not without precedent: For decades, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the four blocks stretching along this street—anchored by the thriving NC Mutual Life Insurance Company and Mechanics & Farmers Bank—were home to a hub of Black businesses that came to be known as Black Wall Street. When W.E.B. Du Bois visited the city in 1912, he was struck by the thriving scene of Black entrepreneurship. 

“Today, there is a singular group in Durham where a black man may get up in the morning from a mattress made by black men in a house which a black man built out of lumber which black men cut and planed;” he wrote later, “he may earn his living working for colored men, be sick in a colored hospital, and buried from a colored church.”

Things have changed in the century since: Urban renewal and the construction of Durham’s 147 razed Black neighborhoods, displacing families, businesses, and generational wealth. M&F Bank remains open, a few doors from Ella West Gallery, and nearby placards recognize the street’s past. Still, as Durham has changed, Black Wall Street has receded into public memory and it would be easy to walk down the street—buffered, now, by new luxury condos—without knowing the immense history behind it. 

But Shropshire believes a new moment is on the horizon and ticks off the arrival of companies like Meta and Google—companies, to be sure, that will also further complicate the complex relationship between scrappy artists and a gentrifying city—as evidence that Durham is gaining prominence and more people will be ready to invest  seriously in art.  

Local Black-owned businesses are also on the rise and Shropshire has worked in tandem with what she describes as a “cultural cohort”—businesses like Missy Lane’s Assembly Room, Cicely Mitchell’s capacious, soon-to-open Main Street jazz venue; and Durham’s Old Hillside. Bourbon Company. At the gallery’s opening night, Mitchell sponsored the music and Old Hillside provided bourbon. 

“Younger people are moving into this area and they’re looking for these things,” Shropshire says. “They don’t want to always have to go to New York or Paris or LA to find great artwork. My goal was to create a world-class experience for a fine art gallery, but one that feels like home.” 

On a recent muggy August morning, I was waiting outside the gallery to meet Shropshire when a voice piped up behind me: “Waiting for Linda?” 

The voice belonged to Holly Ewell-Lewis, a close friend of Shropshire’s—and the godmother of one of her daughters—who happened to be buying bread from the bakery across the street. She walked over and together, we peered through the windows. 

Until recently, the building Ella West Gallery is in was a bike shop, its windows shrouded in black blinds and interior smelling of grease and parts. A year later, the 1,200-square-foot space is coated floor-to-ceiling in white paint and is completely unrecognizable from its prior self. The original windows, now uncovered, flood the room with light. 

“I’m so proud of Linda,” Ewell-Lewis says. “She really did it.” 

Inside, paintings by the Raleigh painter Clarence Heyward line the left wall and photographs by Durham’s Kennedi Carter line the right. Heyward has an uncanny gift for painting eyes, and from wherever you stand in the room, the eye contact of his striking figures—which range from George Stinney and George Floyd to portraits of his friends and children—follow you across the room, giving the impression of a directive. 

Carter, 24, is a dynamo in the photography world—she has the especially arresting achievement of having had, by way of her first editorial assignment, photographed Beyonce for the cover of British Vogue; Shropshire describes her as a “once-in-a-generation prodigy”—has a series of intimate domestic portraits featured on the opposing wall. As with Heyward, her inspiration is often family life; several lush self-portraits feature Carter toward the end of her pregnancy with her son, Atlas, belly swollen and swimming in amber light. 

Shropshire says she plans for Ella West to feature a diverse array of artists, with an eye toward marginalized voices. In early September, new works by the Carolina-born artist Ransome will join the walls, and in October, Parrish Street will come down, replaced with works by Maya Freelon and the artist Sachi Rome. In January, the gallery will hold a solo show for the Durham sculptor Stephen Haynes. 

Shropshire grew up in Charlotte, attended undergraduate school at NC State, and moved to Durham in 1996. She’s worked in politics and real estate; the plan to open a gallery was sparked after she took an early retirement package from Cisco and went to pursue her MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill. There, she began sketching out careful plans for a gallery that would attract art lovers and serious buyers alike. 

Jes Averhart, a friend of Shropshire’s who runs a program that coaches women to reach their professional potential, says Shropshire’s business acumen is striking. 

“I’ve never seen anybody have an idea and turn it into a reality and a grand opening as fast as she has,” Averhart says. “She felt really certain about the vision around the gallery. And she just went after it.”

Shropshire’s background may be more practical, but her relationship with the arts runs deep. As a seventh grader at Ranson Middle School, her art teacher, Winston Fletcher, introduced her to a canon of Black artists rarely taught in schools: Edmonia Lewis, Elizabeth Catlett, Ernie Barnes. She was hooked. 

Barnes, incidentally, was one of Fletcher’s close childhood friends, the kind of cosmic detail that seems indelible to the gallery’s story. Earlier this year, Shropshire—who holds positions on the board of trustees at the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums and the North Carolina Museum of Art—helped facilitate NCMA’s acquisition of an Ernie Barnes painting. Despite Barnes’s wide renown outside North Carolina, it is the first painting of his that the museum has ever owned. 

Ella West Gallery is another first: The first gallery owned by a Black woman in the Triangle. A milestone, yes, but more than a century after Black Wall Street, also a reflection of just how white and gate-kept the art world continues to be. 

“There was an article that came out and it said, ‘Ella West Gallery is the only Black woman-owned gallery in North Carolina.’ That’s cool, but you know what, it’s really not cool,” Shropshire told Forbes in a recent article. “That should not be something we’re celebrating.”

“Durham is the center of the universe,” Kennedi Carter says. She’s riffing on a line by the poet Alexis Pauline Gumbs but affirms that she finds truth in the adage, too—which is why she’s stayed in North Carolina, even as her star has risen far beyond the state.

It’s Ella West’s first artist talk, featuring Carter and Heyward, and the gallery is standing-room only, with nearly 50 people gathered. Whenever someone pushes the door open to join the crowd, sounds filter in (car bass, horns, dog barks) but otherwise, all eyes and ears are on the artists—a rare reverence in any space or city. Shropshire plans to host frequent talks like this and sees them as opportunities to give artists a platform and to educate both artists and potential buyers on the market. 

“Within the last few years, there have been a lot of art opportunities popping up,” Kennedi Carter says over the phone a few days later, citing programming at institutions like 21C and the Nasher as examples, as well as DIY spaces like the Fruit and NorthStar Church of the arts. “I feel like it’s another era.” 

Heyward agrees. 

“Ella West Gallery is bringing the art world to Durham. Linda Shropshire has created a space that is on par with galleries in larger art markets like New York and Los Angeles,” he writes over email. “I’m honored to be included in the inaugural exhibition at the gallery alongside Kennedi Carter and Ransome. Hopefully my work helps set the tone of the caliber of work to expect.” 

The gallery, so far, has been a critical success: Several paintings have sold, and the business has accrued write-ups in Harper’s Bazaar, Garden & Gun, and Forbes, the kinds of glossy magazines that people looking to invest big on art flip through. 

In 2022, the sale of a copy of the artist Ernie Barnes’s most famous painting, Sugar Shack, made national news when energy trader Bill Perkins bought it at a Christie’s auction for a record $15.3 million—76 times its estimated value of $200,000.

 Painted in 1976, the joyous, sloping figures filling the frame were drawn from Barnes’s childhood memories of sneaking into the Durham Armory as a teenager and watching dances. Perkins has said that he sees his role as an art collector as that of a steward helping to establish the value of Black artists in the market. 

The Armory is just blocks from Parrish Street, where two signed Barnes lithographs—
“The Comedian” and “Head over Heels”—have a home at the front of the gallery. When I bring the Christie’s sale up with Shropshire, wondering if that moment was a crux, she nods but reminds me that Barnes died in 2009.

“I don’t want people to have to wait to become ancestors to be respectfully compensated,” she says, repeating a charge that she made to the crowd at the gallery’s opening night and to art collectors at large: “That is up to you.” 

Follow Culture Editor Sarah Edwards on Twitter or send an email to sedwards@indyweek.com.

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RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Ranking every Idris Elba lead role from worst to best

Idris Elba is a household name, an actor celebrated for his versatility and magnetic screen presence. While he’s grabbed global attention with iconic roles in series like The Wire and blockbuster franchises such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he’s also taken on a series of lead roles that showcase his extraordinary range and depth – although, as you’ll soon find out, they’re often not in the spotlight.

Whether playing a gritty criminal, a supernatural gunslinger, or a hopeless romantic, he imbues each role with a distinct and gravelly quality that simply can’t be mistaken for anyone else. And it’s not just the big titles; even his quieter, less-publicised leading roles reveal the breadth of his talent.

His career spans over two decades, and the British actor shows no sign of slowing down. Although he’s the Bond we want but will never have, new roles are constantly added to his already impressive résumé – and each one seems like another opportunity for him to stretch his artistic muscles and prove himself even more as a national institution.

However, despite his global stardom, the actual titles he has definitively led are surprisingly few. Let’s dive in and celebrate the performances that run the gamut from compelling to entirely forgettable. Whether you’re a long-time fan or a newcomer to his work, buckle up and let us explore…

Ranking every Idris Elba lead role from worst to best:

11. Rolan Deschain – The Dark Tower (Nikolaj Arcel, 2017)

In The Dark Tower, Idris Elba takes on the role of Rolan Deschain, a Gunslinger, on a quest to protect the mythical Tower that holds the universe together. Despite the iconic nature of the role in Stephen King’s sprawling series, the film adaptation falls extremely short of capturing its essence. 

Elba brings neither gravitas nor intensity, effectively making his performance dissolve in the already less-than-cohesive plot and world-building. The director and screenwriter can only be blamed so much, and at least Matthew McConaughey gives us something to work with – on this one, we think Elba should bear the brunt of the criticism.

THE DARK TOWER - Official Trailer (HD)

10. Dr. Nate Samuels – Beast (Baltasar Kormákur, 2022)

For such a bombastic, obviously tongue-in-cheek monster movie, Elba sure does phone in a paper-thin performance as widower Dr Nate Samuels. After a trip with his daughters is derailed by a preternaturally canny African lion, Elba’s character must fight for his family’s survival. The problem is, it seems like he doesn’t care whatsoever.

Nevertheless, the collaboration between Elba and director Baltasar Kormákur suggests at least the hint of a promise of a potentially captivating blockbuster experience. Given both their reputations for gritty, high-stakes storytelling, you can’t help but feel like you’ve been short-changed at the theatre.

Beast | Official Trailer

9. Sean Briar – Bastille Day (James Watkins, 2016)

In Bastille Day, Elba portrays Sean Briar, a CIA agent tasked with stopping a terror attack in Paris. The film plays out like a ticking time-bomb thriller, but its fairly conventional plot offers limited room for Elba to stretch his acting muscles.

While his physicality and charisma keep the audience engaged, the role doesn’t quite tap into the depth of emotion or complexity for which he is renowned. Nonetheless, Elba’s screen presence elevates what could be a run-of-the-mill action flick into a more watchable experience, demonstrating his ability to hold the viewer’s attention even when the material is less than stellar.

Bastille Day Official International Trailer #1 (2016) - Idris Elba, Richard Madden Action Movie HD

8. Monty James – Daddy’s Little Girls (Tyler Perry, 2007)

Tyler Perry is a somewhat controversial director. On the one hand, he’s one of the most successful Black artists in the entertainment industry, worth over $1billion with over a dozen directing credits to his name. On the other hand, he’s been criticised heavily for what many consider to be negative stereotypes of the Black community. Elba, for better or for worse, is the poster child for this bizarre comedy drama.

Starring as Atlantan father Monty James, Elba delivers a reasonably believable performance as a man who loses custody of his daughters and will do nothing to stop getting them back. It’s hard to discern his performance from the rest of the movie, which is shockingly amateurish in its filmmaking, but our main takeaway is that it’s definitely not one of the actor’s best.

DVD Preview: Daddy's Little Girls

7. Ben Bass – The Mountain Between Us (Hany Abu-Assad, 2017)

Elba plays Ben Bass, a neurosurgeon stranded in a snowy wilderness after a plane crash, in The Mountain Between Us. Alongside co-star Kate Winslet, who plays a journalist, they embark on a perilous journey to survive.

While the film leans into melodramatic territory, Elba’s reasonably nuanced portrayal adds authenticity, exploring the vulnerability and resilience inherent in extreme circumstances. The desolation of the environment serves as a backdrop that allows Elba to delve into the subtleties of human emotion and instinct for survival, helping to elevate the film beyond its needlessly hefty dramatic trappings.

The Mountain Between Us Trailer #1 (2017) | Movieclips Trailers

6. Colin Evans – No Good Deed (Sam Miller, 2014)

Elba is brutal as the escaped homicidal convict who stabs, smashes and strangles his way through a small but close-knit group of friends in suburban Atlanta. Sam Miller’s psychological thriller practically falls into the horror/slasher category, with Elba as the stalking monster.

After killing his correctional officers whilst out on parole, Elba’s Colin returns to his hometown to seek revenge on his ex-fiancee. What follows is a murderous game of cat and mouse, as Terri (played by Taraji P Henson) tries to outsmart this convicted killer, intent on putting her in the ground. It is by the books, B-movie thriller material, but it is interesting nonetheless to see the film catering to a more inclusive audience.

No Good Deed - Official Trailer - In Theaters September 12th

5. Mark – Second Coming (Debbie Tucker Green, 2014)

Second Coming features Elba as Mark, a man coming to terms with his wife’s unexplained pregnancy. Set against a backdrop of drab domesticity, the film delves into themes of faith, doubt, and the intricacies of family dynamics. Elba’s portrayal of Mark is filled with nuance, capturing the emotional labyrinth that the character navigates as he grapples with questions of belief, trust, and the unknown.

In a film where much is said in the unsaid, Elba’s portrayal is an admirable demonstration of restraint and subtext. His nuanced performance enriches the movie’s attempt at grand, lofty philosophising, making it a fairly affecting experience that proves that sometimes less is indeed more.

Second Coming (2014) | Trailer | Nadine Marshall | Idris Elba | Kai Francis Lewis

4. Max – 100 Streets (Jim O’Hanlon, 2016)

If you’ve not heard of this one either, we don’t blame you – but we will encourage you to give it a watch. In this strangely compelling straight-to-video movie, which involves several key characters but has Elba firmly in the leading role, we see the actor navigate between romance, drama and outright thriller.

Playing Max, a former Rugby captain for Team England, Elba gives us a heartfelt depiction of a father who struggles to maintain a relationship with his children and estranged wife (played by Gemma Arterton). It’s incredibly melodramatic and, overall, not a fantastic film – but Elba displays his emotional range better here than many of his roles, solidly carrying the weight of the movie on his shoulders.

100 Streets Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Idris Elba Movie

3. Harp – Concrete Cowboy (Ricky Staub, 2020)

This strange but endearing movie focuses on the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, a celebration of riding and organisation dedicated to inner-city horsemanship in Philadelphia. Elba plays Harp, the charismatic and Stetson hat-wearing father of Cole (played by Caleb McLaughlin of Stranger Things fame).

Based on the novel Ghetto Cowboy by Greg Neri, this adaptation features Elba in a riveting role that fluctuates between being a cool, horse-riding badass and a fragile father crippled with concern for his son. After many trials and tribulations, Harp ultimately uses their passion for horses to help uplift Cole beyond his oppressive environment. A sincere and emotive turn from Elba that absolutely signposts his versatility as an actor.

Concrete Cowboy | Official Trailer | Netflix

2. John Luther – Luther (Neil Cross, 2010-2019)

Let’s pretend, for just a second, that the terrible film follow-up, The Fallen Sun, never happened. If we do that, then the indelible legacy of Luther is preserved, along with the unmistakable mark made on British entertainment.

By mere product of it being a TV series, it doesn’t quite hold the global status that our number one pick has, but it’s damn near close. Following the adventures of Detective Chief Inspector Luther, a passionate yet troubled and often violent police officer, Luther gave us something UK audiences had previously only dreamed of – a cinematic, dangerous and sexy detective. And oh boy, did Elba give it to us in spades.

Luther | BritBox Trailer

1. Nelson Mandela – Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (Justin Chadwick, 2013)

Based on the critically acclaimed autobiography of former South African president Nelson Mandela, this powerful biopic features Elba in what will probably come to be known as his defining movie performance – and for very good reason.

Shirking off his trademark gruffness and becoming instead the tender, gentle, yet resilient African leader, Elba undergoes a stunning metamorphosis in this movie by English director Justin Chadwick. Portraying such an essential and pivotal real-life figure is always daunting for any actor. However, here, Elba rises to the challenge with poise and grace, delivering a dignified yet gritty portrayal that, to this day, remains his best.

Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom Official UK Trailer (2013) - Idris Elba Movie HD

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Gerrymandering reckoning in Alabama where the federal courts support voting rights for Black Americans

The biggest threat to our representative democracy is not poll taxes or other active suppression of voting rights, but sophisticated fiddling with district maps and other seemingly mundane mechanics to amplify some citizens’ voices and squelch others. Fortunately, though the Supreme Court has largely thrown up its hands in the face of increasingly complicated gerrymandering schemes in which politicians choose their voters and not the other way around, especially egregious examples of the black art remain subject to judicial scrutiny and invalidation.

Such is the case in Alabama, where 27% of the population is Black, and inclined to vote for Democrats. The Republican-controlled state legislature in Montgomery created districts in which Black people comprise a majority in just one out of seven congressional districts, a classic example of packing and therefore diluting the influence of a group that, in the Deep South especially, has historically had roadblock after roadblock thrown in their path, both before and after the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965.

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In June, upholding a lower-court injunction that stopped those maps as a racial gerrymander, the U.S. Supreme Court — in a decision penned by Chief Justice John Roberts — ruled that “the extensive record in these cases supports the District Court’s conclusion that plaintiffs’ [Voting Rights Act Section 2] claim was likely to succeed,” while finding “unpersuasive the state’s argument that plaintiffs’ maps were not reasonably configured.”

And so it was back to the drawing board for the legislature — which responded with a new plan that was the line-drawing equivalent of an outstretched middle finger. Rather than creating a second district with at least “something quite close to” a Black majority, as ordered by the courts, lawmakers upped one district’s composition from 30% to 40% Black — and reduced the majority-Black district’s composition from 55% to 51% Black. If that represents compliance, Nick Saban is just a humble Pop Warner coach.

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So Monday, a panel of three federal judges rejected the new maps, saying “we are deeply troubled that the State enacted a map that the State readily admits does not provide the remedy we said federal law requires” — adding, “We are not aware of any other case in which a state legislature — faced with a federal court order declaring that its electoral plan unlawfully dilutes minority votes and requiring a plan that provides an additional opportunity district — responded with a plan that the state concedes does not provide that district.” For those keeping score, the three judges signing off on the ruling are Judge Stanley Marcus, Anna Manasco and Terry Moorer. Marcus is a nominee of Bill Clinton. Manasco and Moorer were nominated by Donald J. Trump.

Putting teeth into their decision, the judges assigned court-appointed experts to draw three potential maps, each of which must include two districts where Black voters have a realistic opportunity of electing their preferred candidate. Good.

Gerrymandering is a bipartisan scourge — we’ve spilled lots of ink taking New York’s left-leaning Legislature to task for violating our own state Constitution’s carefully prescribed procedures as they try to rig the game to help Democrats and incumbents. But it’s hard to get more egregious than this. As Neil Young asked, “What are you doing, Alabama?”

Sep 05, 2023 at 9:00 pm

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

BUTTER art fest Q&A

ABIGAIL OAKLEY | CULTURE CO-EDITOR | aloakley@butler.edu 

This past Labor Day weekend, one of Indianapolis’ biggest fine art fairs went smooth as BUTTER. This art fair, BUTTER, started in 2021 and showcases Black artists from Indianapolis and across the country. It was a weekend of art, creativity and fun. 

Emma Skrypczak, a sophomore dance arts administration major, and Frances Anderson, a senior arts administration major, are interns with GANGGANG, the organization behind BUTTER. GANGGANG is a cultural development firm with the goal of equity and reparations in the Indianapolis arts community. The Butler Collegian caught up with these students to hear about their experiences and the importance of BUTTER. 

THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN: First, could you explain what BUTTER is? 

EMMA SKRYPCZAK: Yeah, it’s a fine art fair, in Indianapolis, featuring over 50 Black artists from around Indianapolis and around the nation. It focuses on bringing equity into the arts.

FRANCES ANDERSON: It is Indianapolis’ equitable art fair. The goal is to sell 100% of the works, and 100% of the proceeds go back to the artists. So that’s a really awesome thing that’s changing about the art world. 

TBC: What should attendees expect from the event? 

ES: They should expect to see lots of really, really cool art. The whole building [the Stutz] is made to build up an experience. Not only are the art and the galleries really cool, but the whole building, the food and all that stuff is specifically chosen to make a full experience. 

FA: There’s about 180 exhibiting artworks on the fourth floor of the Stutz that showcase about 49 artists, 29 of whom are from Indianapolis, along with about 11 performance artists and 19 conversation panelists as well as 50 DJs from across the country that all tie [in] with Indianapolis. There’s a lot to do over the three days. 

TBC: Could you try to explain the reasons and inspiration behind BUTTER? 

ES: I mean, it is meant to bring equity to the arts and allow Black artists to be shown in a way that they haven’t [been] done in the past. Hopefully it’ll set a good structure for other places to also have equity. 

FA: Yeah, so BUTTER is a multi-day fine art fair that features work made by Black visual artists from Indiana. It’s hosted by an organization called GANGGANG. And [its purpose] is to give back reparations to Black artists, specifically in the Indianapolis area. It’s different from other art fairs because it’s anchored here in Indianapolis and it advocates for the care and economic viability of Black artists. 

TBC: What about the organization behind it, GANGGANG? Tell me more about them. 

ES: They are a cultural development firm. So mostly they are about bringing beauty into cities [through] Black artists and letting them show their art through different areas. 

FA: Its main event throughout the year is BUTTER, but they also are in charge of a lot of other events. They just released their new event, called “I Made Rock N’ Roll,” which will hopefully be like BUTTER but for performing artists. 

TBC: How has the community responded to BUTTER? 

ES: The community is getting more and more excited about it. I got to do a tabling event a few weekends ago and so many people didn’t even have to explain what BUTTER was. [They just said], “I’m just so excited about BUTTER.” 

GANGGANG continues to have a relationship with the Butler arts administration program, and these interns are keeping that going. More information about BUTTER and GANGGANG’s other events are available on their website and social media

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

WFGM awards $1.6 million to 38 community organizations

The $1.6 million investment recently announced by the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis is the organization’s highest such investment to date and is a six percent increase from last year’s contribution total. Since 1996, WFGM has awarded more than $35 million to 185 local non-profits, including investments in advocacy and research.

The Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis has tapped 38 organizations to receive grant awards during the group’s 2023-24 annual grant cycle.

This cycle’s grant awards amount to a nearly $1.6 million investment in the community.

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Shante Avant (Courtesy photo)

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Shante K. Avant, WFGM president and CEO. (Courtesy photo)

“We are building on the lessons learned through our place-based strategy to reduce poverty,” said Shante K. Avant, WFGM president and CEO. “Our Vision 2025 plan focuses on maintaining the gains we have made in South City, ZIP code 38126 while simultaneously expanding into other economically challenged neighborhoods,” said Avant.

The $1.6 million investment is WFGM’s highest such investment to-date and is a six percent increase from last year’s contribution total. Since 1996, WFGM has awarded more than $35 million to 185 local non-profits, including investments in advocacy and research.

In 2015, WFMG launched Vision 2020, a five-year strategic initiative aimed at reducing poverty in ZIP code 38126. The initiative included a $7.1 million strategic investment in programs serving South City – ZIP code 38126, one of the most economically challenged neighborhoods in Tennessee.

As part of the plan, WFGM established a place-based investment strategy to fund grantee partners that provide programs in support of five goal areas: (1) case management and wraparound services; (2) job skills and employment; (3) early childhood development; (4) youth development and employment; and (5) financial education and asset building.

The Vision 2025 strategic plan, includes four additional zip codes – 38105, 38106, 38107 and 38108.

“Our goal is to impact the lives of more than 8,000 individuals annually by focusing on advancing economic and social mobility,” said Avant.

According to WFGM, the group’s investment has yielded these results:

  • 3,438 individuals receiving job training and placed in jobs.
  • 141 individuals starting a business or micro-enterprise.
  • 7,069 young people participating in youth development programs.
  • A 53 percent increase in average annual earned household income for adults.

WFGM plans to build on its success with support to its 2023-24 grantee partners in these investment areas:

Vision 2025 Investment Area 1: Case Management and Wraparound Services – Hope House Day Care; MIFA (Metropolitan Interfaith Association); Neighborhood Christian Centers, Inc.; Urban Strategies Inc.; Room in the Inn; Salvation Army of Memphis and the Mid-South.

Vision 2025 Investment Area 2: Job Skills, Employment and Entrepreneurship – Advance Memphis; Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis; DeNeuville Learning Center; Dress for Success Memphis; HopeWorks; Karat Place, Inc.; Memphis Urban League, Inc.; Southwest Tennessee Community College Foundation; YWCA of Greater Memphis.

Vision 2025 Investment Area 3: Early Childhood Development – ALLMemphis; Early Success Coalition; Families Matter; Porter-Leath.

Vision 2025 Investment Area 4: Youth Development and Employment –A Step Ahead Foundation; JIFF Juvenile Intervention & Faith-based Follow-up; Booker T.Washington Middle and High School; Emmanuel Center, Inc.; Girls Scouts Heart of the South Girls Inc. of Memphis;|Memphis Inner City Rugby; Mustard Seed Inc.; New Ballet Ensemble and School; |STREETS Ministries; University of Memphis Research Foundation-Herff-GEE; Vance Avenue Youth Development Center; Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South; Memphis Black Arts Alliance; Kids in Technology.

Vision 2025 Investment Area 5: Financial Education and Asset Building – Knowledge Quest; Community Legal Center; RISE Memphis; South City a Community of Opportunity Revitalization Empowerment (SCORE CDC).

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment