@dramatistsguild @laurieflanigan

Congratulations are in order for Dramatists Guild member Josh Wilder and his co-producers Jamil Jude and Jamaica Meyer on the success of the first annual New Griots Festival in Minneapolis this past August. Headlined in the Star-Tribune as “A festival for the New Black Renaissance,” the New Griots Festival spanned three days and featured ten black artists representing multiple disciplines, including dance, storytelling, costume design, ceramics, music, and playwriting. Funded in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the National Endowment for the Arts, the New Griots featured free community classes, panel discussions, performances, communal meals, dance parties [every night!], and an art show in the lobby of the Phoenix Theater, a storefront space centrally located in Minneapolis’ Uptown district which is run by Arts Nest, a non-profit organization which exists to support emerging artists and arts professionals.  

The Dramatists Guild hosted a panel on Day Two of the festival with DG members Maxie Rockymore, a 2015 MFA graduate of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, whose play Straight Yellow Jacket was recently produced at the New African Theater in Cleveland, Christina Ham, Workhaus Collective member and Many Voices Fellowship Coordinator at the Playwrights’ Center, whose play Scapegoat (featured on The List compiled by The Kilroys) got her a nomination for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and festival producer Josh Wilder, whose play Leftovers was featured at the 2015 National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Josh came to the Twin Cities via South Philadelphia after receiving a Many Voices Fellowship, then subsequently, a Jerome Fellowship at the Playwrights’ Center. He left town the day after the festival for the MFA Playwriting program at Yale. We wish him well and expect to see him back in the Twin Cities for the second annual New Griots Festival.  

Producer Jamil Jude is also a playwright. An Affiliated Artist with the National New Play Network, Jamil served as Producer-in-Residence at Mixed Blood Theatre for three seasons. He spent the last year as a Management Fellow at Nautilus Music-Theater and was just awarded a TCG Leadership U[niversity] grant, a professional development award for “exceptionally talented early career leaders” in all areas of theater.  

As producers, Jamil and Josh identified a hunger within our community for a means to celebrate and support black artists. Jamil described the experience of putting the festival together as life changing. He particularly enjoyed creating a space for black artists to come together for fellowship and support from the larger community. He noted that the festival had a tremendous impact on the artists involved, and found the community and audience response both rewarding and inspiring. Because of the interdisciplinary thrust of the event, the festival was one of discovery, so audience members who came to see a particular artist engaged with artists across multiple disciplines, highlighting the depth and breadth of talent in the Twin Cities and opening eyes and hearts to new voices across the board. 

Josh described his festival experience as invigorating. “The community felt our spirit and they let us have our moment to raise our voices. It’s such a beautiful thing.” And, the artists were invigorated too. Festival artists had an intense enthusiasm for sharing stories and information. Community classes were a highlight, and our panel discussion was nothing short of inspiring. I felt honored to be invited to the table and to have the opportunity to support these incredible artists. And I wasn’t the only one who walked away with a really cool piece of Rock Johnson’s pottery. I came for the playwrights, but I left with much more. 

Speaking of Jerome Fellows, a big welcome to the Playwrights’ Center’s 2015-16 Jerome Fellows: Ryan Campbell, Kristin Idaszak, Andrew Rosendorf, and Keliher Walsh, and the Playwrights’ Center’s Many Voices Fellows: James Anthony Tyler and Cristina Castro. Got your mittens, your down coat, and your boots? You’ll be fine. 

[photo caption:  New Griots Festival producer and DG member playwright Josh Wilder reads from his new play Salt Pepper Ketchup.  Photo credit: Bill Cottman] 

lflaniganhegge@dramatistsguild.com