And Then I Woke (A Vicarious Cataclysmic Event)

AND THEN I WOKE (A VICARIOUS CATACLYSMIC EVENT)

Conceived by Cherrye J. Davis, Nilan Johnson, and Gabriel Stelian-Shanks

Directed by Gabriel Stelian-Shanks

Associate Director: Nathaniel P. Claridad

Performed by Cherrye J. Davis and Nilan Johnson

WORLD PREMIERE

Downtown Art Space, New York City, January 2017
North American Tour, 2017-18 (Dates In Formation)

This piece received developmental workshops at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (New York City) and Bedlam Theatre Company (New York City). It is dedicated to Eric Garner, his family, and loved ones.

SYNOPSIS

AND THEN I WOKE (A VICARIOUS CATACLYSMIC EVENT) leaps from laptops, iPads and computer screens to explore the phenomenon of YouTube-captured violence perpetrated on African-Americans by those most entrusted with their safety...law enforcement police officers. Seen by millions around the world in first-person video, the murders of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, and dozens of others demand an answer to one heartbreaking question: how did we get to this place?

Inspired by Peter Handke's masterpiece "Self-Accusation," AND THEN I WOKE steps back to our earliest beginnings, to look at how we become who we are...not only that black lives matter, but how they are made. In a world where watching a murder is just one click of a mouse away, the scientific term for these psychic shocks -- "vicarious cataclysmic events" -- becomes a thrilling reimagining of our quest to understand our fellow humans.

PHOTO GALLERY | CLICK TO MOVE FORWARD

VIDEO

June 2016 workshop at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center.

Video playlist of police violence incidents that have contributed to the creation of AND THEN I WOKE.

TOUR BOOKING AND INQUIRIES

For inquiries about tour dates and booking options for the 2017/2018 tour of AND THEN I WOKE: A VICARIOUS CATACLYSMIC EVENT, please use our CONTACT page by clicking here.