Anna Martine Whitehead
Land of the Council of the Three Fires (Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi), and the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, and Fox, Chicago, IL
FORCE! an opera in three acts
Co-composers: Angel Bat Dawid, Ayanna Woods, Anna Martine Whitehead
Music Directors: Ayanna Woods, Teiana Davis
Dancers: Jenn Freeman (Po’Chop), Zachary Nicol, Rahila Coats
Musicians: Eva Supreme, Brittany Brown, Daniella Pruitt, Nexus J, Teiana Davis, Wyatt Wadell, Kai Black
Lighting Artist and Set Designer: Tuçe Yasak
Lighting Doula: Itohan Edoloyi
Audio Engineer: Najee-Zaid Searcy
Costume Designer: Sky Cubacub
Access notes: This performance includes flashing and bright lights, loud sounds, and heavy haze. Audiences will be directed to their seats after the first 20 minutes of the program, which will not be seated.
DESCRIPTION
Since its development began in late 2019, FORCE! an opera in three acts has become a way to rethink performance making in order to center care, consent, queer divergence, and Black femme rest. We unlearn our training to build a Black feminist theater practice.
This project builds on the transformative COVID-era organizing done by groups like Creating New Futures, as well as the emergent interest contemporary art audiences have shown in “arts in corrections” as well as works that address themes of prison and detention. The excitement around artists and exhibits that visualize prisons—and the work and lives of people inside them—signal a growing willingness among audiences to look critically at the prison industrial complex (PIC), which is profound. Yet there is work to be done beyond a willingness to look. As many scholars and activists have argued (such as Ruth Wilson Gilmore, adrienne maree brown, Sarah Fathallah, and Sean Lewis), the PIC replicates itself outside the confines of prisons and policing. FORCE! is, in part, an attempt to abolish the PIC in our performance practice.
This work reimagines rehearsal protocols, thinking alongside a broad group of collaborators and prioritizing marginalized ways of knowing, such as joy and dreaming. Visit force-anopera.com for more information. Thus far, FORCE! has iterated as and through a 2021 block party at St. Benedict the African Parish in Chicago and Abolitionist Company Class, a series of workshops coupling abolition study with performance at the DePaul Art Museum in 2022. FORCE! has been documented through a series of films, including our labor has become more important than our silence, 2020, and Cadenza, 2022. Additionally, songs from FORCE! were performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in March 2022.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Anna Martine Whitehead does performance from the homelands of the Council of the Three Fires; the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi Nations; as well as the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Sauk and Meskwaki; the Kiikaapoi, Peoria, and the Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux) Nations. Their solo and collaborative work has been presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, IL; REDCAT, Los Angeles; Chicago Symphony Orchestra, IL; Museum of Modern Art, New York; San José Museum of Art, CA; Links Hall, Chicago; and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco. She has developed her craft working closely with Onye Ozuzu, Jefferson Pinder, taisha paggett, Every house has a door, Keith Hennessy, BodyCartography Project, Julien Prévieux, and the Prison + Neighborhood Arts/Education Project, among others. She has been recognized with awards and fellowships from the New England Foundation for the Arts, National Performance Network, Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, MAP Fund, Dance/USA, PICA’S Creative Exchange Lab, Arts + Public Life at the University of Chicago, 3AP (3Arts Projects), Chicago Dancemakers Forum, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Headlands Center for the Arts, and the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. Whitehead has written about Blackness, queerness, and bodies in action for Art21 Magazine, C Magazine, Frieze, and Art Practical. They have also contributed chapters to a range of publications, including Queer Dance: Meanings and Makings (Oxford University Press, 2017), Organize Your Own: The Politics and Poetics of Self-Determination Movements (Sobsercove, 2016), and Platforms: Ten Years of Chances Dances (Gallery 400, 2016). Whitehead is the author of TREASURE | My Black Rupture (Thread Makes Blanket, 2016).
Jenn Freeman (also known as Po'Chop) is Chicago-based performance artist who uses elements of dance, storytelling, and striptease to create performances and inspire students and collaborators across the country. Po’Chop is the co-founder of House of the Lorde and creator and author of the blogzine The Brown Pages. She has performed at the Brooklyn Museum in Brown Girls Burlesque’s Bodyspeak, at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance for TedxChicago 2022, and headlined shows in New Orleans, Minneapolis, Denver, St. Louis, and New York. Po’Chop is a board member and cast member for Jeezy’s Juke Joint, an all-Black burlesque revue. Po’Chop performs in season two of Netflix’s Easy, appears in music videos for songs by Jamila Woods and Mykele Deville, and creates and performs in experimental dance films such as LITANY. Jenn Freeman has been recognized as a 2022 United States Artist Fellow, a 2022 Dance/USA Fellow, a 2021 Foundation of Contemporary Art Grants to Artists recipient, a 2019-20 Urban Bush Women Choreographic Fellow, and as a 2018 Chicago Dancemakers Lab Artist. Po’Chop was voted among the top 50 Most Influential Burlesque Artists by 21st Century Magazine in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and was a dancer in residence at Rebuild Foundation in 2020.
Genre-defying artist Kai Black (K A I) brings a new and intensely felt expression to the Chicago music scene. A virtuosic multi-instrumentalist born and raised in St. Louis, K A I developed their artistry as a drummer supporting acts such as The Oh My’s, Rich Jones, Via Rosa of Drama Duo, Drea the Vibe Dealer, and more. While studying music performance at Columbia College, K A I joined fellow emerging artists Loona Dae, Gem Tree, Schenay, and Ora in forming The Highness Collective. The group’s eclectic synthesis of funk, soul, and hip-hop quickly made waves through Chicago’s underground scene. After the successful release of their self-titled EP in 2012, Highness agreed to support and nurture each other as they embarked on personal projects.
Rahila Naomi Stadem Coats is an improviser, choreographer, and dancer based in Chicago. Her works have been shown through the support of Twenty Percent Productions, the 2018 Jerusalem Jazz Festival, Minnesota Fringe Festival, Company Projects, Synapse Arts, Thodos Dance Chicago, DanceWorks Chicago, and the University of Ghana at Legon. Currently, she dances for Red Clay Dance and is a vocalist with music group Family Junket. She is excited to continue this journey with FORCE! and its loving constellation.
Teiana Davis is a multidisciplinary artist hailing from the South Side of Chicago. A student of music and a pianist of over ten years, her cornucopia of talents also includes guitar, voice and music production.
Zachary Nicol is an artist and performer based in Chicago. Their work uses research in dance, movement, site, and image to unfold problems of representation and the performing body. Their work has been presented and performed in Chicago at Blanc Gallery, Links Hall, Pivot Arts Festival, Trap Door Theatre, Co-Prosperity, Lumpen Radio, filmfront, OuterSpace, and Compound Yellow, as well as at the National Museum of Romanian Literature, Bucharest; and S1 Gallery, Portland. Nicol is a 2023 Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist, and has been artist in residence with Ragdale Foundation, Annas Projects, ACRE, and Links Hall. Nicol works frequently as a collaborative and performing artist and has contributed to dance, film, and performance projects by artists including Adam Linder, Joe Namy, Mlondi Zondi, Alexandra Pirici, Ginger Krebs, and Catherine Sullivan, among many others.
Nexus J is the Rap-Soul-Rock Goddess making noise in Chicago. A vocal powerhouse with visceral lyricism, they seamlessly blend and bend genres to create a uniquely moving experience. It’s Nina Simone meets Megan Thee Stallion meets Hayley Williams meets Beyoncé meets Childish Gambino as Poet Laureate and yes, it’s just as iconic as it sounds. As a Black Queer celestial sent to save the world, Nexus conjures up a spectrum of storytelling to help humans believe in the magic of honest connection. Their recent series of singles, Bad Girl Trilogy, is packed with thrilling dynamics that culminate as an infectious celebration of femme power and unapologetic pleasure. From Thalia Hall to Lollapalooza, you may have also seen them buzzing with Chicago staple The Fly Honeys as a dancer, vocalist, and/or host.
Meet the extraordinary and versatile vocal artist, Eva Supreme, whose stunning voice has graced the stages of theater, opera, jazz, and numerous other musical genres for over a decade. With a rich and soulful timbre, Eva has captivated audiences worldwide with her powerful performances and unmatched vocal range. Hailing from a background deeply rooted in the traditions of gospel and blues, Eva seamlessly transitions between genres, infusing each with her unique flair and emotional depth. Her theatrical journey began at a young age, honing her skills in the spotlight, while her operatic prowess showcases her impeccable vocal control and classical training. Throughout her career, she has garnered critical acclaim for her ability to convey raw emotion through her music, making her a sought-after artist in the world of jazz, where improvisation and storytelling are paramount. With a decade of artistic exploration under her belt, Eva Supreme continues to push boundaries and redefine what it means to be a dynamic and genre-blending vocal artist, inspiring audiences to experience the magic of music in new and profound ways.
Daniella Hope is a multifaceted healer channeling various mediums—especially music and poetry—to encourage listeners to feel, acknowledge, and accept the complexities of being. Hailing from the South Side of Chicago, she received her BA in Africana Studies from Oberlin College and was the first person to graduate with a BM in Jazz Voice from Oberlin Conservatory. Recently, she received her Masters of Music from the Manhattan School of Music for Jazz Voice. Currently, she resides in New York and is often found performing around the city.
Tuçe Yasak has been following light since her move from Istanbul to New York in 2009, creating over 100 site-specific light installations for performance in the US and abroad. Yasak received the 2018 and 2019 Bessie Awards for Outstanding Visual Design with her lighting design. Her recent collaborations include Wednesday, UGLY, HYSTERIA and BLUE by Raja Feather Kelly and the feath3r theory (NYLA, Bushwick Starr, Chelsea Factory, ImpulsTanz, and Kampnagel); This Bridge Called My Ass by Miguel Gutierrez (The Chocolate Factory, Montpellier Dance Festival, The Walker, The Wesner, PICA); M---ER and NOTHING by Autumn Knight (On The Boards, Abrons Arts Center, MCA Chicago and PSNY); Cannabis by Baba Israel and Grace Kalu (La Mama and HERE Arts); The Path of Pins or the Path of Needles by Pig Iron Theatre Company; Jacqueline Woodson's The Day You Begin at the Kennedy Center; Haint Blu by Urban Bush Women, a site -specific and -responsive installative work presented at various venues throughout 2023, including MassMOCA; Dirt Trip by Alex Tatarsky at MOMA PS1; River by Every Ocean Hughes at the Whitney Museum of American Art; Malady of Death by Haegue Yang at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, among others. Light, movement and architecture intertwine in Yasak's work to support space-making and storytelling. Her Light Journals were presented in March 2021 by Ars Nova. She was one of the 2021 resident artists at JACK Brooklyn. Her first solo installation, light is generous, was presented by FiveMyles Gallery, Brooklyn in July 2022. Yasak is one of the 2023 Resident Artists of Watermill Arts Center where she created her installation The light comes through the heart of darkness as a homage to the lives lost in the February 2022 earthquake in Turkey.
Brittany Brown was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. She has always had a strong passion for music and has been singing professionally since the age of 14. In that time, she has performed and recorded with and for the likes of Donald Lawrence, Todd Dulaney, and Sir the Baptist. She was also a lead instructor at Gallery 37 and has been a part of numerous productions for the Black Ensemble Theater.
Ayanna Woods is a GRAMMY-nominated performer, composer, and bandleader from Chicago. Her music explores the spaces between acoustic and electronic, traditional and esoteric, wildly improvisational and mathematically rigorous.
Angel Bat Dawid is a Black American composer, improviser, clarinetist, pianist, vocalist, educator, and DJ. In 2019, she released her debut album, The Oracle, with Chicago label International Anthem Recording Co.. Recorded using only her cell phone in various locations, the album received widespread critical acclaim, with Pitchfork declaring it “a vibrant, spiritual, free-jazz document of black life as it stands today.” Known for her prowess as a bandleader and performer, Angel has composed and performed several live pieces including her latest release Requiem for Jazz, which was originally performed at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in 2019; and Peace: A Suite for Skylanding, commissioned by the Art Institute of Chicago for Yoko Ono’s outdoor Skylanding installation. She tours globally with her ensemble Tha Brothahood, with whom she released the album LIVE in October 2020, which received numerous accolades including making NPR Music’s “Best Albums of 2020” list and Pitchfork’s “Best New Music.” Angel also leads the all-woman ensemble, Sistazz of the Nitty Gritty. As an educator, Angel teaches her Great Black Music course at Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center through Old Town School of Folk. She is clarinetist in Damon Locks’ Black Monument Ensemble, and she hosts a monthly music show on NTS Radio. All of this and more is why Pitchfork recently highlighted Angel‘s work in their recent “Pitchfork 25 Next” cover story and included her on the “Pitchfork 25 Next” list, which identifies a select group of artists shaping the future of music. She was named Winter JazzFest’s 2022 Artist-in-Residence, where she debuted her “fearless expedition to ‘Afro Town’” (WBGO). In 2021, she was named the Chicago Tribune’s “Chicagoan of the Year” shortly following the Juneteenth release of her Hush Harbor Mixtape Vol. 1 Doxology, which toured internationally. As co-founder and member of the performance research group Autophysiopsychic Millennium, Angel performed at Carnegie Hall’s Afrofuturism Festival in 2022. As a composer, Angel also scored original music for season 2 of the critically acclaimed HBO series Random Acts of Flyness, created by Terence Nance, with whom she’s expressed an ode of veneration to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in their latest co-release, titled “Re-Birthday.” Angel's latest release Requiem For Jazz is out now on all platforms.
Wyatt Wadell is a singer, songwriter, and bass player from Chicago. He is a very versatile musician and loves to learn and absorb knowledge about his craft.
Carissa Pinckney is a performance artist, sound artist, and educator. After receiving her BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she spends her time acting, directing, writing, producing, stage managing, and teaching. Pinckney is currently based in Chicago.
Sky Cubacub (they/them) is a nonbinary queer and disabled Filipinx human from Chicago. They are the creator of Rebirth Garments, a line of wearables for trans, queer, and disabled people of all sizes and ages, which started in the summer of 2014. Sky is the editor of the Radical Visibility Zine, a full color cut-and-paste style zine that celebrates disabled queer life, with an emphasis on joy. As a multidisciplinary artist, Sky is interested in fulfilling the needs for disabled queer life, with an emphasis on joy. They have had over 45 fashion performances and lectured at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), University of Utah, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Northwestern University. Rebirth Garments has been featured in Teen Vogue, Nylon, Playboy, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, Vice, Wussy Mag, and the New York Times. Sky was named 2018 Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune and is a 2019-20 Kennedy Center Citizen Artist, and a Disability Futures Fellow.
Najee-Zaid Searcy is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist focusing on makeup, music, and the arts.
SPONSORSHIP
FORCE! an opera in three acts is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by PICA, RedCat, On the Boards, The Chocolate Factory, and Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.
Supported in part by: Pivot Arts, Arts + Public Life at the University of Chicago, St. Benedict the African Parish, Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Vera List Center for Art and Politics, 3AP (3Arts Projects), New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Theater Project, the National Performance Network Creation Fund, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Centers at Northwestern University, and House of the Lorde.
Special thanks to:
Danya AbdelHameid, Production Manager
Phillip Armstrong, Vocal Director and Assistant Music Director
Jasmine Mendoza, Performer