‘Blackbird, Fly’ at Orcas Center this summer

Woman in the Woods Productions is wildly happy to be bringing the highly acclaimed performance “Blackbird, Fly” to Orcas on June 23.

How to best describe this show? Multitudes is a good start. “Blackbird, Fly” is a genre-jumping collaboration with Marc Bamuthi Joseph, who goes by Bamuthi, and Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR). The two men are arts activists using music, spoken word, movement and Haitian folklore to engage the audience in dialog and thinking about critical questions unfolding in society. Bamuthi has been described as “a curator of words, ideas and protagonists. His bold poetically-driven work investigates social issues and cultural identity.”

Bamuthi and DBR are an experiential duet accessing their personal histories as first-generation Haitian-Americans to interrogate questions asked about our society’s past, present and future, especially how it relates to black life in America. The overarching question of the performance is, What do people need to understand one another? Two words never used to describe this dynamic duo are pedantic and traditional.

Bamuthi and DBR use everything to disrupt our habitual ways of thinking. One aspect of this performance is the kaleidoscopic music offerings: hip-hop sensibilities, classical and rock and electric violins bursting from the stage. “Blackbird, Fly” also incorporates DBR’s classical violin training and Bamuthi’s background as a dancer and literary performer. Sounds that envelope and shatter how we think about ourselves and the world will be swirling through the theater.

Past performances have addressed topics such as police bias, mass incarceration, fatherhood, friendship and how empathy is a valuable community builder.

No two performances are the same because no two audiences are the same. The only element you can expect during “Blackbird, Fly” is the unexpected.

Quoted in Vancouver’s indie entertainment newspaper The Georgia Straight, DBR said, “As much as we may be confrontational in our approach to our instruments, we are very conversational and gracious in our approach to our audience.”

Michell Marshall, WIWP founder and executive director, was fortunate to see a previous show by Bamuthi, “Red, Black and Green: a Blues” at the Intiman Theater in Seattle and said, “I knew after the performance that Bamuthi was one of the most powerful performers I have ever seen. I was still shaking when I walked out of the theater.”

Following on the success of its inaugural event, “Dragon Lady” with Sara Porkalob, WIWP trusts that attendees will be equally engaged and entertained with “Blackbird, Fly.” Bamuthi and DBR embody WIWP’s mission, “To promote a better understanding and appreciation of racial and cultural differences through various forms of artistic expression.”

The show is one night only, at 7:30 p.m. on June 23 at Orcas Center. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased from The Office Cupboard or from www.strangertickets.com. WIWP looks forward to sharing this experience with you.

If you have any questions, contact Marshall at 206-794-4127.

To stay updated on WIWP events, visit womaninthewoodsproductions.com.