asfa.k12.al.us
ArtWorks@TheDJD will present a world premier commissioned work by nationally acclaimed Birmingham artist Jahman Arial Hill on April 9.
Hill is a slam poet and an award-winning filmmaker. His performance “Runnin from the ‘Rona” explores the African American experience through coronavirus in a 90-minute interdisciplinary performance.
It includes Jahman’s 20-minute award-winning film from the inaugural ArtWorks@TheDJD series, “Vanderwaal’s Journey.” In 2018, Birminghamian Jahman claimed the title of 3rd best slam poet in the world, and in 2019 he wrote, produced, and starred in an award-winning one-man show, “Black Enough,” which played off-Broadway.
ArtWorks@TheDJD is Birmingham’s newest performance series produced by the Dorothy Jemison Day (DJD) Theater. The professional performance season is dedicated to presenting artists that reflect our community, featuring five award-winning national theatre and musical acts. With diversity, equity, and inclusion at the forefront of the DJD Theater’s programming, the upcoming 2021-2022 season features acts by female, Black, and Cuban American artists.
ArtWorks@TheDJD grew out of an experimental artist grant project undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic. The inaugural digital series was a huge success. It provided commissioning grants to three female and Black local artists and provided the community free digital access to the works during a time when most performing venues were closed.
“With the ArtWorks@TheDJD series, the Dorothy Jemison Day Theatre is proud to launch a professional series of top national and regional acts that reflect the diversity and talent of the people of Alabama,” says DJD Theater manager John Manzelli.
Additionally, the DJD Theater is committed to increasing accessibility by offering 10 percent of seats free of charge through community partnerships and streaming selected performances to virtual audiences who are economically or geographically unable to attend the ArtWorks@TheDJD series.
Sponsorships and support from Alabama State Council on the Arts, Sidewalk Film Festival, National Endowment for the Arts, South Arts, Birmingham365, This is Alabama, Starnes Media, and the Daniel Foundation help ensure the DJD Theater’s goals of increasing arts accessibility to students and underserved communities. Hill also held a workshop at Alabama School of Fine Arts where the DJD Theater is located.
Learn more at www.djdtheater.com/artworks
