How would you describe the mission of this project to a friend?
A Kay A interviews herself
A brief history
Why Black House Rock? What made you decide to bridge the gap between fantasy and reality on this project?
"I always struggled with finding a world that held space for both the intricacies of experimental theater and the delight of pop culture. Either we'd lose the cool laidback and sexy parts of the pop sound, or it would be so filtered through the popular culture machine it lost meaning. I'm giving myself the challenge of creating a place for both to exist together and bring people into the theater beside those who study theater or grew up on it. There seems to be a dip of theatergoers and I want to pioneer changing how we see theater and who goes to see it by mixing dance, house, and theater".
How important is music to this project?
"The music IS the project. I grew up in a Jamaican household, went to a black baptist church, and spent most of my time in schools with white people. To know every word to Lick It, Camp Rock, and every Beres Hammond song but also sing Italian classical music in school made life a bit complicated but it defined my sound as an artist today. I think listening to different sounds growing up is why I'm itching to create a project that plays with different sounds".
How do you see this show in it's highest form?
"This is gonna sound a bit crazy but I see this show anywhere. In a dive bar with an aged disco, at a music festival with the craziest light show, a black box in the lower east side. I imagine this show being really accessible. In it's highest highest form? It would be done in floors of a building; the audience climbing as the piece climaxes energetically. a different floor creates a different feeling. The floors would be a gage between super interactive moments with audience and performer-almost unable to tell the difference between the two- and true moments of voyeurism."
What type of impact would you like to make on your audience?
"I imagine an audience that forgets they are seeing theater or a "show". I imagine an audience that misbehaves... and not in a disrespectful way, an audience that feels they have permission to experience art in a very human way. I feel theater has taken that away sometimes for the evolution of theater content. I grew up in a baptist church where those watching performers and ministers singing, stepping, dancing, were every bit a part of the performance as those onstage were. I imagine an audience who feels very much a part of the show as those who created it."
A Kay A imagines a world where the House music she creates with others is in Tandem with story and liberation. As the music liberates and surprises the ear it's coupled with euphoric movement and comedic moments that will get even the coldest of humanity to move!
Where we are today
"I Confess" marks the first recorded song for the music composition of Black House Rock series. Listen to it's draft below: