The First Black Musical
Donation protected
Hello, My name is Jasmine Hawkins, I am an aspiring Director. I am a theater and performance major at Emerson College in Boston Massachusetts. As an African American student at Emerson College, there is not a lot of representation at my school. We have student groups the promote female African American art, but in the history of Emerson College, there has never been a musical that features a full cast of African Americans because we simply don't have enough students to put on a production. I would like to change that by using the medium, I know the best, Theater. I want to showcase the beauty of African American heritage and culture to the students, faculty, and audience at Emerson College and to the citizens in Boston. I would like to put on a production of George C. Wolfe's musical Jelly's Last Jam.
Jelly's Last Jam is the incredible story of Jelly Roll Morton, a creole musician, who claims "The Man Who Invented Jazz". The musical starts with a recently deceased Morton conjured to limbo by a mythical figure called a "The Chimney Man" to relive and recreate is life for one night. While telling his Life story, Jelly only shows the audience the parts of his life that make him look good and embellishes the parts he is ashamed of. The Chimney Man then forces him to recall the more painful moments of his life when he attempts to ignore or embellish them. Born into an old and wealthy mixed-race Creole family in New Orleans, the young Morton rebels against his upbringing by going into the streets and absorbing the rhythms of the vendors and poor blacks, much to his family's dismay, which causes him to banished from everliving with his family again. Forced to go on the road, Morton becomes a prominent composer and musician, and the self-proclaimed creator of jazz. His sadness over his family's rejection causes him to stress his Creole ancestry and claim that there are 'no black notes in my song.' Eventually, his pride and racism cause him to betray his best friend and the woman he loves. In his later years, as the Jazz culture continues to grow, Morton is largely forgotten and reduced to dealing with crooked music publishers and gangsters, eventually dying of a knife wound in the colored wing of a Los Angeles hospital. At the moment of his death, Morton, at last, admits to his heritage - "Ain't no black notes in my song/I was wrong/ I was wrong." At this moment Morton takes his place in history among the other Jazz legends.
As of right now, I am trying to raise the money by myself, but I can't do it alone.
I would need to raise about $10,000 to put this production at Emerson College. I will use the funds to pay the actors and the musicians as well as use the money to pay for sound, costuming, choreography fees, and Marketing Fees. I would like to put on the production in the spring of 2021 and I will need the funds by January 1st, 2021. Anything Helps, I am so thankful for your time and contributions to this production.
Jelly's Last Jam is the incredible story of Jelly Roll Morton, a creole musician, who claims "The Man Who Invented Jazz". The musical starts with a recently deceased Morton conjured to limbo by a mythical figure called a "The Chimney Man" to relive and recreate is life for one night. While telling his Life story, Jelly only shows the audience the parts of his life that make him look good and embellishes the parts he is ashamed of. The Chimney Man then forces him to recall the more painful moments of his life when he attempts to ignore or embellish them. Born into an old and wealthy mixed-race Creole family in New Orleans, the young Morton rebels against his upbringing by going into the streets and absorbing the rhythms of the vendors and poor blacks, much to his family's dismay, which causes him to banished from everliving with his family again. Forced to go on the road, Morton becomes a prominent composer and musician, and the self-proclaimed creator of jazz. His sadness over his family's rejection causes him to stress his Creole ancestry and claim that there are 'no black notes in my song.' Eventually, his pride and racism cause him to betray his best friend and the woman he loves. In his later years, as the Jazz culture continues to grow, Morton is largely forgotten and reduced to dealing with crooked music publishers and gangsters, eventually dying of a knife wound in the colored wing of a Los Angeles hospital. At the moment of his death, Morton, at last, admits to his heritage - "Ain't no black notes in my song/I was wrong/ I was wrong." At this moment Morton takes his place in history among the other Jazz legends.
As of right now, I am trying to raise the money by myself, but I can't do it alone.
I would need to raise about $10,000 to put this production at Emerson College. I will use the funds to pay the actors and the musicians as well as use the money to pay for sound, costuming, choreography fees, and Marketing Fees. I would like to put on the production in the spring of 2021 and I will need the funds by January 1st, 2021. Anything Helps, I am so thankful for your time and contributions to this production.
Organizer
Jasmine Hawkins
Organizer
Chester, VA