Angela "Eisa" Davis Re-mixes a Revolution
What do you know about Angela Yvonne Davis...besides the afro-pic and FBI's Most Wanted poster? Whatever you may have heard or read, it is impossible to find out who she really was unless you see Angela's Mixtape...a play presented by New Georges and The Hip Hop Theater Festival.
Angela's Mixtape was written by (and stars) Eisa Davis. An actress and Harvard graduate who brings an audience into the fascinating life of the Davis family--Angela, her mom (a Civil Rights Lawyer), Grandma, Cousin Cess and niece Angela (Eisa) Davis, who is the namesake of her aunt, yet, simply goes by Eisa.
The cast is made up of a phenomenal group of beautiful women (Kim Brockington, Denise Burse, Ayesha Ngaujah and Linda Powell) who allow the audience to musically travel through the 70's, 80's and 90's, dancing, teaching and enlightening us on a movement, seen through Eisa's young eyes and onto adulthood.
For her, most days consisted of a quest for her father, wondering why her aunt Angela was "so famous" and searching for her mother's acceptance. However, her deepest question of self-realization was the curiosity of "living up to her name."
Who is Eisa...who is Angela and how do the two relate? One may wonder if this is a story with fists raised and "power to the people" shouts. Yes it is, however, it is also a universal story about "fitting in" which all of us can relate to, no matter what our backgrounds are.
I was drawn into her "mixed-up" world...of de-programming, race-relations and self-analyzation. Mixed up because it's a gumbo of "inteligistas," exotic travels, freedom songs, protests, politics, hip-hop and an interesting correlation to the film Back to the Future...all intertwined into a theater masterpiece that leaves one feeling like they have taken an interactive, yet entertaining course in history.
I was especially drawn in because I grew up in a household, where my mother was a national activist-a recipient of the Martin Luther King Drum Major for Justice Award. A life where every TV show was dissected and newspapers were read "between the lines" and the news was a bunch of lies. It was hard for me growing up to understand why my mother's convictions were so strong. Why she thought most people were brainwashed and why her "comrads" were always at the house...I also understood why Eisa is the way she is...convicted, creative, wearing the strength of her knowledge on her face.
I met Eisa several years ago, on my first film job and often bump into her in our neighborhood of Brooklyn. I'm excited to see that she has followed her dreams and has such an astonishing imprint for all to see.
I encourage all of you to take a peak inside the Davis life...it's lively, full of cool dance moves, rap and is a re-mix of our history.
It's Angela's Mix Tape Y'all!
Here's a snippet of the mix-tape soundtrack, made exclusively for Angela's Mixtape: http://www.zshare.net/audio/57839342de1ad5cc/
Angela's Mixtape plays at the Ohio Theater until May 2nd.
You can also catch her in the upcoming Spike Lee flick Passing Strange. Showing at the Tribeca Film Festival: http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/
For theater tickets, check out: http://www.hhtf.org/
Until Next Time,
See you in the City!
Dominga~
