Dorothy Jemison Day Theater Announces New Performance Series

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The Dorothy Jemison Day Theater at the Alabama School of Fine Arts announced Tuesday a new performance series.

ArtWorks@TheDJD will present artists that reflect the community, according to DJD Theater officials., and features five award-winning national theatre and musical acts with diversity, equity and inclusion at the forefront.

ArtWorks@TheDJD grew out of an experimental artist grant project undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic. The inaugural digital series 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.

The series lineup includes:

November 13, 2021: “The Vicious Hillbilly” by Dawn Larsen with special guest Janet Simpson. A poignant comedy of ten lessons learned on a journey of discovery of who she is, what she wants, and that love is her divine right by folk musician and comedic storyteller Dawn Larsen. Dawn is the 2020 National Artist of the Year, St. Louis Fringe Festival, and the 2018 Rock House Songwriting Competition Winner. Featuring special guest Janet Simpson, the Birmingham-based singer-songwriter who “Wide Open Country” identified as “a brilliant genre-defying wordsmith with razor-sharp songwriting."

January 28-29, 2022: “Do You Speak Mexican?” starring Elena Maria Garcia and Christian Perez. A hilarious and inspirational exploration of a first-generation Cuban-American family’s story of finding a place in the United States. The Miami Herald calls Garcia, a three-time Carbonell winner, "One of the funniest women to ever step on the stage." A night of celebration complete with music and post-show Cuban desserts and coffee.

February 5, 2022: Kim Scott Album Release Concert. #1 Billboard jazz flutist and Alabama School of Fine Arts alum, Kim Scott, is following up her #1 charting album "Free to Be” with the release of her highly anticipated fifth album “SHINE!” This high-energy show is a mixture of smooth, contemporary, and Latin jazz, infused with touches of R&B.

March 13, 2022: “Broadway's Next Hit Musical,” a national touring production. New York’s long-running award-winning improvised musical theatre comedy is coming to Birmingham. Master improvisers gather made-up, hit song suggestions from the audience and create a spontaneous evening of music, humor, and laughter. This is a family-friendly event.

April 8-9, 2022: “Running from the Rona” by Jahman Hill. This world premiere commissioned work 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.