Los Angeles, CA – (July 17, 2024) – “The Just and The Blind,” the acclaimed work by spoken-word artist and activist Marc Bamuthi Joseph and longtime collaborator, composer, and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain, comes to The Ford on Friday, August 2, 2024, at 8:00PM. The piece is a powerful exploration of the unseen and under-heard experiences of incarcerated youth and their families, featuring flexin’ dance by Drew Dollaz and soulful vocals by Nia Andrews and directed by Michael John Garcés.

Through spoken word and music, “The Just and The Blind” delves into the realities of racial profiling, sentencing and the prison-industrial complex, all from the perspective of fathers of Black and Brown children caught in the system. Centered on the humanity of those who are historically marginalized, the performance provides a framework for the unique voices of the community. It strives to humanize the Black and Brown children caught in the cycle of incarceration. 

Going beyond performance, "The Just and The Blind" includes a short film series, and a storytelling curriculum designed for youth and families directly impacted by incarceration. Co-creators Joseph and Roumain share a passion for youth advocacy, and they will meet and collaborate with participants of the YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) National Festival Institute Fellows in advance of the August 2 performance.

“The Just and the Blind” was commissioned by Carnegie Hall and produced by Rika Iino and Melissa Higgins of Sozo Artists, Inc., Annie March, touring producer, in partnership with the Sozo Impact, with support from Ford Foundation. Founded by first generation immigrant cultural entrepreneur Iino and led by BIPOC women, SOZO is a contemporary arts agency and incubator working at the intersection of social impact, innovation and the arts. Special thanks to the Miami Light Project.

This program is a collaboration with the LA Phil Insight initiative, generously supported by Linda and David Shaheen.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Marc Bamuthi Joseph (conceiver, writer, spoken word artist) is a 2017 TED Global Fellow, an inaugural recipient of the Guggenheim Social Practice initiative, and an honoree of the United States Artists Rockefeller Fellowship. He is also the winner of the 2011 Herb Alpert Award in Theatre, and an inaugural recipient of the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award. In the Spring of 2022, he was elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. An internationally renowned cultural strategist, Bamuthi is the co-creator of the paradigm-shifting allyship training HEALING FORWARD™. He has lectured in 25 different countries and his TED talk “You Have The Rite” has been viewed more than five million times.

Bamuthi has most recently completed commissions for Yale University, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and the Washington National Opera. His new opera “Watch Night,” with music by Tamar-kali and direction by Bill T. Jones, premiered at PAC NYC in 2023, and his collaboration with New York City Ballet Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan “Carnival of the Animals” will premiere and tour in 2024 and 2025.

An emergent on screen talent, he is among the featured performers in HBO’s screen adaptation of “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. He currently serves as the Vice President of Social Impact and Artistic Director of Cultural Strategy at The Kennedy Center. A proud alumnus of Morehouse College, Bamuthi received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the California College of the Arts in the Spring of 2022 and was the recipient of a second honorary doctorate from Middlebury College in the Spring of 2023.

Daniel Bernard Roumain (composer, violinist, pianist) is a Black, Haitian-American composer who sees composing as collaboration with artists, organizations and communities within the farming and framing of ideas. He is a prolific and endlessly collaborative composer, performer, educator, and social entrepreneur. “About as omnivorous as a contemporary artist gets” (New York Times), Roumain has worked with artists from J’Nai Bridges, Lady Gaga and Philip Glass to Bill T. Jones, Marin Alsop and Anna Deavere Smith.

Known for his signature violin sounds infused with myriad electronic and African-American music influences, Roumain takes his genre-bending music beyond the proscenium. He is a composer of solo, chamber, orchestral and operatic works, and has composed an array of film, theater and dance scores. He has composed music for the acclaimed film “Ailey” (Sundance official selection), was the first Music Director and Principal Composer with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, released and appeared on 30 album recordings, and has published over 300 works. He has appeared on CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC, NPR and PBS, and has collaborated with the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Kennedy Center, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Sydney Opera House. He was Artist-in-Residence and Creative Chair at the Flynn in Burlington, VT. He is the first Artistic Ambassador with Firstworks, the first Artist Activist-in-Residence at Longy School of Music, and the first Resident Artistic Catalyst with the New Jersey Symphony.

Roumain is an Atlantic Center Master Artist, a Creative Capital Grantee, and a Hermitage Artist Retreat Fellow. He has won the American Academy in Rome Goddard Lieberson Fellowship, a Civitella Ranieri Music Fellowship Award, an Emmy Award for “The New Look of Classical Music,” National Sawdust Disruptor Award, and the Sphinx Organization’s Arthur L. Johnson Award. He has been featured as a keynote speaker at universities, colleges, conservatories and technology conferences, and was the first Arizona State University GAMMAGE Residency Artist. He has lectured at Yale and Princeton universities and was a Roth Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Dartmouth College. He currently serves as a board member for the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (Vice Chair), the League of American Orchestra, and is a voting member for the Recording Academy GRAMMY awards.

A student of William Albright, Leslie Bassett, and William Bolcom, Roumain graduated from Vanderbilt University and earned his doctorate in music composition from the University of Michigan. He is currently a tenured Associate and Institute Professor at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.

Michael John Garcés (director) is the artistic director of Cornerstone Theater Company, a community-engaged ensemble-based theater in Los Angeles. He has directed two other plays by Larissa FastHorse, “Urban Rez” (Cornerstone Theater Company) and “Native Nation” (ASU Gammage). Other recent directing projects include “The Royale” (Arizona Theatre Company), “The Just and the Blind” by Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Daniel Bernard Roumain (Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center), “Epic” by Ellen Struve (Great Plains Theatre Conference), “What Happens Next” by Naomi Iizuka (La Jolla Playhouse), “The Arsonists” by Max Frisch (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company), “Wrestling Jerusalem” by Aaron Davidman (various venues including Guthrie Theater, Cleveland Public Theatre and Philadelphia Theatre Company). Other projects in Los Angeles include “Café Vida” by Lisa Loomer (Cornerstone Theater Company), “Seven Spots on the Sun” by Martín Zimmerman (The Theatre @ Boston Court), “red, black and GREEN: a blues” by Marc Bamuthi Joseph (Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater). He will be directing “Seize the King” by Will Power at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in February. Michael is a recipient of the Princess Grace Statue Award, the Alan Schneider Director Award, and the TCG/New Generations Grant. He serves as Vice President of the executive board of SDC, the Theatrical Union for Stage Directors and Choreographers.

Drew Dollaz (dancer) is a pioneering figure in flexing, a genre of street dance based in Brooklyn, also known as bone breaking, which is characterized by rhythmic contortionist movements. Drew is a self-taught dancer who has blended flexing with other genres of movement, including ballet, to create a transcendent hybrid of movement artistry. He has worked with top artists like Madonna, Rihanna, Skrillex, and companies like Red Bull, Sony, Aloft Hotels, and Billboard. Drew's work has shifted towards theatrical creations, collaborating in projects like “The Just and the Blind” with Daniel Bernard Roumain and Marc Bamuthi Joseph. Dollaz also advocates for self-love and anti-bullying through his Imperfect campaign, which has now become a stage performance called “IMPERFECT.” Dollaz is passionate about arts education and youth empowerment and has gained support for his creative vision from prestigious venues like Harlem Stage, The Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center.

Whenever Nia Andrews (vocalist) steps to the stage, the room falls into a dreamy world. She lives an impressive breadth of concurrent lives, with her work extending across multiple disciplines. After touring internationally as a vocalist for artists from Kamasi Washington to Lauryn Hill and appearing on Solange’s celebrated album “A Seat at the Table,” the Los Angeles native released her debut album, “No Place Is Safe,” which she produced, wrote and arranged, in 2019. From writer to background singer to eventually stepping center stage, Andrews’ artistic journey has always centered her North Star: healing. A storyteller through word and sound, in 2015 the self-taught musician began incorporating live experimentation with her sets that wove toning, sound healing and balancing together, calibrating her audiences in collaborative, experiential moments. With an unassuming and soft approach, Andrews’ playful, subtle ethos invites listeners to anchor themselves. Her approach has rippled out and influenced many of her artist peers who’ve cited the grounding impact that integrating toning has had on not just audiences but also the artists themselves. When Andrews isn’t touring, she is often found mentoring other artists, mothering her producer son, or pulling rabbits out of hats as a video commissioner for Columbia Records.

Programs, artists, dates, prices, and availability are subject to change. Ticket limits may apply. 

For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.theford.com or call Audience Services at (323) 850-2000.

ABOUT THE FORD

The Ford is one of the oldest performing arts venues in Los Angeles, with a 1,200-seat outdoor amphitheater and a rich history dating back to 1920. Situated in a 32-acre park and under the stewardship of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, The Ford presents an eclectic summer season of music, dance, film and family events that are reflective of the communities of Los Angeles.

ABOUT THE LA PHIL 

Under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that inspire and strengthen communities in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra is the foundation of the LA Phil’s offerings, which also include a multi-genre, multidisciplinary presenting program and such youth development programs as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered on three historic stages—Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford—as well as through a variety of media platforms. In all its endeavors, the LA Phil seeks to enrich the lives of individuals and communities through musical, artistic and learning experiences that resonate in our world today.