Makes Baltimore Debut October 16
September 10, 2019: The Keegan Theatre is proud to announce the selection of FROM GUMBO TO MUMBO for the upcoming Charm City Fringe Festival. Performances are on October 16, 18, 19, and 20, at the Downtown Cultural Arts Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
Written and performed by local artists Drew Anderson and Dwayne Lawson-Brown and originally directed by Duane Richards II, FROM GUMBO TO MUMBO tells the story of a dreadlock-rocking Southeast DC video game geek who meets up with a New Orleanian science teacher who uses comedy to contemplate his place in Trump’s America. Together, they conjure a dynamic cauldron of hip hop, poetry, and theatre to colorfully redefine masculinity, question social and political issues, and celebrate love and the search for home.
FROM GUMBO TO MUMBO premiered as a Keegan PLAY-RAH-KA production in March of 2019, to critical and audience acclaim. Keegan PLAY-RAH-KA (PRK), the education and family programming arm of the Keegan Theatre, developed FROM GUMBO TO MUMBO into a dynamic, full-length piece through collaboration with its creators, Drew Anderson and Dwayne Lawson-Brown, and input from PRK students. The play was originally presented in 2018 as a staged reading at the Keegan Theatre, with support from The Children’s Theatre Foundation of America.
Drew Anderson (known lovingly as “Droopy the Broke Baller” and “The Black Weird Al Yankovic”) is a parodist, comic, hip hop artist, poet, writer, and veteran educator turned teaching artist. He is the founder and co-host of Spit Dat (the longest-running open mic in DC) and creator of the innovative new programs Spoof School and C.R.U.N.K. Academy which focus on making learning fun for students through performing arts.
Dwayne Lawson-Brown is a DC native poet, activist, and breakdancer, serving his community as a health educator for nearly 20 years. His work to increase HIV awareness through spoken-word garnered recognition from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, BBCAmerica, the Discovery Channel, and The Washington Post. In addition to featured readings at every Busboys and Poets location, La-Ti-Do DC, SAGAfest Iceland 2015, Spirits and Lyrics NYC and Manassas, Woolly Mammoth Theater, and the C2EA “We Can End AIDS” march, Dwayne’s short form poetry prowess led him to win the Best Haiku Award at the 2011 National Underground Spoken-Word Poetry Awards (NUSPA). His website CrochetKingpin.com has become a haven for those seeking reflective articles, geeky tidbits, introspective poetry, and fine crocheted scarves.
The Charm City Fringe Festival takes place October 10- 20, 2019. Charm City Fringe is a nonprofit that develops, showcases, and celebrates new and innovative theatre and performing arts in Baltimore, Maryland, providing a platform for artists to elevate their work and reach new audiences, while eliminating obstacles and allowing audiences to discover and explore new artists and works.
For more show information and performance times, visit https://charmcityfringe.com/
