Concept art for Derek McPhatter’s Afro-Surreal Urban Worlds: NightQueen. Developed by Daria Borovkova and Dionna McPhatter.
NightQueen Performance Suite
Derek McPhatter is committed to new work that engages diverse communities, emphasizing narratives at the intersection of race, class, gender, sexuality, and technology.
Artist BioNightQueen is an ecological, Afro-surreal performance suite that tells the story of an ensemble seeking hope in one another as their world is transformed by a global water crisis, unbridled network technologies, and resurgent fascism. Three evening-length works blend theater, music, and oral storytelling traditions to conjure a mythology reflecting the contemporary Black experience. It is an affirmation of the diversity, beauty, creativity, and resilience of Black life in opposition to the modern day forces that continue to debase Black communities.
2021 Artist Retreat Presentation
Events
Derek McPhatter: Water Riot in Beta
September 16, 2022 7:30PM–8:30PM
Museum of Contemporary Art
Chicago, IL
Derek McPhatter
Chicago, IL
Derek McPhatter is committed to new work that engages diverse communities, emphasizing narratives at the intersection of race, class, gender, sexuality, and technology. He is developing work with Prop Thtr and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, building on recent residencies with Chicago Dramatists, The National Black Theatre, and Djerassi. McPhatter is a founding playwright with the Fire This Time Festival, and was featured in Harlem9’s 48 Hours in Harlem Festival—two Obie-award winning platforms that champion Black playwrights and theatermakers in New York City. McPhatter served as librettist, book writer and lyricist for five new music-theater works with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He is a 2021 Creative Capital Awardee.
Photo: Jaclyn Simpson