In the wake of the Supreme Court’s dismantling of key protections in Shelby County v. Holder and the massacre at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, Bishop Reverend William Barber II called for “necessary interruption.” This multidisciplinary work, INTERRUPTION!, is an artistic response to that call.

Conceived by Rob Reddy in collaboration with Oliver Lake and Meg Araneo, INTERRUPTION! is a multidisciplinary, cross-genre performance exploring urgent issues in the United States, including voter rights, economic inequality, and racial violence. Featuring a fourteen-piece jazz ensemble with music composed by Rob Reddy, poetry written and performed by Oliver Lake, and video projection of Barber’s sermon, INTERRUPTION! challenges social and political hierarchies, inviting audiences to reflect and act.

INTERRUPTION! was developed as part of a residency at BRIC Arts Media in Brooklyn, NY.

Music by Rob Reddy
Libretto by Oliver Lake
Dramaturgy by Meg Araneo 

INTERRUPTION! Orchestra:

Clarinet/Bass Clarinet – Sam Sadigursky
Alto/Soprano Saxophone – Nick Mazzarella
Tenor/Soprano Saxophone – James Brandon Lewis
Baritone Saxophone – Lisa Parrott
Trumpet – John Carlson, Eddie Allen
French horn – Marshall Sealy
Trombone – Curtis Fowlkes
Violin – Charlie Burnham
Cello – Christopher Hoffman
Guitars – Brandon Ross
Vibraphone – Bryan Carrott
Double Bass – Dom Richards
Drums/Percussion – Pheeroan akLaff

INTERRUPTION! was awarded a 2016 MAP Fund grant, a program primarily supported in part by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation