Alabama School Of Fine Arts Launches Digital Performance Series

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The Dorothy Jemison Day Theater at Alabama School of Fine Arts has announced its ArtWorks@TheDJD program, a new digital performance series premiering Jan. 29.

Due to the spread of COVID-19, the DJD Theater has been unable to offer in-person events and performances on its stage since March of 2020. This series continues the theater’s mission of bringing the arts to the local and state community and supporting artists.

The DJD Theater put out a call for performing and visual artists to create unique works of art for the series with one-time commissioning grants and production capabilities.

Each artist has partnered with the DJD Theater production team, DJD General Manager John Manzelli and filmmaker Myles Cain to create a short film of their work that will be available on the ASFA website for free.

"We are proud to present a series that supports and promotes the extraordinary work of three accomplished and diverse Birmingham artists," Manzelli said. "It’s our way of supporting the community by using our facilities and resources to create commissioned virtual works of art that will be accessible to everyone in the state of Alabama, free of charge."

The program schedule is as follows:

Jan. 29 Premiere, “Cello in 3 Movements” by Hellen Weberpal - available to view through Feb.5
Sponsored by Birmingham Investment Group and Publix Super Market Charities
Hellen Weberpal is a cellist with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and Cahaba River Strings.
This work is an intersection of the rhythm of music and the human body as they meet and explore Alabama nature. A cello piece in three movements composed with corresponding rock climbs done by the musician.

Feb. 5 Premiere, “Vanderwaal's Journey” by Jahman Ariel Hill - available to view through Feb. 19
Sponsored by Publix Super Market Charities and V94.9 FM
Hill is an award-winning playwright, poet, and professor. Recognized as one of the top slam poets in the world, his poetry videos have garnered millions of views online.

A Black sci-fi short merging poetry, dance, and music. In this film, Hill explores themes of safety, race, and health. A Black man in the South creates the cure for COVID-19. After finding the cure, he is forced to battle white supremacists, monsters, and even aliens in his quest to get the cure to those he feels need it the most: the oppressed. Hill says, “Vanderwaal's Journey is a story for Black folk, by Black folk. And that's beautiful.”

Feb. 12 Premiere, “Graffica” by Yogi Dada - available to view through Feb. 19
Sponsored by Publix Super Market Charities and V94.9 FM
Yogi Dada is a visual artist, speaker, poet, and musician.
Africa and Graffiti bore a baby. They called her Yogi Dada. A docufilm about a little Black girl on the journey to becoming an Artist. It’s about the journey back to freedom.