This episode was recorded remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

About "Our Voices Festival of New Plays"

Culture, community, and education connect through Black and Brown Theatre’s Our Voices Festival of New Plays in which students write short plays which they direct and cast utilizing Detroit area adult professional actors, from Black and Brown Theatre’s database, drawing attention to the valuable stories of our community.

About Emilio Rodriguez & Black and Brown Theatre

Emilio Rodriguez is a playwright whose works tell the untold stories of underrepresented audiences. Focusing on a Latinx experience, Emilio creates a wide range of characters, from college students and teenagers in coming-of-age stories, to animals like sea lions. Emilio is the artistic director of Black and Brown Theatre.

Black and Brown Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater that celebrates the voices of people of color onstage, backstage, and beyond the stage. Since its formation in 2016, Black and Brown Theatre has produced stage plays, workshops, and special projects for people of all ages. Black and Brown Theatre maintains a free digital database of actors of color in the Detroit area for local directors to cast stage plays, films, and other acting projects.

About "Jit the Funk Up & Dance!"

Jit the Funk Up and Dance! is a mini-concert and showcase that centers on Detroit’s techno sounds and its original urban dances: Jit and Funkateer. Hosted by QWNTYM, this event is packed with original music performances, DJ sets, choreography, and freestyle solos.

About Ron "QWNTYM" Ford, Jr.

Ronald Ford Jr. first began dancing at two years old, when he mimicked James Brown. Little did he know that 10 years later, he would be learning the only two original Detroit dance styles: jit and funkateer. Since then, he has been thrilling audiences in Germany, Korea, at the Palace of Auburn Hills, The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, and the Movement Electronic Music Festival’s main stage, to name a few. Along with his dance group, Unstoppables, he has danced for world-renowned acts such as Afrika Bambaataa, Run-DMC, Los Hermanos, and AUX 88. Using the stage name QWNTYM, pronounced “Quantum,” Ronald has also been composing electronic music for 15 years, mainly focusing on the Detroit techno and electro genres. His mission is to continue showcasing unique Detroit dances and music to the world. In addition to his music and dance endeavors, Ronald is also a playwright and director.

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