Hello everyone!
This website will serve as the dramaturgy packet for Olney Theatre Center’s production of Long Way Down, written by Dahlak Brathwaite and Khiyon Hursey and directed by Ken-Matt Martin. This will be a living document, so as topics and questions come up in rehearsal, or if there is anything additional you would like researched, please reach out to me at epowers@olneytheatre.org, and I will research and update accordingly! Looking forward to working with all of you!
-- Ellen Powers
What Can I Find in this Dramaturgy Packet?
A brief biography, interviews with, and articles about Jason Reynolds
A page on some of the unique themes in the novel and musical
A character breakdown, including the musical inspirations for each character
Multiple pages on different aspects and contexts of the music in the show and hip-hop, including:
History of the intersection of hip-hop and spoken word poetry
An interview I conducted with Dahlak and Khiyon
A brief history of hip-hop and musical theatre, as well as hip-hop theatre
Activism in hip-hop
A playlist derived from the musical inspirations Dahlak and Khiyon discussed in their interview, as well as those from the character breakdowns
A page on the story of gun violence in the show, specifically highlighting the variance in reporting of different shootings and victims, as well as the inclusion of sources on the mythology of Black criminality