A short thoughtful rant, while in process for The g[R]ay Boi… [okwae a. miller]
Thinking about my current work-in-progress, The g[R]ay Boi, I often think about my personal identity as a black gay man carrying both the burden of homophobia from my ethnic community and racism from the gay community; then walking the tight rope having to meter my behavior between two identities to essentially be accepted. Also, I think about my personal relationships, whether romantic or flirtatiously platonic, and the failing cycling causing heartbreak, anxiety and a sense of worthlessness. I think about the stigma of promiscuity, and that day I found out that one of my closest friends received the life altering news that he had contracted HIV from an isolated incident.
With my mind being this rushing container of these cloudy, convoluted and gray thoughts, I consider how am I going to create a work that is challengingly authentic, lushly rich with information, and encouraging of intersecting varied cultural communities within the city of Atlanta. Therefore, within my creative process I have held tightly to investigative research, and I have decided to share my creative process in a series of videos, recordings, journal entries and notable quotations to give a little insight of my present experience with producing such a personal work with a notable public impact.
About the Work:
The g[R]ay Boi is a collaborative, interdisciplinary work examining the complexities of black gay men. Through the lenses of choreography, interactive projections and set design, the work investigates the darkness represented by a combination of confusion, shame, embarrassment and guilt through historical and contemporary victimizations of black men. Referencing collections of personal essays Fighting Words, public observation of local communities,a collection of research studies and collaboration with local HIV/AIDS organizations, this work examines the intersection of racism, homophobia, relationships and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The g[R]ay Boi will be performed in a life-sized constructed maze to provide a multi-dimensional experience by encouraging migration and audience activation through interactive multi-media imagery and choreography. The work will be set to an original score by collaborator and sound engineer, Colin Harden. The work is projected to premiere March 2018.
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