Broadway Star Daniel J. Watts Gives Voice to the Voiceless in Wake of Murders of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor
A week or so after hearing about the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, Watts noticed an uneasy feeling within himself. It wasn’t until May 6th, the eve before Ahmaud’s killers were arrested, that he finally pinpointed the source of his uneasiness: silence.
An “artivist”, Watts has been known for lending his voice and efforts to unite the Broadway community in times of social uncertainty. After the horrific attack at Pulse Night Club, he galvanized cast members from Hamilton, On Your Feet, and Shuffle Along to a packed house in Webster Hall’s Marlin Room with The Jam: Love Terrorists — A Benefit for Orlando. The event raised $7500 for the LGBT community in Orlando. In 2014, He partnered with WalkRunFly Productions bringing together over 100 Broadway stars, directors, producers, musicians, choreographers, designers and technicians in Times Square to send a message about violence and the killing of Eric Garner.
Feeling an immense call to action, though restricted to his apartment due to the NYC lockdown, Watts did the only thing he knew to do, make art. Four days later he performed a series of stories, spoken word, and rap to raise awareness about Ahmaud Arbery’s case, streaming it live from his apartment. This Monday, Watts will reprise that performance as The Jam: No More Silences where he challenges his viewers to investigate the effect public silence has not only on the victims, but on our society at large. Watts says, “In the wake of Ahmaud’s (and now Breonna Taylor’s) case I hope to inspire people to be more courageous when speaking out against social injustices. We all need each other’s voices, especially right now.”
A play-on-words, Watts’ Jam series pays homage to his great-grandmother who, after making jam from scratch, would share with others what she was unable to consume herself. The Jam is Watts’ continuation of that legacy, sharing his creations of performance blended with elements of stand-up comedy and compelling storytelling with his original spoken word, often set to music and/or dance.
Watts’ previous installation of Jam, The Jam: Only Child (a coming of age tale spawned after undertaking two years of therapy), was a tremendous success at The Public Theater’s 2020 Under The Radar Festival. The Jam: Only Child has also celebrated sold out performances at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, NoHo’s staple SubCulture, The Federal Bar in Los Angeles and New York’s historic Webster Hall.
WattsWords Productions is dedicated to developing original programming including live performances, web content, and demonstrations written by Daniel J. Watts in an effort to urge communities to actively engage in focusing on their social similarities opposed to their differences.
