How is The Jazz Drama Program innovative?
The largest non-profit organization dedicated to jazz in the world is Jazz At Lincoln Center (JALC). While JALC’s programs include presenting concerts, workshops and jazz curriculum to diverse populations, none of its programs combine jazz and theatre. The combination of jazz and theatre opens up a whole world of possibilities. The subjects of JDP musicals include growing up as a contemporary teen (Hear My Voice); the healing power of the blues (Message From Saturn); a modern retelling of Noah’s Ark with themes of freedom, cooperation, and survival (Nora’s Ark); a dramatic retelling of the struggle for women’s suffrage (Holding The Torch For Liberty); and an interpretation of a traditional African American coming of age folk tale (When Malindy Swings). The JDP is a new framework for jazz education that gets whole communities involved in the jazz aesthetic. With its joyous rhythms, room for individual expression, raw emotional power and capacity to heal, children discover how jazz can b
