BAM Sets 2024 Winter/Spring Season Featuring New Rock Opera From Taylor Mac & More

BAM ushers in 2024 by presenting a season that honors the power of artistic community. From world-renowned dance companies founded by Alvin Ailey and Mark Morris, to visionary queer performers who come together in the latest from powerhouse trio Taylor Mac, Matt Ray, and Machine Dazzle, to new music from the legendary Caetano Veloso, to powerful hip-hop artists for Word. Sound. Power., to the artists, elders, families, and friends who come together for DanceAfrica. BAM will also be a part of Bang on a Can’s third borough-wide Long Play Festival. More programming will be announced in the coming months.
 
BAM’s spring film programs will highlight a vibrant range of works from directors around the globe and an illuminating look at women in media. Through February 11, BAM presents American Fiction: The Characters of Jeffrey Wright, a celebration looking back (and ahead) at one of the greatest Brooklyn actors of his generation.
 
Rounding out the season are two BAMkids live performances, and the beloved BAMkids Film Festival returns to the delight of young film fans in February. 
 
"This spring audiences of every age will experience a range of music, dance, theater, film, hip-hop, poetry, and exhibitions that elevate unsung voices, redefine genres, and radiate joy," said BAM's Interim Artistic Director, Amy Cassello. "I'm thrilled to invite everyone to join us in this season of collective creativity."
 
"We deeply appreciate the generosity of Bloomberg Philanthropies and all of our donors as we continue our commitment to adventurous art, artists, and audiences," said BAM President, Gina Duncan. "The overwhelming support of our civic leaders, council members, community representatives, and elected officials allows us to present programming that’s as expansive as the community we serve."
 
 
Tickets go on sale for BAM Members and Patrons on December 12, and to the general public on December 14.

The 38th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Presented by BAM and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso

Jan 15

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House

30 Lafayette Ave Brooklyn, NY Free

Brooklyn honors Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s radical spirit with music, performances, and an invigorating call to action. Experience unity and empowerment as artists, activists, civic leaders, and our Brooklyn community gather to celebrate the tenacious individuals who continue Dr. King’s relentless pursuit of equality and justice and to support one another as we carry on the fight for a better world. Additional free events will take place throughout the day. Keynote speaker, musical guests, and more details will be announced in the coming weeks; visit BAM.org for program updates.

BAM, Onassis USA and Pomegranate Arts Present

Bark of Millions

Lyrics and direction by Taylor Mac Music and musical direction by Matt Ray

Co-directed by Niegel Smith
Co-directed and choreography by Faye Driscoll Costume design by Machine Dazzle
Lighting design by John Torres
Sound design by Brendan Aanes
Art Direction by Matthew Buttrey
Props Design by Oscar Escobedo & Zach Blumner

US Premiere

With Ari Folman-Cohen, Bernice “Boom Boom” Brooks, Chris Giarmo, Dana Lyn, El Beh, Greg Glassman, Jack Fuller (Vocal Captain), Joel E. Mateo, Jules Skloot, Le Gateau Chocolat, Lisa “Paz” Parrott, Machine Dazzle, Mama Alto, Marika Hughes, Matt Ray, Sean Donovan (Associate Choreographer), Steffanie Christi’an, Stephen Quinn, Taylor Mac, Thornetta Davis, Viva DeConcini, Wes Olivier

Feb 5-10

Harvey Theater at the BAM Strong

651 Fulton St. Brooklyn, NY Tickets start at $35

A powerhouse collective of International Artists ignite an electrifying collision of performance, live music, and drag spectacle in the latest from theater-making renegades Taylor Mac, Matt Ray, and Machine Dazzle. Part rock opera, part reimagined pride parade, Bark of Millions features 55 original songs – one to mark each year since the landmark Stonewall Uprising—in an exploration of humanity through a queer lens.

Co-directed by Taylor Mac with the award-winning visionaries Niegel Smith and Faye Driscoll (A 24-Decade History of Popular Music), and with the extravagance of Machine Dazzle’s costume design, this joyous epic is brought to life by an international ensemble of 22 artists.

Bark of Millions is a transformative and joyful experience that is both a celebration of and a gift to the queer canon, expanding the archive for generations to come.

Taylor Mac (co-creator, lyrics, co-director, ensemble) is the first American to receive the International Ibsen Award, is a MacArthur Fellow, a Pulitzer Prize Finalist, a Tony nominee for Best Play, and the recipient of the Kennedy Prize (with Matt Ray), the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Guggenheim, the Herb Alpert Award, a Drama League Award, the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award, the Booth, two Helpmann Awards, a NY Drama Critics Circle Award, two Obie’s, two Bessies, and an Ethyl Eichelberger. An alumnus of New Dramatists, judy is the author of The Hang (with composer Matt Ray); Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus; A 24- Decade History of Popular Music; Prosperous Fools; The Fre; Hir; The Walk Across America for Mother Earth; The Lily’s Revenge; The Young Ladies Of; Red Tide Blooming; The Be(A)st of Taylor Mac; and the revues Comparison is Violence; Holiday Sauce; and The Last Two People on Earth: An Apocalyptic Vaudeville (created with Mandy Patinkin and Susan Stroman).

Matt Ray (co-creator, music, music director, keyboards) is an Obie Award-winning theater- maker, composer, pianist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and music director. His arrangements have been called “wizardly” (Time Out NY) and “ingenious” (The New York Times), and his piano playing referred to as “classic, well-oiled swing” (The New York Times) and “to cry for” (Ebony). For his work on Taylor Mac’s show A 24-Decade History of Popular Music he and Mac shared the 2017 Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired By American History. He and Mac’s jazz- based theater piece The Hang opened to rave reviews in January of 2022 and won Ray a 2023 Obie Award for Music Direction and Composition. The show also received four Drama Desk and two Drama League nominations including a Drama Desk nomination for Matt Ray for Best Music. His show Matt Ray Plays Hoagy Carmichael featuring Kat Edmonson premiered at Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series in 2018. He has performed worldwide, including as a US Department of State Jazz Ambassador.

Beloved downtown bon vivant and all-around creative provocateur Machine Dazzle (costume designer, ensemble) has been dazzling stages via costumes, sets, and performance since his arrival in New York in 1994. He designs intricate, unconventional wearable art pieces and bespoke installations. As a stage designer, Dazzle has collaborated with Julie Atlas Muz, Big Art Group, Mx. Justin Vivian Bond, Taylor Mac, Basil Twist, Godfrey Reggio, Jennifer Miller, The Dazzle Dancers, Big Art Group, Mike Albo, Stanley Love, Soomi Kim, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Opera Philadelphia, the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, the Curran Theatre, and Spiegelworld; and has created bespoke looks for fashion icons including designer Diane Von Furstenberg and model Cara Delevingne for the 2019 Metropolitan Museum of Art Gala. Recent collaborations include Bassline Fabulous with the Catalyst Quartet (Metropolitan Museum of Art); Treasure, a rock-and-roll cabaret of original songs + accompanying fashion show; and the historic premiere of the never-before-seen Rameau comedic opéra-ballet, Io (Opera Lafayette).

He was a co-recipient the 2017 Bessie Award for Outstanding Visual Design, the winner of a 2017 Henry Hewes Design Award, and a 2022 United States Artists Fellow. Dazzle delivered a TED Talk at TED Vancouver in 2023. He has had solo exhibitions at NYC’s Museum of Arts and Design (“Queer Maximalism x Machine Dazzle”) and Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre (“Machine Dazzle: Art And Intention”).

Produced by Pomegranate Arts (Linda Brumbach and Alisa E. Regas, Creative and Executive Producers) and Nature’s Darlings

Commissioned by Pomegranate Arts and BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)

Co-commissioned by Sydney Opera House and the Berliner Festpiele with additional support by the Ron Beller & Jennifer Moses Family Foundation and Hal Philipps. Residencies at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, MASS MoCA-North Adams, MA, Irish Arts Center-New York City, and PEAK Performances in the Alexander Kasser Theater, Montclair State University-Montclair, NJ.

The Look of Love

An Evening of Dance to the Music of Burt Bacharach Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble Choreography by Mark Morris

Lyrics by Hal David and Mack David
Arranged by Ethan Iverson
Costume and production design by Isaac Mizrahi Lighting design by Nicole Pearce

Mar 20—23

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House

30 Lafayette Ave Brooklyn, NY Tickets start at $25

New York Premiere

Mark Morris teams up again with musical collaborator Ethan Iverson for The Look of Love, a wistful and heartfelt homage to the chart-topping songs of Burt Bacharach which premiered to acclaim in 2022 at the Kennedy Center. A towering figure of popular music, Bacharach is known for his soaring melodies and unique orchestrations influenced by jazz, rock, and Brazilian music—his longtime lyricist Hal David providing unsentimental, poignant lyrics.

This evening-length work features original choreography by Morris and new musical arrangements by Iverson, performed by an ensemble of piano, trumpet, bass, and drums, with singer, actress, and Broadway star Marcy Harriell on lead vocals.

The internationally acclaimed Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) has inspired critics and audiences throughout its 40-year history. Founded in New York in 1980 by artistic director and choreographer Mark Morris, the company has been called “the preeminent modern dance organization of our time” (Yo-Yo Ma), receiving “highest praise for their technical aplomb, their musicality, and their sheer human authenticity” (Bloomberg News). MMDG spent three years in residence at Brussels’ Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie as Belgium’s national dance company, returning to the US in 1991. The group tours domestically and internationally, and is distinguished by presenting live music at every performance, founding the MMDG Music Ensemble in 1996. MMDG regularly collaborates with eminent musicians across genres, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, jazz trio The Bad Plus, the London Symphony Orchestra, Baroque orchestras Tafelmusik and Philharmonia Baroque, as well as opera companies such as the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera. In addition to many appearances at BAM, the Mark Morris Dance Group toured Cambodia, Timor Leste, and Taiwan in 2014 as part of DanceMotion USASM, a cultural diplomacy program of the US Department of State, produced by BAM.

Mark Morris, “the most successful and influential choreographer alive, and indisputably the most musical” (The New York Times), founded the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) in 1980. His work is acclaimed for its ingenuity, musicality, wit, and humanity. In addition to creating over 150 works for MMDG, he conducts orchestras, directs opera, and choreographs for ballet companies worldwide. Live music and community engagement are vital components of the Dance Group. It has toured with its own musicians, the MMDG Music Ensemble, since 1996. The Mark Morris Dance Center, opened in 2001, provides a home for the dance group, low-cost rental space for local artists, free programs for children and seniors, and dance classes for all ages and abilities.

Co-commissioned by BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music); BroadStage, Santa Monica; Cal Performances, UC Berkeley; The Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University; Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth; and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign in association with Arizona Arts Live, University of Arizona; Harriman-Jewell Series; The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; Modlin Center for the Arts at University of Richmond; Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech; Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center for the Arts; Tennessee Performing Arts Center; UC Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures; and Virginia Arts Festival.

BAM in association with World Music Institute Presents

Caetano Veloso

Meu Coco

Apr 3 & 4 at 7:30pm

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House

30 Lafayette Ave Brooklyn, NY Tickets start at $35

Brazil’s most celebrated musician, Caetano Veloso returns to BAM where he’ll sing from the album Meu Coco, his latest and first solo album of new songs in almost a decade. Over an illustrious five-decade career, the father of Tropicália has proved himself as both a piercing social commentator and a romantic balladeer, drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as The Beatles, concrete poetry, the French Dadaists, and Brazilian modernist poets. Playful, tender, and uncompromising, this new album finds Veloso as original as ever.

Singer-songwriter Caetano Veloso is one of the most important musicians in Brazilian popular music, and many consider him one of the best songwriters of the 20th century. In the 60s he famously co-founded the provocative Tropicália movement, alongside artists including Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Tom Zé, and his sister Maria Bethânia. Veloso has over 50 albums available and collaborations on film soundtracks, including Pedro Almodovar’s Hable con Ella and Julie Taymor’s Frida. He has won numerous awards—including 13 Latin and 2 American Grammys— as well as two titles at the 24th Brazilian Music Awards. An outspoken political activist, Veloso was arrested by Brazil’s military dictatorship and exiled for so-called subversion. And he never stopped truth-telling through music. Today, he continues to be a major artistic, social, and cultural force in his home country and around the world. Veloso previously appeared at BAM with C

Music (2016), Nonesuch Celebration (2017), and

Directed and hosted by MC Baba Israel With DJ Reborn

Apr 19 & 20

BAM Fisher (Fishman Space)
321 Ashland Pl.
Brooklyn, NY
Ticket information will be announced in January 2024.

Experience the electrifying collision of wordsmiths, beats, and the relentless spirit of hip-hop at Word. Sound. Power 2024. This annual hip-hop and spoken word showcase transcends performances, immersing audiences in politically charged artistry. The program stands as a testament to the enduring influence of hip-hop, where the rhythm of protest meets the melody of storytelling. The artist lineup will be announced in the coming weeks; please check BAM.org for updates.

Hailing from New York City, Baba Israel is a multitalented emcee whose parents were core members of the Living Theatre. He's shared stages with musical heavyweights, including Outkast, The Roots, Ron Carter, and Arturo O'Farrill, and is a core member of the Hip-Hop/Soul project Soul Inscribed. He has toured as an emcee, beatboxer, and theater artist across North and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia. Baba Israel has served as the host and director of Word. Sound. Power for more than ten years.

DJ Reborn is a musical artist, arts educator, and sonic activist. Known as the tour DJ for Ms. Lauryn Hill, she is also the founder of a collective working toward racial justice through the art of DJing, DJs for Justice. Throughout her career, DJ Reborn has left an indelible mark, mentoring teen girls at Urban Word NYC and designing curriculum as a DJ instructor at Dubspot. Her dynamic skill set has led her to open for esteemed artists like The Roots, John Legend, and Erykah Badu. She's spun for renowned visual artists and graced major stages, from BET and the Kennedy Center to the Apollo Theater and the Sydney Opera House.

In the theater world, DJ Reborn's live soundscapes have amplified the impact of projects like Eve Ensler's V-Day and Howard Zinn's Voices of a People. She's served as musical director for notable productions like Will Power's FLOW and toured with the Tony Award-winning Def Poetry Jam.

Long Play Festival

Bang on a Can

May 3–5
Full schedule, venues and ticket information to be announced.

“The most important classical music festival in New York City.” –The New York Times

BAM welcomes Bang on a Can for its third annual Long Play festival featuring 50+ concerts that bring musicians and audiences together for “a supercharged musical ride through right now”. Long Play also showcases a dense network of inventive music venues throughout Brooklyn with performances at Roulette, Public Records, BRIC, Murmrr, Irondale Center for the Arts, The Center for Fiction, plus outdoor events and more.

Bang on a Can is dedicated to making music new. Since its first Marathon concert in 1987, Bang on a Can has been creating an international community dedicated to innovative music, wherever it is found. With adventurous programs, it commissions new composers, performs, presents, and records new work, develops new audiences, and educates the musicians of the future. Bang on a Can is building a world in which powerful new musical ideas flow freely across all genres and borders. Bang on a Can plays “a central role in fostering a new kind of audience that doesn’t concern itself with boundaries. If music is made with originality and integrity, these listeners will come” (The New York Times). For more information: www.longplayfestival.org.

For press information, contact Sarah Garvey at sgarvey@BAM.org or 718.724.8025.
For Long Play information, contact Emily Motherwell, motherwell@otherarts.net or 646-266-691

DanceAfrica 2024

Artistic Director Abdel R. Salaam

May 24—27

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House

30 Lafayette Ave Brooklyn, NY Tickets start at $35

BAM’s corner of Fort Greene transforms into a celebration of community, discovery, and collective joy at this beloved annual festival. BAM, the DanceAfrica Council of Elders, and partners at Weeksville Heritage Center and The Billie Holiday Theater (formerly Restoration Arts) come together to create the nation’s largest festival of African dance—and Brooklyn’s unofficial start of summer. Featuring the iconic outdoor bazaar, traditional dance and music from Cameroon, classes, workshops, late-night dance parties, and FilmAfrica’s lineup of cinematic gems, this can’t-miss cultural celebration electrifies Brooklyn for the 47th year. More details will be announced in the coming weeks; visit BAM.org.

Abdel R. Salaam is the Artistic Director of DanceAfrica, the Executive Artistic Director and Co- Founder of Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, founded in 1981, and a critically acclaimed choreographer. Born in Harlem, he has served as a dancer, teacher, and performing artist on five continents throughout his 56-year career in the dance and theater worlds. He has received numerous awards and fellowships for excellence in dance and dance-theater and continues to dedicate his life's work to the healing and empowerment of us all.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Jun 4—9

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House

30 Lafayette Ave.

Brooklyn, NY

Tickets start at $35

The iconic Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

classic audience favorites, —including Alvin Ailey’s must-see masterpiece Revelations. Ailey’s brings its passionate energy and dazzling technique back to BAM with a program of recent works, and long-standing relationship with BAM began in 1969 when the trailblazing choreographer established The Ailey School in Brooklyn and presented his company’s first BAM performances. The company remains a vital force in New York City—and around the globe. celebrating its 65th anniversary

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater grew from a now-fabled performance in March 1958 atthe 92nd Street Y in New York City. Led by Alvin Ailey and a group of young African-American modern dancers, that performance changed forever the perception of American dance. 

The Ailey company has gone on to perform for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents – as well as millions more through television broadcasts, film screenings, and online platforms.

In 2008, a U.S. Congressional resolution designated the Company as “a vital American cultural ambassador to the world” that celebrates the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage. When Mr. Ailey began creating dances, he drew upon his "blood memories" of Texas, the blues, spirituals, and gospel as inspiration, which resulted in the creation of his most popular and critically acclaimed work, Revelations. Although he created 79 ballets over his lifetime, Mr. Ailey maintained that his company was not exclusively a repository for his own work.

Today, the Company continues Mr. Ailey's mission by presenting important works of the past  and commissioning new ones. In all, more than 235 works by over 90 choreographers have been part of the Ailey company’s repertory.

BAMkids

BAMkids presents high-quality, globally diverse programming that sparks curiosity and ignites the imaginations of young minds. This season includes two live performances and the return of the beloved BAMkids Film Festival, showcasing short film premieres and fresh creations. More BAMkids programming will be announced in Jan 2024.

BAMkids Film Festival

In association with Northwest Film Forum and Melbourne International Animation Festival

Feb 3—4

BAM Rose Cinemas (Peter Jay Sharp Building)
30 Lafayette Ave.
Ages 3—11
Ticket information will be announced in January 2024.

Highlighting the best shorts and features from around the globe, the 26th annual BAMkids Film Festival returns with US and New York premieres at BAM Rose Cinemas. This year's slate will be announced in January 2024.

For press information, contact Cynthia Tate at ctate@bam.org or 718.724.8022

FILM

BAM continues its robust film programs through the winter and spring with deftly curated repertory screenings, series, and talks alongside anticipated new releases. This season highlights woman-driven works, African, Caribbean, and Filipino filmmakers, while tackling a range of present-day topics through a rich collection of varied lenses.

Through Sunday, February 11, 2024, BAM presents American Fiction: The Characters of Jeffrey Wright, a look at almost four decades of celluloid creations from the Tony and Emmy Award- winning actor. From his first starring film role as artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, to his latest appearance as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison in American Fiction, BAM celebrates Wright’s exceptional contributions to cinema. The repertory line-up was preceded by an American Fictionopening-week screening with the actor on November 28, 2023.

American Fiction: The Characters of Jeffrey Wright

January 10, 6:30pm - Basquiat (1996)
January 10, 9:30pm - The French Dispatch (2021)
January 17, 6:00pm - Ride with the Devil (1999)
January 17, 9:30pm - Syriana (2005)
February 11, 2:00pm - Angels in America (2003), parts I and II with intermission

For press information, contact Sarah Garvey at sgarvey@BAM.org or 718.724.8025.

EXHIBITION
LGBTQ Artists Archive Project: Downtown NYC Innovators 2023

Feb 1–June 30

Rudin Family Gallery

651 Fulton Street Brooklyn, NY Free

This exhibition honors the work of pioneering LGBTQ downtown NYC artists that flourished and had an indelible impact on New York City’s culture over the past 35+ years. Artists including Five Lesbian Brothers, Ain Gordon, Ishmael Houston Jones, John Kelly, Richard Move, Lola Pashalinski, and Carmelita Tropicana will be a part of this comprehensive look at of a generation that blossomed during a period that could be regarded as the last gasp of physical bohemia–a rich and highly influential era–which later coincided with the AIDS pandemic, depleting their ranks and diminishing their collective voices.

The LGBTQ Artists Archive Project is a response to the challenges of preservation that have plagued these avant-garde artists, many having their art, archives and material thrown away after they’ve died – their stories, work, and legacies forgotten. The caretaking of individual artists’ legacies is often left to prohibitive costs and/or ill-equipped friends and family members with devastating results, erasing their contributions leaving a selective history. This exhibition will celebrate and acknowledge the LGBTQ artists over the last 50 years who have faced enormous obstacles and have made extraordinary aesthetic contributions that created, in part, today’s evolving performing arts landscape.

COMMUNITY

Seniors at BAM acknowledges the vibrant spirit and wisdom of our senior community through engaging and inclusive programs. This spring, seniors aged 65 and older are invited to events offering a chance to socialize, create, and celebrate in a welcoming environment. For more information or to register for these events, visit BAM.org

Senior Cinema

Jan—Jun 2024

Senior Cinema offers free admission to repertory classics, with complimentary popcorn and soda, on the third Friday of every month.

Senior Brush & Brunch Painting Parties

Spring 2024

Painting workshops led by a professional artist, providing a welcoming space for seniors to explore their creativity. No prior experience is necessary as all painting supplies will be provided, fostering an environment of artistic expression and connection. Dates are to be announced at a later date.

Senior Social Dance Parties

Spring 2024

Theme party afternoons filled with music, dancing, and togetherness. Senior Socials create an atmosphere of joy and togetherness, celebrating the spirit of community. Dates are to be announced at a later date.

Photo credit: Daniel Boud