Complete Cast and Creative Team Set for ROBESOИ at Little Island

Little Island will present ROBESOИ, a new work created and performed by star bass-baritone Davóne Tines, co-created and directed by Zack Winokur, about the life and music of activist and artist Paul Robeson. ROBESOИ begins performances on Wednesday, June 26, with the official opening set for Thursday, June 27. Performances will run on Little Island through Saturday, June 29.

In ROBESOИ, Tines grapples with the legacy of a hero. Exploding the diverse and dynamic musical repertoire of Paul Robeson, Tines takes us on a trip from the stage of Carnegie Hall to a Moscow hotel room, in an attempt to understand an icon through his own words.

Fresh off making his Met Opera debut and notching a spot on the CULT100, Tines is a multi-hyphenate on a mission. With his unmatched blend of classical bonafides and contemporary sensibility, he’s crafted concerts and recitals that have earned him the title of “[one] of the most powerful voices of our time” (Los Angeles Times). Now, Tines breaks new ground, having created a band alongside bassist and sound artist Khari Lucas and pianist John Bitoy, DAVÓNE & THE TRUTH, with whom he created musical arrangements for and performs ROBESOИ. The band has also recorded an album of the same name, to be released by Nonesuch this fall. 

Tines said, “I consider Paul Robeson a spiritual ancestor, but I found my connection to him not because of his colossal achievements, but through his most vulnerable moment of almost giving up. My band THE TRUTH and I wildly reimagine Robeson’s repertoire as the soundtrack to a fever dream journey of almost losing yourself but finding the strength to go on."

Along with Tines, Winokur, Lucas, and Bitoy; scenic design by Adam Charlap Hyman; lighting design by Mary Ellen Stebbins; sound design by Kai Harada; clothing for Tines by Emily Adams Bode Aujla; and production stage manager Betsy Ayer.

ROBESOИ runs June 26-29 at Little Island’s Amph.

 Little Island recently announced that an annual, four-month-long summer season of world premieres, which kicked off on June 1, will feature a total of nine newly commissioned pieces. Little Island’s new arts program moves towards the future with a commitment to a multi-year roster of original work, all commissioned by and developed at Little Island. Bookended by the premiere of choreographer Twyla Tharp’s newest work How Long Blues and a 90-minute remix of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in which outré opera diva Anthony Roth Costanzo sings every leading role, the season will offer premieres of varying scales across all areas of performance – including music, dance, theater, opera, comedy, jazz, pop, and funk, all outdoors and directly sited on the Hudson River at 14th Street in New York City. The Amph, the park’s 700-seat amphitheater, will house larger scale performances at a $25 ticket price, while The Glade, the park’s 200-seat venue, will be home to more intimate works, all of which will be completely free to the public.

Tickets to Little Island's summer season of performances are available for purchase on littleislandtickets.com, TodayTix.com, or by downloading the TodayTix app.

 

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