The Welders to Present CROSSROADS, DETOURS, & EXITS

The Welders, a collective of DC-area playwrights presents the third production of the third cohort's tenure and their first in-person production.

Crossroads, Detours, & Exits will premiere at Busboys and Poets's flagship location off of U Street, on May 4, 2022. A solo show performed by JR "Nexus" Russ, it has been directed & distilled in collaboration with Regina Aquino, Sisi Reid, and more.

In Crossroads, Detours, & Exits, JR "Nexus" Russ will candidly interrogate the intersection of his identities, being Black, Filipino American and Queer.

"This show is both the most exciting and the most terrifying performance I will have undertaken in my life." shared Nexus. "Even though it's only being produced one year later than originally planned, some of the stories I have to tell are already drastically different one than the stories I would've shared in 2021."

Nexus' storytelling goals hold true for the community engagement as well. Partnering with organizations that connect to different elements and themes in his show, he hopes these complimentary free community events will invite others to explore their own connection to identity, community, and more.

Save the time and date for the first community engagement event, being presented in conjunction with the Council Office of Racial Equity here in DC. Their mission is to eliminate racial disparities and achieve racial equity within the District of Columbia. And we are stoked to host a virtual panel discussion with them at 4pm ET on Tuesday, May 17.

Tickets to Crossroads, Detours, & Exits are currently available for $20 to $40. Patrons are advised that the play mentions racism, suicide, and contains some explicit language. Patrons can buy tickets at: https://bit.ly/crossroadsdetoursexitstix.

With only three performance dates and times currently announced, additional shows will be presented throughout the year. So stay tuned for more announcements about special events for Crossroads, Detours, and Exits.

And we invite you to join Nexus on this exploration of self, community, and home.

The Welders is a DC-based playwrights' collective that provides an evolving, alternative platform for play development and production. Through our platform, we inspire and encourage each cohort of producing playwrights to:

• Take risks and make bold leaps in exploring the craft of playwriting
• Produce one performance of work created by each member playwright over the course of three years
• Create significant, meaningful, direct engagement between artists and members of the community
• Support future generations of DC-area playwrights, by passing on the organization and its resources to a new cohort of playwrights at the end of their tenure

Founded in 2013, by Bob Bartlett, Renee Calarco, Allyson Currin, Caleen Sinette Jennings, Jojo Ruff, and Gwydion Suilebhan, the 3rd "generation" of Welders playwrights began its tenure in 2020. The Welders are Cat Frost, Farah Lawal Harris, Jared Shamberger, JR Russ, Sisi Reid, and Teshonne Nicole Powell. Learn more about The Welders at thewelders.org.

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