boiMAG.com "House Musical"

HOUSE MUSICAL Coming Of Age In The Age Of House

House Musical - Coming Of Age In The Age Of House tells the story of Dwayne (Dion McNeal) who finds the strength to come out of the closet by sneaking into The Warehouse club, where House Music was born. House Musical is a celebration of both the BIPOC LGBTQ+ experience in Chicago, and the explosion of a new musical genre called House Music. It captures the energy and excitement of that brief time when House Music was being born, when young Chicago musicians and DJs were creating raw, sample-based tracks, and those tracks were becoming hits in Europe, even though they were being ignored in the U.S. At the same time, it captures the beginnings of the emerging black LGBT community of Chicago, which brought people together through the shared personal struggles: standing up to bullying and homophobia, fighting discrimination within the greater LGBT community, and the bravery of battling HIV/AIDS when there were no treatments. Most of all, House Musical is story of love and acceptance, of hope, bravery, and pride.

House Musical, directed by Dion Walton, will run from April 20th thru April 30th, 2023 at the Center On Halsted’s Hoover-Leppen Theatre, 3656 N Halsted in Chicago’s Northalsted neighborhood.

The preview performance is Thursday, April 20th at 7:30pm with a postshow discussion to follow. Opening night is Friday, April 21st at 7:30pm. Performances run Thursdays thru Sundays at 7:30pm, thru April 30th. Tickets at: www.centeronhalsted.org.

Marcus Waller, the writer, is a born and bred Chicagoan who has a passion for spoken word performing. He has performed his pieces at various venues throughout the Chicagoland area. Most recently one of his works was chosen to be performed at The Goodman Theatre GeNarrations stage. Marcus believes that the era that he grew up in, although rife with prejudice, was also one of the most prolific in terms of music, the arts and coming together as a community here in Chicago.

Scott Free, the composer and musical director, is a Chicago-based composer, performer, and live music and theatrical event producer. His first musical, Witches Among Us (book by Rick Karlin) was produced by the New American Folk Theatre in 2014. His own Campsongs Productions staged his Zombie Bathhouse musical (book by Brian Kirst) at the Center On Halsted’s Hoover-Leppen Theatre in 2017. Scott has released five solo albums, and an LGBT family album by his group The Diesel Tykes. In 2010 he was inducted into the City of Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.

Dion Walton, the Director, is a 69 year old performing artist from Chicago. He has performed for over 50 years, nationally and has been a writer for 30 years. He is currently working on his autobiography, entitled “The Happening.” Dion is also a 20-year veteran of 2nd Story where he is a writer, reader, and director. He is a 30-year veteran of the Goodman Theater’s GeNarrations Program. He is a working singer, actor and artist that has presented artwork in galleries throughout the Chicagoland area.

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