Filmmaker Dennis Rowe by Dr. Gail Jhonson

My musical collaboration with writer and director, Dennis Rowe, began 25 years ago, in California, at the First Baptist Church of North Hollywood, a progressive church filled with talented artists, singers, musicians, set designers, writers, and producers. We combined our talents to produce musical and dramatic shows for holiday events. Our shared passion for the arts inspired us to pursue our artistic dreams and shape our careers.

Dennis Rowe grew up in Indio, California. He established Dennis Rowe Entertainment/Productions (DRE) as a multimedia company that has produced theatrical stage productions for over 30 years. DRE owns eight stage productions and has expanded into film and television. Today, DRE is proud to present its newest endeavor, Z’Rowe TV, a streaming network on Roku.

Rowe co-produced the television series Millennials on the ALLBLK television network. Not a stranger to tackling new challenges, Dennis jumped into the film arena with his works, If Not For His Grace and Jonin’ written by Gerard Brown, who penned the movie Juice. Currently, Rowe is in pre-production for the films The Poe Consequence and Port Chicago 50. Also, he created the television series, Inc. Dennis has an extensive theater background. He wrote, produced, developed, and directed over eight shows, including his play Port Chicago 50 staged off-Broadway, in 2023, 2022 and 2017, which he is preparing to open on Broadway.

At the same time, Rowe will stage his musical Shades in Europe in the Fall of 2024. He co-produced the musical God’s Trying To Tell You Something at the Hollywood Palladium and toured in 175 cities, starring Grammy Award winners Shirley Caesar, Edwin Hawkins, nominee Douglas Miller, and Dennis Edwards from The Temptations. Dennis authored three books and produced the radio soap opera Trials.

When I shared my background with Rowe as a professional musician and a graduate of Berklee College of Music in composition with aspirations to write music for film, theater, and TV, he encouraged me to compose music for his stage plays, drawing from my experiences on productions with Hollywood actor and director Lincoln Kilpatrick. I became deeply involved in theater, after numerous script changes and rehearsals with the cast that included my late son, Aaron “Vein” Jones as Dogg and my daughter, Tamina as Jacqueline in Saving Grace.

I continued scoring music for several of Rowe’s productions. I was the music director of including The Wiz and Black Nativity at the Common Ground Theatre in San Diego, a training ground for Hollywood actors. I enjoy working with Dennis because his passion for theatre and his ability to bring life to the stage intrigues me. My creative energy follows his vision so easily. Our current project is a musical, Philly, a Philadelphia story about the 1985 bombing of the MOVE-African Liberation Movement home in West Philadelphia. It tells the historical events of a tragedy that unfolds in an urban city, depicting the pain of a family and the social dynamics that surrounded them. It amplifies the role of the first African-American mayor, W. Wilson Goode in this tragic event.

Dennis Rowe continues to develop a new show, annually. He is destined to succeed, bringing real-life stories to the stage for theatre-goers to enjoy for many years to come and I plan to continue to collaborate with him.