A new play with music by JuCoby Johnson
Original songs by Meghan Kreidler and Michael Anderson of Kiss the Tiger

Fusing traditional Black gospel hymns and punk rock, ON GOD takes place in the world of a small storefront church in a rapidly changing neighborhood facing the threat of demolishment after their beloved Pastor/Patriarch dies suddenly. After being away for many years, Mahalia (the Preacher’s daughter) returns to check in on the situation. Old wounds are reopened, and a timeless question is asked: “Can you ever really escape your past?”

A Q&A WITH PLAYWRIGHT JUCOBY JOHNSON

Many Latte Da supporters will know you for your work as an actor.  Would you talk a bit about your journey into playwriting?

I've always written (poems, plays, essays, you name it) but, when I started college, I wanted to make acting my main focus and learn all that I could in my four years of undergrad. When I graduated, I was blessed to be able to start working pretty consistently. Once I got my feet under me and began to feel firmly grounded in the acting community, I knew I wanted to expand my artistry to include playwriting. I've been extremely fortunate thus far and I look forward to what the future holds, however uncertain.

Where did the idea for On God come from?

My grandfather was a pastor at New Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL.  Growing up, the thing I loved most about the church was the music and the energy. Every Sunday had the potential to be a revelatory out of body experience. I longed for the voices of the choir, the organ, the clapping, the stomping, the tambourine. It made me feel truly alive and connected to everything. In my teenage years, alt-rock gave me the same feeling. My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, and so many others captured me in a way that only gospel music ever had. So, I came up with an idea for a story that would merge these, seemingly different, genres of music and that would also be a celebration of all the beautiful things that the church can be. A place of love, freedom, and healing. No hate, no judgment. A place where all are welcome to lay down any burden they face, celebrate the gift of being alive, and stand connected with the unknown. 

NEXT UP WORKSHOP

As part of NEXT Up, Latté Da's laboratory for the development of new musicals and plays with music, we produced in May 2021 a day-long workshop and private reading of JuCoby Johnson's play, ON GOD, commissioned earlier this year by Latté Da. The workshop brought JuCoby together with his collaborator, director/dramaturg H. Adam Harris and a cast of wonderful actors who joined them on Zoom from the Twin Cities and locations around the country. The workshop also incorporated songs written for the play by Meghan Kriedler and Michael Anderson of the up-and-coming Twin Cities band, Kiss the Tiger.