In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, internationally acclaimed Hip Hop performer/creator and alumnus Dahlak Brathwaite (B.A., English and theatre and dance, ’08) returns to UC Davis for a five-week hip-hop workshop of “Long Way Down,” a new Hip Hop musical, adapted from Jason Reynolds’ young adult novel.

Performances are March 7, 8 and 9 at the Wyatt Pavilion Theatre and begin at 7 p.m.

“Long Way Down” centers on a kid named Will who lives in a neighborhood where there are 3 rules: if someone close to you dies, (1) you can’t cry, (2) you can’t snitch, and (3) you must get revenge. Upon the murder of his older brother, Will grabs his brother’s gun and proceeds from his family’s 8th-floor apartment to fulfill the 3rd rule. On his way down the elevator, on every floor, he is joined by a ghost of his past that puts his mission in question.

In the workshop, student actors will work with Brathwaite to explore defined “Long Way Down” sections. Students will be engaged in various storytelling, rap, and movement. The developed scenes will be presented at the end of the workshop.

The workshop is held prior to a Spring 2024 production at The Olney in Maryland. “Long Way Down” was originally commissioned and developed by TheaterWorksUSA. 

Brathwaite was launched into the national spoken word scene when he appeared in the last two seasons of HBO’s Russell Simmons’ presents Def Poetry Jam. His performances blend Hip Hop, theatre, and spoken word and have been presented at over 100 universities throughout the United States and Europe as well as at SXSW, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Smithsonian, Ars Nova, The Apollo, and Off-Broadway. 

Adult tickets are $10, faculty/staff tickets are $8, and student/senior tickets are $5. Tickets may be purchased at the UC Davis Ticket Office, located on the north side of Aggie Stadium, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, by phone 530-752-2471 during the same hours, or online at theatredance.ucdavis.edu.

The Department of Theatre and Dance is part of the UC Davis College of Letters and Science. For information about other department productions, visit theatredance.ucdavis.edu.