The Flea Theater premieres new Hip-Hop play written by and featuring NSangou Njikam.
September 25 - November 5 at The Sam
The Flea Theater presents the New York Premiere of SYNCING INK, a new Hip-Hop play written by and featuring NSangou Njikam. Directed by Flea Artistic Director Niegel Smith, SYNCING INK marks the inaugural production in The Sam, a new theater named after legendary talent agent Sam Cohn. Previews begin September 25 with opening night slated for October 8.
In SYNCING INK, Gordon wants desperately to rap, thinking it will gain him respect, admiration, and the attention of a beautiful woman. What he doesn’t know is that his journey to learn how to rhyme will take him not just deeper into Hip Hop, but deeper into his legacy and his purpose. Based on true events, Njikam leads us on a lyrical voyage to discover what it really takes to freestyle.
Smith says regarding the production, “I'm thrilled to be opening The Sam Theater with one of the exciting young voices of the Hip-Hop generation. NSangou's Njikam's Syncing Ink dares to imagine, in this moment, that a young black man can find his voice and power in an America that celebrates his culture. This play embodies the best of what Off-Off-Broadway can do: immersing us in an engrossing and culturally specific story, while delighting in a captivating new theatrical form: a Hip-Hop ritual play. I can't wait for audiences to walk into a theater that is pulsating with music, dance and the spirits of our ancestors.”
SYNCING INK features feature McKenzie Frye, Nuri Hazzard, Elisha Lawson, NSangou Njikam, Adesola A. Osakalumi, DJ Reborn and Kara Young. The creative team includes Gabriel “Kwikstep” Dionisio (Choreographer and Associate Director), Riccardo Hernandez (Scenic Design), Claudia Brown (Costume Design), Kevin Rigdon (Lighting Design), Justin Ellington (Sound Design), Sybil Roberts (Dramaturg), Taisa Malouf (Associate Scenic Design), Kristan Seemel (Assistant Director), Sarah Lawrence (Assistant Costume Design), John McKenna (Assistant Sound Design), Michal V. Mendelson (Production Stage Manager) and Violet Tafari (Assistant Stage Manager).
NSANGOU NJIKAM is an actor and playwright originally from Baltimore, MD. He is the author of Syncing Ink, Re:Definition, I.D., When We Left, Search For The Crystal Stairs, and one of the authors of Hands Up: 6 Plays, 6 Testimonials. His work has been developed by The Public Theater, Penn State University, The Flea Theater, Hip Hop Theatre Festival, UNIVERSES theatre company, New Black Fest, and the Alley Theatre. Mr. Njikam’s play I.D. recently made its world premiere at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa before coming to the U.S. at Penn State Centre Stage. His playwriting residencies and fellowships include 2015 Emerging Writers Group at the Public Theater, 2013 New Black Fest fellow, and Penn State University commissioned playwright. As an arts educator, Mr. Njikam has worked for Brooklyn Academy of Music, CUNY Creative Arts Team, Harlem School of the Arts, and is cofounder of The Continuum Project, Inc., an organization using African Ancestry DNA testing and the Arts to promote healing and empowerment for communities. Mr. Njikam’s work focuses mainly on Identity stories and the empowerment of the human spirit by recognizing and embracing one’s personal gifts, utilizing Hip Hop theatre, poetry, and West African performance aesthetics. He also aims to develop new, diverse and younger audiences by creating “theatre of the now and for tomorrow.” He received his BFA in acting from Howard University. After tracing his roots to the Tikar people in Cameroon, West Africa, he was named NSangou by Sultan Ibrahim MBombo Njoya, 19th king of the Bamoun kingdom in Cameroon. He currently resides in New York.
NIEGEL SMITH is a theater director and performance artist who sculpts social spaces into unique communal environments where we make new rituals, excavate our pasts and imagine future narratives. Directing credits include Hir (Magic Theatre, 2014; Mixed Blood, 2015; Playwrights Horizons, 2015), A 24 Decade History of Popular Music… (New York Live Arts, et al., 2015), The Perils of Obedience (Abrons Arts Center, 2013–ongoing), and Neighbors (The Public Theater, 2010). His participatory performances have been produced by American Realness, Dartmouth College, The New Museum, Prelude Festival, PS 122, and the Van Alen Institute, among others. He is the Artistic Director of The Flea Theater in lower Manhattan; Associate Artistic Director of Elastic City; and ringleader of Willing Participant – an artistic activist organization that whips up urgent poetic responses to crazy shit that happens. www.niegelsmith.com.
THE FLEA THEATER, under new Artistic Director Niegel Smith and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, is one of New York's leading Off-Off-Broadway companies. Winner of Obie Awards, a Special Drama Desk Award for outstanding achievement and an Otto Award for political theater, The Flea has presented over 100 theatrical, musical and dance performances since its inception in 1996. Past productions include premieres by Steven Banks, Thomas Bradshaw, Erin Courtney, Bathsheba Doran, Will Eno, Karen Finley, Amy Freed, Sarah Gancher, Sean Graney, A.R. Gurney, Jennifer Haley, Hamish Linklater, Enrique Gutiérrez Ortiz Monasterio, Itamar Moses, Anne Nelson, Qui Nguyen, Adam Rapp, Jonathan Reynolds, Kate Robbins, Roger Rosenblatt, Elizabeth Swados, and Mac Wellman. Successes include Drama Desk nominated She Kills Monsters, These Seven Sicknesses, Restoration Comedy, The Mysteries and ten World Premiere productions by A.R. Gurney, including the WSJ Best New Play of 2013, Family Furniture.
SYNCING INK runs September 25 - November 5, Monday & Wednesday - Saturday at 7pm, with matinees at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets start at $15 - $75 with the lowest priced tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Flea Theater is located at 20 Thomas Street between Church and Broadway, three blocks north of Chambers, close to the A/C/E, N/Q/R/W, 4/5/6, J/M/Z and 1/2/3 subway lines. Purchase tickets by calling 212-352-3101 or online at www.theflea.org.