“A God*Sib’s Tale” is the work of two of KC’s most talented in Nedra Dixon and Pamela Baskin-Watson. The two have written the story and music together while workshopping it for years, and it’s finally set to make its world premiere Jan. 12 at the Just Off Broadway Theatre as a production of the Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City.
Dixon is a veteran of Broadway and has performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center, and even appeared in the “Fear” Tech N9ne music video. Baskin-Watson, meanwhile, made a name for herself in New York as a versatile jazz accompanist and educator before returning home to KC, where she is the musical director of four local theatre companies.
The musical that became “A God*Sib’s Tale” started as a nearly forgotten commissioned piece of music in Baskin-Watson’s piano bench. Baskin-Watson shared it with Dixon — the two previously worked together as two-thirds of the vocal jazz trio “Book of Gaia” — and over the next several years, the duo worked to create a folk opera.
The resulting work is “A God*Sib’s Tale,” a story about eight Black women gathering in their church sanctuary to prepare for chaos amid racial unrest. As race riots erupt in the fictional Floyd County, OH, these women discover the power of their voices and their capacity to heal themselves and their community through sharing their fears and desires.
“What we really learn is the resilience, fortitude, and complexity of the Black feminine spirit,” said Dixon in a KKFI interview. “We show that Black women are not two-dimensional.”
The musical focuses on the eight women in the church and their reactions to the events outside. Portraying the women are local Black female actresses.
“It’s a challenging piece because it is a folk opera, but it’s completely influenced by strains of jazz, blues, and gospel. So the voices are required to do a lot,” says Dixon.
A God*Sib’s Tale
Just Off Broadway Theater
3051 Central, KCMO
Jan. 12-14 & 18-21
Tickets are $30 at brtkc.org
