JAG JUKE JOINT AT HOME
A Benefit Virtual House Party with Performances & Caribbean Home Cooking
November 14, 6:30PM
Newberry Market
5 South Main Street, WRJ, VT 05001
(FOOD PICKUP ONLY)
Coming out of the month-long Black Joy Project, JAG Productions will share its creative energy and healing power throughout the Upper Valley and beyond virtually this year during its annual fundraiser Juke Joint on November 14.
The cabaret has been adapted to keep everyone safe while enjoying songs and soul food, ballads and beverages from the comfort of home. Tickets are $75 and include a single meal, cocktail, and the link to watch the virtual performance, or $20 for a ticket to view the show only.
New York-based West Indian-American chef Latoya Henry will prepare soul food with a Caribbean home-cooking twist. Food pickup is from 5:00-6:00 PM (location TBD). The menu will consist of fried chicken with six-cheese macaroni or black-eyed peas, or a vegetarian smoked shepherd’s pie with six-cheese macaroni or potato salad. All dishes include a side of smoked collard greens, bourbon banana bread pudding, and the “Justice Allows Growth” cocktail from JAG Ambassador Wolf Tree craft cocktails.
Cocktails and conversation with surprise guests begin at 6:30 PM and performances begin at 7:00 PM, going until 9:00 PM. The virtual cabaret will feature some of JAG’s favorite artists.
JAG welcomes Andy Roninson, Pianist (Recipient of 2019 Jonathan Larson Grant); Alex Grayson, (Once on This Island - National Tour, Choir Boy - JAG Productions); Tesia Kwarteng (Intimate Apparel - Lincoln Center, Porgy and Bess in Concert - BarnArts); Morgan Green (Be More Chill - Broadway); Wesley Barnes (Jesus Christ Superstar - National Tour, Choir Boy - JAG Productions); Will T. Travis (Hamilton - National Tour, Choir Boy - JAG Productions); Nygel Robinson (Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill - JAG Productions); Donovan Woods (All Together Now - Chandler Center for the Arts); Shaunyce Omar (Nina Simone: Four Women - Seattle Repertory Theatre); Erica Durham (The Color Purple Musical - National Tour, Marie & Rosetta - Vermont Stage).
Grayson said he is excited to be again working with JAG, friends from Choir Boy, and being able to share his gift with all of those yearning for the arts right now.
“I think it’s really amazing what Jarvis is doing as a queer Black man in Vermont, directing and producing these Black stories, and featuring Black artists in a state where it is kind of unexpected,” Grayson said. “It’s a community that I am really proud to be a part of and I feel like with what Jarvis and JAG have done, it’s so inspiring to see how you can go outside of a place where you’ve been told the work is and create -- create art and draw in audiences and continue to enlighten people…People need to be able to see these live performances and have these stories shared because it’s really the best way to be exposed to truth, and to be able to self analyze.”
The money raised will go towards furthering JAG Production’s mission to producing classic and contemporary African-American theatre; serving as an incubator of new work that excites broad intellectual engagement; and thus catalyzing compassion, empathy, love, and community through a shared understanding of the human experience.
If you are unable to attend we encourage you to make a tax deductible gift HERE and support an organization bringing prolific artists and dialogue to the Upper Valley!
First-generation West Indian-American Toya Henry is transforming the perspective of Caribbean cuisine into modern dishes.
At the young age of ten, Toya had found her way into the kitchen; where she first learned how to cook from her West Indian grandparents and parents. After finishing school and pursuing a career in fashion, Toya began to travel abroad. During her excursions, she was able to gain in-depth knowledge about farming, spices, and methods to enhance her cooking techniques. From her journeys, Toya rediscovered her passion for cooking, which led her to work with Chef, Erik Bruner-Yang (Maketto & Broken English), Chef Mina Stone (Mina's @ PS1), and renowned chefs at The James Beard Foundation. Under their tutelage, she refined her natural talents and found a position in the kitchen of a well-known South East Asian Gastropub in Brooklyn.
Leveraging her experience and natural talent, Ms. Henry launched Pimento in the summer of 2018, followed by her Atelier in the summer of 2020. She has since hosted supper clubs, private events, and parties throughout the New York City area.
Andy Roninson, Pianist
Recipient of 2019 Jonathan Larson Grant
Alex Grayson, Singer
Once on This Island (National Tour), Choir Boy (JAG Productions)
Tesia Kwarteng, Singer
Intimate Apparel (Lincoln Center), Porgy and Bess in Concert (BarnArts)
Morgan Green, Singer
Be More Chill (Broadway)
Wesley Barnes, Singer
Jesus Christ Superstar (National Tour), Choir Boy (JAG Productions)
Will T. Travis, Singer
Hamilton (National Tour), Choir Boy (JAG Productions)
Nygel Robinson, Singer
Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill (JAG Productions)
Donovan Woods, Singer
All Together Now (Chandler Center for the Arts)
Shaunyce Omar, Singer
Nina Simone: Four Women (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Erica Durham, Singer
The Color Purple Musical (National Tour), Marie & Rosetta (Vermont Stage)