Darius Daughtry

Darius Daughtry, Founder and Artistic Director of Art Prevails Project.

Mix Up Your Summer With ‘A Theatrical Mixtape’ at AARLCC

Darius Daughtry, founder of the Art Prevails Project, a nonprofit performing arts collective, is an advocate for creative education, expression and identity within our local community and beyond. As a recipient of the Cultural Division's…

Darius Daughtry, founder of the Art Prevails Project, a nonprofit performing arts collective, is an advocate for creative education, expression and identity within our local community and beyond. As a recipient of the Cultural Division’s Community Arts Education Partnership grant, Daughtry was also selected as one of seven local artists to benefit from a $35,000 award to the Cultural Division from the Fonda and H. Wayne Huizenga Jr. Family Trust Fund, Gary J. Scotto Fund and Mary and Alex Mackenzie Community Impact Fund of the Community Foundation of Broward. This support, paired with Daughtry’s ingenuity and resources provided through his role as a Sistrunk Artist in Residence, he has been able to expand his production of The Happening: A Theatrical Mixtape, Volume II. After the positive response to Volume I’s track list, performed in 2017, Daughtry maintained the same strategy for Volume II; producing a theatrical mixtape that expresses a narrative in a mixture of ways, warranting a dynamic show for the audience. 

The first “track”- or, in this case, performance – of this “mixtape” will introduce the storyline and serve as a transition to the next routine; each building off the last to develop the plot. Volume II’s track list will be performed at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) July 28th at 6:30 pm. General admission tickets $25 online, $35 at the door; the VIP after party is available for $40 online, $50 at the door. Everyone is invited to attend this powerful, multi-disciplinary production.

“My art has a theme that touches on social issues, it highlights the things that affect our lives that people aren’t putting their time and energy into addressing,” Daughtry says. “Last year, we really saw the world start to divide. I was writing a poem with my group and that’s sort of how The Happening came to be; it was birthed out of incidents, out of the happenings that affect us all.”

 

A riveting, multi-disciplinary production featuring drama, dance, poetry, and music. Click for details and tickets.
A riveting, multi-disciplinary production featuring drama, dance, poetry, and music. Click for details and tickets.

Daughtry has a passion for storytelling and this year he’s taking the audience through a journey of ups and downs, laughter and discomfort. “The Happening that occurred refers to the death of a young boy who was killed by senseless violence. Throughout the rest of the night we hear and see everything that led up to the event. The performances demonstrate the effects of this act on the community,” Daughtry also notes that the energy and flow of the poetry, drama, music and dance performances work in harmony to create a discomforting yet touching atmosphere within the room; a moving experience for the audience. “The message is that what happens to one, affects us all, whether we think it or not, we all contribute one way or another.”

The Community Foundation’s support allowed Daughtry to strengthen his production team by allowing him to bring in additional crew members and set designers to facilitate the event. The additional support from the Community Foundation also provided the opportunity for Daughtry to add a special pre-showing performance on the 27th of July for an audience of summer camps, youth groups and juvenile detention facilities and is taking place from 2 – 3:30 pm at AARLCC.

Daughtry has plans for Volume III and is continuing his efforts toward traditional performances and producing a musical.

Connect:

Art Prevails Project: https://www.artprevailsproject.org/ 

Instagram: @dariusdaughtry

Community Foundation of Broward http://www.cfbroward.org/

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