ORLANDO – The call came in to Brooke Hobbs, from someone who had heard all about the musical she was producing, and there was a special request that came along with it.
“They saw our trailer on Facebook and reached out and said ‘I’d really like to talk to all of you about coming out and performing at the Democratic National Convention,’ ” said Hobbs, the managing partner and producer of “Blood Sisters: The Musical.”
“So that’s how we started talking to them and figuring out what their needs were,” Hobbs said.
And now it’s become a reality. “Blood Sisters:The Musical,” which debuted in Orlando last May at the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, has been invited to perform two shows at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte next month. Hobbs and the show’s authors, Jacquelyn Graham and Malikah Harris, are working to raise the funding they need to make this dream a reality.
And then it’s on to Charlotte.
“We’re very excited,” Harris said. “This is a historical moment for us as well. To go through this is just an amazing experience. We’re very humbled to see what doors God is opening for us.”
The itinerary for the trip so far is that the cast and crew will be renting a van and driving to Charlotte. Before they get there, the cast plans to make a stop in Atlanta, for a special fitting there with costume designer Fontella Boone, an award-winning designer who has done work in film, television, theatre and dance. Boone has agreed to donate her time and talent to help the women in the play look great for this special performance.
They plan to arrive in Charlotte on Friday, Aug. 31.
The 46th Democratic National Convention hosted by Charlotte starts on Sept. 1, and the cast and crew will also take part in a Welcome–Blue & White Wine and Cheese Reception hosted by Donna Brazille at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts & Culture. “Blood Sisters:The Musical” performs at this reception, and then again on Monday, Sept. 3, from 4–8 p.m. at the 3th Congressional District Red Carpet Affair–Black Tie Presidential Reception at the Charlotte City Club’s Queen Charlotte Ballroom, located at 121 W. Trade St. in downtown Charlotte.
President Obama will be the guest of honor at this event.
It is, of course, a great thrill and honor to the creators of the show to be given this opportunity.
“I’m really overjoyed,” Graham said. “This event, I feel it is nothing short of a miracle that we’re being a part of it. God worked out so many things on this, I think, because it is truly a work of art inspired by God. People connect to it. We’ve had men leave the theater crying. One of the men who saw it at the Fringe Festival left with tears in his eyes. Not only is this a healing message for women, but also for men.”
“People are ready for this,” Harris added. “They are really receptive to this piece. We are extremely excited we have an opportunity to convey this message.”
It’s the first major play done by Blood Sisters Holdings, LLC/Queen Mother Productions, and its history traces back to Disney.
Harris and Graham, while working together at Disney, collaborated to bring together this original fusion concert of classical, Jazz, neo-soul, gospel, and Broadway-style melodious music to the stage, with staging andchoreography by Broadway director Marion J Caffey. The Blood Sisters ensemble cast takes audiences on a musical journey, as Momma and her fivedaughters use vocals, steps, comedic antics and emotional moments to help viewers face everyday family dynamics.
The play was performed at the Fringe Festival in May, then had several carryover performances at the Footlight Theatre at the Parliament House Resort in Orlando.
“We were so well received in the Central Florida area,” Hobbs said. “We know that we have a wonderful product here. This is a message of hope and restoration, and the music has the power to heal.”
Word of the production spread fast, Hobbs said – right up to the Democratic National Committee.
“We are presenting the musical in its concert version, so we will be doing the full concert version, and then at the other venue, we’ll be doing some of the great songs from the show,” she said, adding that this performance is not meant to convey a political message. The cast and crew would have been just as excited to have gone to the Republican National Convention in Tampa this month, she added, had they been invited.
“Whether people are on either side of the political aisle or right down the middle, that doesn’t matter to us,” Hobbs said. “If we had been given an invitation to go to Tampa, we would have gone there as well. The message and music of ‘Blood Sisters:The Musical’ are universal. This show heals and unites people, and it transcends ideology.”
The company still needs to raise the funds for this trip – and with just two weeks left to do so.
“We have raised just a little over $600 toward our trip,” Hobbs said. “The total cost of the trip is just under $5,500. We’ll be riding a van and performing the two nights, and then coming back. We are still accepting donations. We have a fundraising campaign that people can contribute to on Facebook, and we have an account on Squaredup.com. We are accepting checks. We will take cash, whatever people want to give.”
Corporate sponsorship opportunities, such as named events, signage and printing are also available for companies that want to support the Blood Sisters trip to Charlotte. For details, contact Hobbs at bloodsistersmusical@gmail.com.
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