Reginald “RAP” Unzel is a young man with big hair and bigger dreams of musical stardom… IF only he can get out of his room. This celebration of identity, awareness, and empowerment features Hip Hop music and dance.
Rap Unzel disrupts traditional fairy tales, railing against mainstream philosophies that center hyper-masculine and stoic representations of Black men and also providing positive roles and representation for BIPOC artists. The story’s uplifting and whimsical themes have the tremendous potential to touch audiences of all ages, connecting Ancestors and Descendants through the Arts.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION AND THE CAST:

The VORTEX and Brown Boy Productions new production of Rap Unzel as a nimble touring version that will travel to schools, around Austin, to other Texas cities, to other regions in the US, with the potential to reach the broader populations of the African Diaspora. Directed by Indiia Wilmott. Sound Design and Original Music by Johann Solo. Scenic Design by Demetri Bellini. Costume Design by Pam Fletcher Friday. Choreography by Laura Khalil. Stage Management by Mia J. McElroy. Introducing Wesley Johnson as Reginald “Rap” Unzel III. Featuring VORTEX veterans Chelsea Manasseri as Maji Unzel and Oktavea LaToi as Kenzee. Introducing Reginald Queen, Tyler Ortega, and AJ Reyes as Sam, Jessie, and Dee Dee. Assistant Director: Chris Fontanes. Assistant Stage Managers: Sarah Hogestyn, Ciarra Dortche. Assistant Scenic Design: Miller Mauldin. Assistant Costume Design: Mary Fletcher. ASL Interpretation: Tim Ervin, Monica Kurtz. Production Manager: Katie Hamilton. Managing Director: Melissa Vogt. Producing Artistic Director: Bonnie Cullum.
https://rap-unzel.co/

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT:

Jeremy Rashad Brown is a Black American interdisciplinary creative and entrepreneur who is based in Austin, TX. His most recent acting work includes Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven by Reina Hardy where he portrayed Dr. Christopher Jump and the web-series, Do Better by Austin writer and executive producer Amie Darboe, where he plays Justin. Jeremy also directed Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau with Spectrum Theatre Company and The Niceties by Elenor Burgess with Jarrott Productions. Brown created and wrote a theatre for young people play, Rap Unzel that personifies Black Boy Joy and amplifies emotional intelligence and self-care. He has, and will continue to execute outreach efforts to Black community leaders in order to authentically connect ordinary lives with this universal story.
Jeremy is the founder of Brown Boy Productions, currently serves as board president for The VORTEX and is creative arts director at Survive2Thrive Foundation. In addition to the theatre arts community, Brown is an active member of the Black Austin, LGBTQ, spiritual, tech, and film communities. His personal mission is to explore the intersections between these different communities and beyond. www.JeremyRashadBrown.com

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:

Indiia Wilmott is an actor, director and teaching artist. She is currently a voice actor/on-camera host for e-learning company, Edgenuity. Her favorite theatre credits include; Dance Nation (San Francisco Playhouse), Bootycandy (Black Artists Contemporary Cultural Experience), Zenith (San Francisco Playhouse), and Lucia Berlin: Stories (Word for Word/Z Space). She has taught at American Conservatory Theater, California Shakespeare Theatre, and Ecole Jeannine Manuel in Paris. For the 2020 election, Indiia wrote and directed voting PSAs for the Texas Civil Rights Project. Indiia is co-founder of the Austin Black Theatre Alliance and on the board at New Manifest Theatre Company.

Rap Unzel is funded and supported in part by VORTEX Repertory Company, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Survive2Thrive, and by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.