We first met Christopher McIntyre Perceptions, or C.M.P., this summer, just ahead of Milwaukee’s Bronzeville week. At that point, the members of Br(OK)en Geniushad already been crafting their performance for over six months. November has finally arrived, and today marks the debut of Br(OK)en Genius at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center.
Five members of the production, Brit Nicole (spoken-word), Firey Phoenix (spoken-word), Monique-Elise (violin), Montreal Cain (musical director, piano) and C.M.P., joined WUWM’s Rachel Owens to talk about their inspirations and aspirations for their performance art group.
Br(OK)en Genius is a musical, visual, literary, and performance art experience based on C.M.P.’s own story, “A Child of the City of Milwaukee.” Describing himself as “born broken,” yet seeking healing with hope, he questions the cultivation of genius within each person. Creating the atmosphere of a “living movie,” six spoken word artists narrate the story, scored by three musicians, complementing the photography of C.M.P.
Br(OK)en Genius started with a rendition of Invisible Epistle, a piece combining violin, piano, and spoken-word, performed Brit Nicole. It explores themes relating to Milwaukee’s creative divide.
“It deals with lack of access to things that would aid a young creative youth in rising,” says C.M.P. “And amidst the lack there of, they still pursue the practicing of their gift.”
Spoken-word artist Brit Nicole responded to the message of Br(OK)en Genius immediately. Nicole, who works with impoverished young people on a daily basis, witnesses the effects of Milwaukee’s red-tape policies first hand. She notes that resources in the city are selective, especially for young and struggling artists. She knows what it is like to create beauty from nothing.
“It is up to us to fuel those youths,” Nicole says. “We don’t need those things to define you, as an artist, as being brilliant, as being worthy; you are just as worthy as everybody else.”
Invisible Epistle represents much of the larger mission of Br(OK)en Genius; to promote diversity and to create a community of allied artists in the city. The group hopes to ignite conversation among people of differing backgrounds in Milwaukee, drawing them together to hear a “raw truth” and foster a spiritual awakening. Much of Br(OK)en Genius’s inspirations come from impoverished, urban areas of the city. They tackle issues such as unemployment, incarceration, teen pregnancy, the lack of African American business sustainability, substance abuse, and violence. The group also works as guest artists in Milwaukee private and public schools, creating a dialogue or change within the students and faculty.
Their performance at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center will feature three male poets and three female poets, representing both genders’ struggles in the city. The show will utilize aspects of visual, musical, literary, and performance art pieces simultaneously. Immediately after the show, audience members are encouraged to explore the stage’s set pieces as if it were an art gallery. The multimedia experience was chosen intentionally to “amplify one another” and reach out to the millennial generation who crave constant stimulation.
“I like to think of the show as a firecracker, when you hear firecrackers you get alerted to something and when you see them it’s beautiful,” says spoken-word artist Firey Phoenix. “Once they hear the music and get into the pieces, they are going to realize the beauty behind the struggle.”
The group hopes audience members leave with a feeling of change.
“If you believe in your city, and if you believe in the power of the creative movement you want to invest in this,” says Brit Nicole. “Everyone that enters will not leave the same.”
Br(OK)en Genius debuts tonight at 7:30pm at the South Milwuakee Performing Arts Center, and runs through tomorrow. You can find more info by visiting their website. Our previous interview with CMP in July, delves into his past, Milwaukee, and Br(OK)en Genius.
Here is a video by Montreal Cain and CMP documenting Br(OK)en Genius's time in the WUWM@Nite studio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I_eALdweWk&list=PL-yhoseLIJQLcT3DIKP5XFo7j8pRBeNNT&index=12
