November 1, 2018 (New York) – Daniel J. Watts (Hamilton, TBS’ “The Last O.G.,” Signature Theatre’s The Death of The Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World) and WattsWords Productions present Daniel J. Watts' The Jam: Only Child, an evening of music, dance, spoken word, and storytelling on Monday, December 3rd at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater (425 Lafayette Street). Doors open at 6pm, the show begins at 7pm.
Only Child marks the reunion between Watts and director Lileana Blain-Cruz (The House That Will Not Stand, Pipeline) who received an Obie Award for her direction of The Death of The Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, in which Watts played the title character. Only Child also features Jam mainstay DJ Duggz, aka Preston Dugger III (Motown the Musical, Memphis), spinning through the evening.
All advance general admission tickets are $30. Tickets are $40 day of and can be purchased by visiting JoesPub.com.
“This Jam is the product of 2 years of therapy”, said artist and activist Watts. “I have an analogy about therapy suggesting that it’s like inviting a stranger to the attic of your mind and having them help you clean it out. I realized that being an only child and a latch key kid in a single parent home contributed to excess storage in my attic and therapy helped me sift through a lot of it and, ultimately, let some things go. By sharing my story I hope to inspire others to go through their attics in an effort to both examine the cost of holding on and experience the healing power of letting go.”
A play-on-words, The Jam pays homage to Watts’ great-grandmother who, after making jam from scratch, would share with others what she was unable to consume herself. The Jam is Watts’ continuation of that legacy blending elements of stand-up comedy and compelling storytelling with his original spoken word, often set to music and/or dance. This is Watts’ fourth instillation of The Jam: Only Child after sold out performances at Joe’s Pub in the famed Public Theater, NoHo’s new staple SubCulture, the and as one of the final acts to play the historic Webster Hall.
In 2016, galvanizing cast members from Hamilton, On Your Feet, and Shuffle Along, Watts played to a packed house in Webster Hall’s Marlin Room with The Jam: Love Terrorists - A Benefit for Orlando. The event raised $7500 for the LGBT community in Orlando after the horrific attack at Pulse Night Club.
WattsWords Productions is dedicated to developing original programming including live performances, web content, and demonstrations written by Daniel J. Watts in an effort to urge communities to actively engage in focusing on their social similarities opposed to their differences.
Daniel J. Watts in The Jam: Only Child, Photo Credit - Simply Greg
BIOS
DANIEL J. WATTS has appeared in eight Broadway shows including Hamilton, In The Heights and Memphis. Off Broadway he has starred in Suzan-Lori Parks' The Death of the Last Black Man in the Entire World AKA The Negro Book of the Dead (Signature Theatre) and the world premiere of Whorl Inside A Loop (2nd Stage). He currently appears as Felony in Tracy Morgan's new comedy series “The Last OG” on TBS. Other TV credits include recurring roles on NBC's “Blindspot” and “Smash”; HBO's “Vinyl,” “The Deuce,” “The Night Of,” and “Boardwalk Empire”; “The Good Wife,” “Blue Bloods” and “Person of Interest” on CBS; “Odd Mom Out” on Bravo; and “Broad City” on Comedy Central. Film: Breakup at a Wedding, Among Brothers and Freedom.
An accomplished spoken word artist, in 2012 Watts launched WattsWords Productions. Daniel J. Watts' The Jam, an homage to his great grandmother who made homemade jam from scratch and gave away what she couldn't eat herself, is a spoken word/storytelling experience fusing a live band, song, dance and multimedia where Watts encourages audiences to focus on social similarities opposed to differences. Most recently, his work is featured in the young adult anthology How I Resist edited by New York Times Best Seller Maureen Johnson for Wednesday Books/Macmillan.
An educator, Watts has also served as an adjunct professor of NYU's Tisch New Studio. He teaches his own course on how to truly engage in one's self in order to contribute meaningful and personal artistic work.
Watts is a BFA Graduate of Elon University’s Music Theatre Program and a 2011 Young Alumnus Award Recipient. For original work visit www.wattswords.com @dwattswords
LILEANA BLAIN-CRUZ is a director from New York City and Miami, and a recent recipient of an Obie Award for directing The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA The Negro Book of the Dead at Signature Theater. Recent projects include Lucas Hnath's Red Speedo at NYTW; Alice Birch's Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again at Soho Rep; Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' War at LCT3 and Yale Rep; Henry IV Part 1 and Much Ado About Nothing at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; The Bluest Eye at The Guthrie; Christina Anderson’s Hollow Roots which premiered in the Under the Radar Festival at the Public Theater; Project Realms an electric pop opera performed at La Sala; a new translation of The Bakkhai at the Fisher Center of Performing Arts at Bard College; and A Guide to Kinship and Maybe Magic, a collaboration with choreographer Isabel Lewis and playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at Dance New Amsterdam.
She received her MFA in directing from the Yale School of Drama, where she directed the opera Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, The Taming of the Shrew, Tall Skinny Cruel Cruel Boys, Buffalo Maine, Cavity and lastly Fox Play as part of the Carlotta Festival of New Plays. She was one of the co-artistic directors of the 2011-2012 Yale Cabaret, where she directed Funnyhouse of a Negro, Vaska Vaska Glöm, and SALOME. She received both the Julian Milton Kaufman Memorial Prize and the Pierre-Andre Salim Prize for her leadership and directing. She was an Artistic Associate of The Exchange and The Orchard Project, a member of the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab, and an Allen Lee Hughes Directing Fellow at Arena Stage. She is a graduate of Princeton University, where she is currently working on a new play GURLS as part of the opening of the new Lewis Center for the Arts. Upcoming projects include Actually at MTC, Water by the Spoonful at CTG, and The House That Will Not Stand at NYTW.
PRESTON DUGGER, aka DJ DUGGZ, is a Washington, DC native that began performing in theatre and television at an early age and has appeared in Broadway shows such as Memphis and Motown, as well as on television in “Smash” and “Flesh and Bone.” Preston has had a passionate desire to make sure crowds enjoy themselves when on a stage, on screen or behind turntables. “It is my mission to go above and beyond and make sure my clients receive the best experience visually and sonically.”
Preston has DJ’ed such high-profile events as The Democratic National Committee for Hillary Clinton, and at Radio City Music Hall, Webster Hall, The Watergate Hotel, and Cipriani Wall Street. @DJDUGGZ