Wednesday, August 17, 2016

TONY'S HISTORY PRINTS NOW AVAILABLE!




You can now own a print of "Tony's History," our TuTchT piece that celebrates the historic accomplishments of Tony Winners Cynthia Erivo ("The Color Purple") Daveed Diggs, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Leslie Odom, Jr ("Hamilton") - First time in Musical Theatre history that all 4 of the Tonys for acting were earned by performers of color!
CLICK BELOW TO PURCHASE A PRINT!


Click above to go to the shopping page. Once there, click on the image to see the products available: Wall Art, T-shirts, bags, pillows, phone covers and more.  
(All orders handled through the largest & most reputable site in the game FineArtAmerica.com)





     










Thursday, August 11, 2016

TONY'S HISTORY - OUR TUTCHT TRIBUTE TO AN AMAZING SHIFT!


FROM OUR IG ACCOUNT:
(Illustration by TuTchT IMAGING yeah, that's us too.  IG: @LoJoWerkz @TuTchTig)




Friday, June 17, 2016

We slipped this one in on our IG last week… LoJoWerkz Update



The Low-Key LoJoWERKz PROJECTS UPDATE:
A few weeks ago at the Broadway ASCAP offices we had a great private reading and critique of our musical "Roofless" with Stephen Schwartz & Michael Kerker, followed by a strategy meeting where we discussed the next step for "Roofless" and some other projects. We'll be playing everything pretty close to the vest this year but just to let you know… "Roofless" = still in production. "HotFoot" starring Lil Buck = still in production AND 2 new, very exciting musicals we've been quietly developing for years are now moving into pre-production… both adaptations, packed full of all the elements we love. That's about all we can say right now. … as we creep stealthily back into the LoJoLab. We may be quiet for a few months… but, DON'T SLEEP LoJoFam!!!! The Wheels of Creating-Fire-in-Obscurity continue to grind forth. StayTuned! (We didn't have any new artwork to drop but we found this storyboard frame from "Roofless" development oddly appropriate. hahaha.)









Sunday, June 5, 2016

PROPS TO MALACHI KIRBY

Since "ROOTS" premiered this week I realize we've had quite a few page hits based on links from IG and blog posts from months, even years ago. I thought I should repost our Malachi reel. Additionally, here's the "Kunta" joint I created several weeks ago to help promote "Roots," followed by the acting reel we put together featuring some of his best UK work.  So thrilled that our prediction (or "prophecy" if you prefer the term, lol) of stardom in the states came to pass…and humbled that it was via such a powerful and important role.  Much love and continued success to Malachi!
This illustration was created in the style of Turn-of-the-Century portraits of African tribal royalty.  Even before seeing "Roots" we felt this would be a profound and appropriate way to honor Malachi & his portrayal of Kunta Kinte.  


HERE'S  A REPOST FROM 6 MONTHS AGO - THE REEL WE PUT TOGETHER OF MALACHI'S UK WORK:
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We've been following the career of Malachi Kirby for 4 or 5 years now as he's risen from a young, unknown student actor in London to very popular presence on UK stages and screens, big and small. His upcoming journey to the shores of American consciousness will be via a project of great import and historical significance in African-American film history.  He has been cast in the iconic role of young Kunte Kinte in the reboot of "Roots" (the role that launched LaVar Burton's career with an Emmy nod and secured the name Kunte Kinte as part of the cultural lexicon of our country.) Malachi stars along side a huge cast including Laurence Fishburn, Forest Whitaker, Anna Paquin, Anika Noni Rose, Derek Luke, Mekhi Phifer, Jonathan Rhys Meyers & T.I. to name just a few. Our UK fam are already familiar with him and can see him currently on the hit BBC show Jekyll & Hyde as the shapeshifting murderer Spring-Heeled Jack Burton.


I've had to do some spring-heeled jumping of my own through lots of hoops in order to get my hands on Malachi's UK-based work over the past 4 years, hahaha, but its the rewarding kind of hoop-jumping I'm always down for.   To whet your appetite as we await the "Roots" premiere, here's a taste of this brother's wide range of skills: from comedy, to drama, to action, to leading man.  I know we'll be seeing much, much more of Malachi Kirby on US screens in the coming years!   
YOU HEARD IT HERE, FOLKS!  CHECK HIM OUT! 



Malachi Kirby Actor Reel from LoJo Werkz on Vimeo.

HERE'S THE BACKSTORY of how we first stumbled on the talented Mr. Kirby:
It was back in 2011 when we first began working on a project designed to showcase some of the best Street Dancers through a strongly-structured narrative.   Street Dance-centered narratives were practically nonexistent at the time, and when they did make it to the screen the stories were largely lacking in substance. We were anxious to combine the story craft we were learning from Stephen Schwartz and other great Broadway/Hollywood story men with our love of Street Dance culture (which was having its own renaissance.) The resulting project was a series entitled STORY GOT NEXT (http://www.lojowerkz.com/p/story-got-next.html)

One of the key components of Story Got Next was a strongly structured story written to be carried by a cast of talented actors with the dancers in roles that wouldn't require acting skills beyond their reach. In short, a great story that allowed great actors to act and great dancers to dance and kept the emphasis on engaging entertainment.   The lead character "Story" is a former Street Dancer who suffers a debilitating stroke (see the link to the plot above.)   So the casting breakdown for the lead actor looked something like this:

Male, mid 20s, with the athletic build of a Street Dancer but who, for the majority of the story, would be wheelchair-bound with limited muscle control and an inability to speak for the first half of the series. He also needed to be a romantic lead.  This meant the search was on for an actor who could express a broad range of emotions with just his face, even with limited facial movement; a gravitas and street swag with a combination of vulnerability and strength; AND a strong sense of comic timing. It required an actor with an intriguing face and piercing, expressive eyes  that would look great in extreme close-up.   For a small, indie web-series this is a very, very tall bill to fill.

After months of searching everywhere… Long story short, I saw a still photo of Malachi through my TuTchT work with male models of color. My first thought was, "'Story' needs to look like THIS guy!" I was completely unaware that Malachi was an actor.  Then for the next few hours and days, everything snowballed in a series of thrilling eureka moments as I learned more about his award-winning skills as an actor. I set out to dig up some footage. At the time (2011/12) he was a relatively unknown young actor working on stages in London with just a couple tv movies and short film credits to his name, (along with another outstanding young brother named John Boyega…yeah.  Both were products of Femi Ogun's amazing Identity School of Acting in London.  Nothing more thrilling than seeing the birth of superstars!) but his talent was already garnering awards and was undeniable.  We have done all our own casting for nearly 20 years on shows big and small so we have seen THOUSANDS of actors and I knew after just a few minutes of watching Malachi that I was looking at a true talent with all the right skills and "it" factors in place. 

So the nature of "show biz" is such that we don't know if the stars will align in a way that allows "Story Got Next" to go into production, or if we'll be able to work with the talented Mr. Kirby, especially since his path will likely follow the successful progression that John Boyega has experienced.  But it's still amazing to be in the position to watch his career blossom in the US as we've seen in the UK. We'll forever be supporters of Malachi Kirby and you should jump on that bandwagon too!!!

UPDATES COMING SOON

WE HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY SINCE OUR RECENT TRIP TO BROADWAY for a critique of our show in development "Roofless" and career strategy session with our mentors Stephen Schwartz and Michael Kerker.   We hope to get updates and new info posted in the coming 2 weeks!   
Thanks for all the support!






Tuesday, March 8, 2016

RITE OF PASSAGE - miniLEAK #9

The dates of our NYC reading with Stephen Schwartz will be solidified in the next couple of weeks. (If you've been out of the loop, our LA reading was moved to NYC, mid April) The iPad has been raffled - congrats to winner Chris Cannida - but the fundraising campaign continues… as do the miniLeaks!
Here's a glimpse of a pivotal moment in the show. It is the eve of Marquee's 18th birthday and his father opens a dark door, giving him the chance to redeem his earlier failures and reclaim his criminal nature.
(S/O to Michael Fruga, for his powerful portrayal of Father on our demos. Marquee is voiced by co-composer Jerome Johnson.)

(demo creds: FATHER - Michael Fruga, MARQUEE - Jerome Johnson, co-composer. Artwork by TuTchT IMAGING features the uberdope model CyKeem White, who's been kind enough to lend us some inspiration in creating concept images of Marquee.)











ROOFLESS heads to NYC for a reading with STEPHEN SCHWARTZ

"…tell all tha fam on Forty-Second Street that we will soon be there."
(yeah…a bit of a paraphrase…but thaz what we do, yo!)
ROOFLESS HEADS BACK TO NYC!!!
(In case you missed the news, here's a copy of our Feb17th social media post)


After some unexpected scheduling issues with our upcoming LA Table Reading of "Roofless" with Stephen Schwartz, it was suggested that we move the reading to Mr. Schwartz' next available window of opportunity: mid April, in New York City. Of course, we jumped at the chance, not only because it gives us a few more months to raise the necessary funds, but also because there are many in the Broadway community who have been waiting for "Roofless" to make another NYC appearance in its development process.




Our biggest regret not being able to work with our newly-cast, highly-skilled LA Roofheads, but DEFinitely anticipate keeping them in the "Roofless" loop for future development steps. (Some are considering joining us in NYC.) We're also fienin for the palm trees and Cali sun we left behind several years ago when we returned to set up our home base back here in Tulsa, AND we were really looking forward to sayin' wassup to our Street Dance fam who keep the Hollywood Industry lit. But trust, we'll get back to paradise soon! For now though on to that magical place "Broadway."  

For the show's 2nd official visit to the capitol city of Musical Theatre, we'll be at the table with one of the greatest minds of the craft (not to mention one of the most successful creators of the art!)  Biggest of S/Os to Mr. Schwartz for once again taking time out of his schedule to visit the Roof and drop some wisdom on us!

Time to "RAISE SOME HEADS, Y'ALL!"




A Lil More ROOFLESS Concept Art...
If you're familiar with the LoJoWerkz vibe of "old meets new" you probably know that "Roofless" dances along a fine line between musical comedy and gangsta drama. Here's a glimpse of the lighter side… a concept sketch of the final moments of the "Hell to the Yeah!!" production number. After a lil hardcore operatic belting, Dimples gets props from her fellow Roofheadz Nine, R'yonne, Loomin' and Hogeye.






Monday, March 7, 2016

TULSA CASTING INFORMATION BEING UPLOADED TODAY



CASTING INFORMATION BEING UPLOADED TODAY

Check back after 5pm for basic info.

Full information and sign-up instructions for Tulsa will be up by Tues morning.












Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Some ROOF LOVE for Valentine's Day


Here's the miniLEAK we dropped on VALENTINE'S DAY.  
Its a little taste of "From Up Here," one of the duets between lead characters SELA and SCOPE.  Demo vocals: Dionne White as Sela & Avionce Hoyles as Scope. 
(Concept art by TuTchT IMAGING… yup, that's us too.)



Monday, February 15, 2016

…and the iPAD GOES TO….

TONITE's  WINNING RAFFLE TICKET NUMBER WAS 754953


THE WINNER IS MRS. CHRIS CANNIDA!!!! Congrats Chris!!!

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT! 







Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Meet the new LA ROOFHEADz

THE ROOF KEEPS GETTIN HIGHER & HIGHER!!!   
S/O to our newest Los Angeles based Roofheadz:  
ANTHONY, ARLEN & BRIANNA!



CHECK OUT tha comedic skills of ANTHONY NAPPIER:

CHECK OUT the incredibly Truthful voice of BRIANNA BRYAN:

CHECK OUT the emotional intensity of ARLEN ESCARPETA (& some historic death scenes, lol):

Monday, January 25, 2016

15-MIN SNEAK LEAK from DEVELOPMENT READINGS & DEMOS

Here it is LoJoFam, THE FIRST EXTENSIVE LOOK AT OUR MUSICAL "ROOFLESS" LEAKED TO THE PUBLIC. Close your eyes and enter the world of the "Roofless!"



This 15-min mash up includes audio from our rough demos that we've produced during the development process, from workshop recording sessions, and dialog from table readings (which explains the page-turning noises….hahaha.) Much of the vocal work on the 20 songs in the show has been recorded by us, the composers (Tim Long and Jerome Johnson, aka LoJoWerkz) as is the normal case for musicals in development. Occasionally we've had very talented performers step in to help us on some of the demos. You'll hear much of their work here. Names of performers, as well as scene/song names appear on-screen.

PARENTAL ADVISORY - EXPLICIT LANGUAGE (One feature of "Roofless" that has been praised by critics is the "frank, unapologetic and realistic flavor" of the street vernacular.)

This demo touches on only about 1/8 of the material in the show, but hopefully represents the "Roofless" flavor fully. Again… our main reason for releasing this development material is to help raise awareness of the show as part of our fundraising attempts for our upcoming LA trip where we'll take many of the performers heard here with us to perform the entire show for our mentor Stephen Schwartz, Michael Kerker of ASCAP and several other Industry folks who will critique the show & offer us their advice. So PLEASE, if you like what you hear and want to help us move the show to the next step, DONATE to our support drive. ANY AMOUNT IS GREATLY NEEDED AND EVEN MORE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!


Thanks,
Tim and Jerome
LoJoWerkz
Credits:
BIG SHOUT OUT to Bryant Lamar and 4U Media Group for recording the Avionce Hoyles sessions, and Tim Kennard and Quinton Davis, Forrest Productions for some amazing recording sessions in 05, some of which have remained as part of the score.
The following performers can be heard on these demos (credited, by scene in the demo) - they have almost all offered their considerable skills without payment as we've been on this journey and our thanks to them is immeasurable and eternal! (Listed Alphabetically): Fredrick CustardKeith Da Sneak DanielsDesmond DansbyKelley Childers FriedbergMichael FrugaKhalid FreemanEarl BurnsEvangeline SmithMisha HowellAvionce HoylesBranjae JacksonBryant LamarJillian MarieAmanda MartindaleAdam MattaSterling MatthewsAndresia MoseleyAnnaMaria Pasley-Horn, Lawrence Rosenborough, Gabriel RoyalTaylar SmallwoodNita Chandler SmothersKathryn Stefanic, Rosa Thomas, and Dionne White. (Composers Jerome Johnson and Tim Long also appear extensively.)