Combining poetry, rap, beatbox, song and excerpts from his hit shows, Kane Smego takes to the Merryall stage tonight to lead off the season. A featured performer at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and the Def PoetryJam reunion, Smego”™s performance will include highlights from his famed one-man show, Temples of Lung and Air, which explores issues of race, language, self-awareness, community and identity. Temples premiered in 2018 at Playmakers Repertory Company, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was featured at the United Solo Theatre Festival in New York City and was produced regionally at the Detroit Public Theatre.
“Growing up in a biracial family was a big influence on my career,” said Smego. “It laid the foundation for my understanding of hip-hop music rooted in black and brown communities. Over the years rappers like OutKast, Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes fueled me creatively. ”¦At Merryall I will be performing various excerpts from my one-man show of hip-hop theatre as well as other poems, raps and songs.”
When not on-stage, Smego tours internationally as an associate director of Next Level, a cultural diplomacy program that sends American hip-hop artists around the globe, using music and dance to promote cultural exchange, collaboration and community building. As a recording artist he has released multiple albums featuring his poetry and hip-hop music.
Merryall is located at 8 Chapel Hill Road in New Milford. For more information on the 2023 season, check out the Merryall website.
