2009-11-12

Stew; Hollinden, Andy

Andy Hollinden interviews Stew during the AAAMC conference, "Reclaiming the Right to Rock: Black Experiences in Rock Music."

McAlpin, Michael; Indiana University, Radio and Television Services

Archives of African American Music and Culture

Bloomington; Indiana; United States

Reclaiming the Right to Rock: Black Experiences in Rock Music

Archives of African American Music and Culture

English

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2 video files (mov, 52 min., 54 sec.) : sound ; color ; 13.99 GB + 1 transcript (15 pages), 1 videocassette (HD miniDV : sound, color)

Stew is a Tony Award-winning singer/songwriter/playwright from Los Angeles. Together with his collaborator Heidi Rodewald, Stew leads two critically acclaimed bands: The Negro Problem and Stew, both of which were formed in the early 1990s. By the turn of the millennium, The Negro Problem was enjoying considerable success, receiving Entertainment Weekly's Album of the Year award in both 2000 and 2002. In 2004, Stew and Heidi Rodewald received the support of the Sundance Institute and The Public Theater to produce the musical Passing Strange , which has had successful runs at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, The Public Theater (NYC), and the Belasco Theatre on Broadway. More recently, Spike Lee directed a film version of Passing Strange , which is receiving glowing praise at film festivals and aired on PBS in the spring of 2010. As a result of his various creative ventures, Stew has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a 2008 Tony for Best Book of a Musical, two Obie awards for Best New Theater Piece and Best Ensemble as a cast member, and is a four-time Tony nominee. Stew was also the recipient of a 2009 Meet the Composer grant for a new multi-media work Making It , commissioned by St. Ann’s Warehouse in New York and scheduled for performance in 2010. Stew’s recorded output includes Post Minstrel Syndrome (1997), Joys and Concerns (1999), Guest Host (2000), The Naked Dutch Painter (2002), Welcome Black (2002), Something Deeper than these Changes (2003), and the cast album of Passing Strange (2008).

Other: DVF 1023; Other: DVF 1024