Friday, December 25, 2015

HAPPY HOLIDAY SHOUTS from tha ROOF!



The good ol' Rankin/Bass Fred Astaire from the 1970 classic "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" has made yearly appearances in LoJoLand and TuTchTville alongside our favorite stars of Street Dance. You can check out the line up of "Merry TuTchTmas" joints on our LoJoWerkz Instagram page.  

Have a great Holiday Season, fam! Lots of "ROOFLESS" development projects on tap for 2016!  Follow us for the latest updates!  




                                             





Saturday, November 7, 2015

CASTING - THE ROOFLESS SKILL SET - Loomin'





(Special S/O to models Prince & Fernando Cabral and designer Florian Wowretzco for inspiration and TuTchT IMAGING for the artwork.)   

        






Wednesday, August 5, 2015

UPCOMING TABLE READINGS & New Character Illustrations


DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES!!! NEW TABLE READS

Two Table Readings Coming Up!  Next week in TULSA and
around the first of the year in LA with our esteem'ed (pronounced Shakespeareanly, of course) mentors, whose names we shant drop because they are so high up in the stratosphere of Broadway luminaries that dropping said names all the way down to our lowly level might hurt some innocent bystander.


NEW TABLE READINGS also give us the chance to pull out  one of our goofy favs from our promo video library.  Check out a ridiculously LoonyTuned look at how we conduct our table reads. (This footage is from ASCAP Headquarters, DGA building in LA. 5 or 6 years ago I think.) Click it out below:




So for years, each time we assembled a cast for a reading or developmental performance Jerome and I discussed how we needed a graphic that showed all the show's characters to help interested actors quickly see the types we're seeking.  So finally - after many years and over 3,000 actors have been through the "Roofless" casting process (betta late than neva, hahaha) and in anticipation of a couple important readings coming up, we pulled the illustration together.  Ladies and gentlemen, we present the archetypal Roofheadz. (Above,l to r) R'Yonne, Dimples, Hogeye, Nine, Loomin', Sela, Lil Man, Scope, Marquee, Father & Tha Devil… and levitating, or rather, "levibreaking," above the principals is the character who has come to represent the flava of "Roofless" and, in essence, the flava of all our work, Tagz!  


Some model creds: My work as TuTchT IMAGING has put me in association with some of the top male models of color around the globe.  I gotta shout out the brothers whose images I drew from in developing this cast illustration.  Their brilliant work always inspires me.  S/O to Broderick Hunter, CyKeem White, Ronald Epps, Designer/Model C.Milano, Australia's Prince, and top UK model Harry Uzoka, among others. And, of course, a longterm S/O to Stephen Christopher and J Photogj Frieson Jr for working with us years ago to develop the flying Tagz character. The Sela illustration is based on images of the beautiful Joan Smalls.

(The similarity of these and other models to the characters depicted in this illustration does not represent any involvement in, or endorsement of "Roofless" on their part   ...Not yet anyway, hahaha.   One of these brothers might soon be flexing his acting chopz as part of one of our table reading casts.)






Tuesday, July 21, 2015

CASTING FOR TABLE READINGS TULSA & LOS ANGELES


Not sure what a Table Reading is? Below is our tried & true goofy attempt to explain how we do our table reads.  (The vibe and tone of this vid isn't representative of the musical "Roofless," we were just on a LooneyTune kick at the time. hahaha.  Enjoy.)
















Tuesday, March 10, 2015

NEW TAGz TEASER

Here's an 18-second look at what happened when we started tinkering around with elements of traditional fairytales and fables to tell a story about the Hip-Hop generation.  



"Tagz" concept art by TuTchT Imaging for LoJoWerkz Productions











Monday, February 16, 2015

Sunday, February 15, 2015

READ THE ROOFLESS REVIEWS LATELY?



The Potential for ROOFLESS is Mind-Blowing
Stephen Schwartz, “Wicked”

A Whole New Way of Exciting
Dean Pitchford, “Footloose”

The Future of the Musical
Share Stallings, DREAMWORKS

Speaks with a New Voice
Marc Jacobs, BROADWAY by the BAY

A Totally New Direction
Kevin Bannerman, FOX

A New Universe
David Lee, NBC, Creator of “Fraiser”

A Roiling Mass of Eye Candy
Lawson Taite, DALLAS MORNING NEWS

Blows the Roof off the Joint
Michael Smith, WORLD ENTERTAINMENT

Nothing Short of Fantastic
TULSA WORLD

Groundbreaking
Stuart Ross, HBO

Play RIGHT!
“Production of the year”
TULSA WORLD

A Must-See
Michael Kerker, ASCAP

Enormous Talent
Stephen Schwartz, “Wicked!”

Incredible Potential
Stuart Ross, “Forever Plaid”

Smokin’
TULSA WORLD

Breathtaking
Tom Sime, DALLAS MORNING NEWS

Dynamic
Terry Martin, WATERTOWER THEATRE

Innovative
BEST of BIG D Magazine

A Knock Out
Kevin Bannerman, FOX


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WHAT THE SELECTION JURY of the NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL HAD TO SAY ABOUT “ROOFLESS” (2010)

JURY MEMBERS:
DONNA LYNNE CHAMPLIN (OBIE Award winning performer, "Hollywood Arms," "Sweeny Todd," "Billy Elliot")
KEN DAVENPORT (Producer, Broadway & Off Broadway. "Altar Boys," "Oleanna," etc.)
KIMBERLY GRIGSBY (Music Director & Vocal arranger for multiple Tony winning Broadway Shows, including "Caroline, or Change," "Spring Awakening," and "Spiderman.")
BEVERLY MACKEEN (Executive Director, New World Stages)
THOMAS MEEHAN (Tony winning bookwriter of "Annie," "The Producers," "Hairspray" "Young Frankenstein," "Crybaby," "Elf," etc.)
JACK VIERTEL (Producer, Artistic & Creative Director, Dramaturg. Shepherded many hit shows to Broadway including "Doubt," "Spring Awakening," "Fela," "American Idiot," "The Book of Mormon," "How to Succeed in Business," "Hair," "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever." etc.)
SCOTT WITTMAN (Director, Lyricist of "Hairspray," "Catch Me If You Can," etc.)
“There’s a freshness in the writing, an interesting urban poetry. Characters are smart – even when they feel like they’re about to turn into the usual stereotypes (abusive gangsta, soulful underprivileged urban artist), something surprising or playful is revealed.”

“The music ranges from R&B to Hip-Hop, Beat Box to Musical Theater - it's brilliant and just when you think there are no more surprises, the music flips to another genre. People may find it disjointed - but I loved every second of it.”

“This is real hip hop, with a strong grasp of the wide range of rapping styles within the genre. Instead of the crappy singsong beat that frequently tries to pass for rap in musicals, these writers understand hip hop flow, playing with inverting rhythms and mixing up the beat so that 4/4 monotony never sets in.  They also throw in proper melodies, frequently employing tight a cappella harmonies to underscore the “real songs,” which range from R&B to gospel to theatre pop.”

“Reminds me a lot of what Lil Wayne does which is intelligent, thought-provoking and fitting hip-hop lyrics. It's genius.”

“'Roofless' is a very well done piece and deserves a chance. The songs are well placed and each one has a purpose and a reason for being there. The narrative structure is interesting and the story is enough to engage you the whole time… Overall, a very strong piece that I'd highly recommend. It's something I haven't seen before - a hip-hop musical? Could work, right? As for the songs, Lil Wayne should watch his back, he's not the only rap artist packing heat.”

“Score is wonderful— it’s got a really great overall tone and the tunes suit the moments and the characters….and forwards the plot. Really smart, brave tunes.”

“I think some of these grooves are really fantastic. And the characters and dialogue are very engaging and keep me interested. I love the unapologetic nature of the language, the story and these people. It’s unique.”


Tulsa Premiere & Dallas Productions – 2002 / 2003

“A work of choreography that is nothing short of fantastic.”
- The Tulsa World

“It takes off from ‘Stomp!’ and ‘Bring in Da’ Noise, Bring in Da’ Funk,’ but there’s a simplicity and emotional directness those larger-scaled shows lack.”
- The Dallas Morning News

“Creates something strong and hopeful from the darkest moments of the African-American experience.”
-  Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News

“…bold, loud, challenging and scattershot; a beautifully unstructured collection of musical blasts and amazing dance performances that make ”Roofless” a visually stunning work of art.”
- The Tulsa World

“This highly stylized work features so much energy, goodwill and passion that it may surprise even some of those who saw the production that the overriding theme of the show is suicide.”
- The Tulsa World

“A remarkably apt title considering how close the creators and their young cast came to figuratively blowing the roof off the joint.”
-Michael Smith, World Entertainment Critic

Friday, January 30, 2015

BLOG UPDATE COMING SOON

Okay, it's been a stoopily long time since we've updated the blog.  We'll take care of that ASAP!    (Things are always happening on the Roof, ya'll.  You just gotta climb high enough to see what's truly up.)





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