H Δ R R Y
HΔRRY, a remix of Shakespeare’s classic saga of succession, set in the streets of LA. It features Shakespeare’s original text and a bespoke score by hip-hop artist, Precious Gorgeous. Inspired by the rise of the late, great Nipsey Hussle, HΔRRY is a stunningly relevant, hilarious, and epic meditation on power and family.
Trailer.
Production History:
-Zoom reading, invitation only, August 15th, 2021
-Live staged reading open to public, Snug Harbor, Staten Island, NYC, August 27th, 2022
NEWS:
The H Δ R R Y project has been the recipient of:
Fiscal Sponsorship through NYFA, 2022
NYSCA Future Culture Creative Placemaking Grant, New York State Council on the Arts, 2021
DCA Art Fun Grant, New York Department of Cultural Affairs, New York NY, 2022
DCA Art Fun Grant, New York Department of Cultural Affairs, New York NY, 2022
MEET THE CREATOR-PRODUCERS!
Ralf Jean-Pierre, creator, producer, co-director, and lead actor of HΔRRY, is a first generation Haitian-American actor, comedian, adjunct professor, and rapper-songwriter who performs as Precious Gorgeous.
Ralf earned a BFA in Performing Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2007. He has studied at Dance New Amsterdam, The Actor’s Movement Studio, the People’s Improv Theater. Ralf studied clown with Christopher Bayes and Virginia Scott, and Eric Davis.
In 2012, Following the sudden passing of a friend, Ralf rode his bicycle around the United States for the entire year, performing a one-man Shakespeare on the street, playing multiple characters at a time. He and his collaborator Jolie Tong developed a one-man show chronicling the tour called WHAT SHOULD BE THE FEAR. The show, which featured an original blues rap score written and composed by Precious, and debuted it at Gamba Forest Art Space in Brooklyn, NY in 2017.
In 2019 Precious Gorgeous released two records: Tryna Get My Live Together, written and composed by Precious, recorded live with a live band and filmed as a movie of the same name, and Everyone Dies From a Bullet vol 1, a covers record. During 2020 quarantine, Precious released TRIP, a mixtape original songs recorded to iconic beats from his favorite producer, Teddy Riley, and Brooklyn Petting Zoo, a tape of original songs recorded to beats from classic Brooklyn records.
Ralf is also an ensemble member of FIZGIG Studio’s Commedia Company and the acclaimed hip-hop improv team North Coast. Ralf is currently teaching acting and comedy as an adjunct professor for the Brooklyn College BA and BFA Theater program, and at Columbia University the MFA Theater program.
Jolie Tong, creator, producer, and director of HΔRRY, is a second generation Chinese-American New York based artist.
Jolie has directed, devised and produced numerous performances ranging from professional and educational productions to site specific devised projects. She is committed to creating work that explores culturally diverse narratives. As a deviser, Jolie has created: HOME: The NYCHA Storytelling Project, a community-specific interview-based theater piece; WHAT SHOULD BE THE FEAR, a one-man show that tells the astonishing true story of co-creator Ralf Jean Pierre’s year-long, 4000 mile, one-man street Shakespeare tour of the United States; and HARRY, a remix of Shakespeare’s Henry IV parts one and two featuring an original rap score. Other directing credits include: The Wolves, She Kills Monsters, Mauritius and Men on Boats. Jolie is currently an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Drew University. Education: M.F.A. Brooklyn College, concentration in Theater Direction and B.A. Sarah Lawrence College.