Taking Over Written & Performed by Danny Hoch Directed by Tony Taccone November 4–December 14
Hip-hop theater pioneer Danny Hoch storms The Public stage once again to chronicle the current state of gentrification of New York City. Blazing through a fierce spectrum of New Yorkers, Danny gives voice to everyone from the developers evicting locals to make way for lofts, to the bar-hopping career hipsters who buy them, and those left in the wake of both. True to Danny's signature style, Taking Over is a raw, explosive, hilarious, and heartbreaking study of the impact of our obsession with economic expansion.
Danny Hoch is an actor, playwright and director whose plays Pot Melting, Some People, and Jails, Hospitals, Hip-Hop have garnered many awards including 2 OBIES, an NEA Solo Theatre Fellowship, Sundance Writers Fellowship, CalArts/Alpert Award In Theatre and a Tennessee Williams Fellowship. He is a Senior Fellow at the New Schools Vera List Center For Art & Politics and his writings on hip-hop, race and class have appeared in The Village Voice, New York Times, Harper's, The Nation, American Theatre, and his book Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop is in its second printing by Villard Books/Random House.
His writing and acting credits for television and film include Bamboozled, Washington Heights, Prison Song, Subway Stories, Thin Red Line, Whiteboys, Blackhawk Down, American Splendor, War Of The Worlds, Lucky You and HBO Def Poetry, in addition to his own Some People (HBO), and the film version of Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop, recently released on DVD.
Mr. Hoch founded the Hip-Hop Theater Festival in 2000 which has since presented over 75 hip-hop generation plays from all over the world. He directed Will Power's hit solo show Flow at New York Theatre Workshop. Most recently, he is the recipient of a 2005-2006 Performing Americas Grant from the Doris Duke Foundation/Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, a 2006 Creative Capital Grant, and his new play Till The Break Of Dawn, will premiere in New York in 2006. He sits on the board of Theatre Communications Group and the Hip-Hop Theatre Festival.
hey is taking over still playin in ny i wanna take my mom 2 c it mayb shell understand how i feel about our ny surroundign in ny. ur plays r fuckin awsuuuuuuuum luv u man
I was at your show last night and IT WAS OFF THE HOOK. Robert's intro was the most powerful part for me. And I wanna hang out with la doña on the stoop. She was beautiful.
I'm in awe of how you tackle "issues" through characters.
I just wanted to say that I saw your performance last week...it was great :] You're definitely giving a voice to those who aren't normally understood or heard.
Thanks Danny:) Your performance art is inspiring..thanks for keeping it real and thanks so much for the add:) David is also a Brooklyn boy;) with peace, J
I saw your show last week after reading a review in the NYTimes....bravo! You said everything a lot of us are thinking. This city is headed for disaster if this lopsided growth (with the profit motive as the only impetus) continues. Keep up the good work.
you were hee-larious last saturday! i can totally identify with what you said. it's about time someone said out loud in a public forum!!
swear, the next day i was walking down howard street in chinatown and there was this little chinese kid sitting on a step playing his ps2 and these white tourists took a picture of him. he yelled, "hey, don't take my picture!" i looked and smiled and said to him, "that's right, tell them."
SOME PEOPLE DVD!!! WHEN??? Danny what's up you are a major inspiration to me. I gotta give you props from then till now. JUMBO man you killed it in "We Own the night." When you gonna bring Taking Over back home baby? Paz y respeto, UptowN
I CANT WAIT!!!! i'm seeing u friday...my friend bought me tix as a surprise... then again on saturday...because i didn't know about the surprise!!
i saw jails hospitals and hip hop when i was in highschool, my teacher took our class to see it. then again a year later at uc santa cruz. i LOVED it and have been a fan ever since. so I AM SO EXCITED to see your play (twice!)!!
