Since the explosive growth of urban music in the former Black Bottom section of Detroit more than a decade ago, more and more performers and artists have embraced the culture and musical styles associated with hip-hop. Artists like Eminem and D12 (among many others) have made Detroit's version of the genre famous. Combining music, performance, and the power of the spoken word, the Wayne State University Department of Theatre will host Will Power, award-winning actor, rapper, playwright, and educator, for a week-long residency between September 8-13 titled "The Emergence of Hip-Hop: Takin' it to the Stage."

Several opportunities are available to see Power and his musical work. A community forum will be held on Tuesday, September 9 at 7 p.m. in the Hilberry Theatre. The WSU residency will include an open master class for theatre students that concludes with a student performance on Friday, September 12 at 6:30 in the Studio Theatre. A free community performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) will also be held Saturday, September 13 at 8 p.m. This performance is open to the public and will include excerpts from Power's award-winning solo show, FLOW.

Power's works The Seven and FLOW have been performed nationally and internationally. The New York Sun has said that "Will Power is the first playwright to use hip-hop to tell a story that is genuinely compelling. With his new play, The Seven, hip-hop theatre comes of age." The New York Times said that "FLOW is theatre with the refreshing aroma of originality."

This program is supported in part by a grant from the National Performance Network (NPN) and the Network of Cultural Centers of Color's (NCCC's) Artist of Color Performance Residency Program.

Major contributors to the National Performance Network include the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency), and the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Major contributors to the Network of Cultural Centers of Color include the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, and S.I. Savings Bank.

The Network of Cultural Centers of Color is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to serving the needs of community-based organizations and artists of color. The National Performance Network is a group of cultural organizations and artists facilitating the practice and public experience of the performing arts in the United States. NPN serves artists, arts organizers, and a broad range of audiences and communities across the country through commissions, residencies, culture-centered community projects and other artistic activities. For more information about NCCC: www.folk.org/NCCC/membership.htm. For more information about NPN: www.npnweb.org.

For more information about Will Power, log on to www.willpower.tv.