water riot with me may 10

I’m very excited about the collaborations coming together to develop this cyber punk rock opera. Over the last few years, I’ve prioritized the music and soundscape — what the show sounds like. How things hit the ear.

But this year, we’re really diving in the themes and characterization as we begin developing the visual and interactive components. And up next: we’re kicking off our partnership with Honey Pot Performance!

STAGED READING: WATER RIOT
a cyber punk rock opera in progress

In collaboration with Honey Pot Performance, writer Derek Lee McPhatter invites you to a public reading of Water Riot — a radical vision set in a near-future Chicagoland, where Black activists rise against the privatization of Lake Michigan.

This isn’t just a performance.
It’s a call-in.
An invitation to listen, reflect, and co-imagine what this piece can become. We welcome your feedback, your energy, and your ideas.

The vision for Water Riot has evolved through an ensemble-driven, collaborative process — shaped by Derek alongside composer Mike Przygoda, music director Dionne McClain-Freeney, director Maija García, and a powerhouse group of performers and musicians.
This staged reading is one piece of the larger build. Be part of shaping this experimental, musical meditation on resistance, water, and collective power.