The Songs for Janie Project

Our Story
We are creating a Musical CD and theatrical performance based on the main character Janie, from Zora Neale Hurston's, "Their Eyes Were Watching God."

Songs for Janie (SFJ) is concept created by Risikat "Kat" Okedeyi for singer/songwriter Tamara Wellons. This musical project and theatrical production will be presented at Joe’s Movement Emporium, Mt. Rainier, Maryland, April 26-29, 2012. The artist, Tamara Wellons, a former Prince George’s County Elementary Education teacher and Bowie State University Alumni has coordinated her worlds of education, community, and arts by weaving together a musical work based on Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Risikat "Kat" Okedeyi is the owner of LSP and an associate professor of literature and composition at Prince George's Community College, and extended the vision of the project into a theatrical presentation. In utilizing Alice Walker’s “womanist” perspective, SFJ will bring together elements of literature and music for a 21st-century look at what it means to be Black, woman, and American.
 

The project will have three phases:

•   Audio recording: The album will feature 10 original songs based on three distinct phases of Janie’s life: “The Maiden”, “The Matron” and finally “The Lover”. 
•   Book of short essays: Risikat, a professor of composition and literature and producer of the SFJ theatrical concert, will construct short essays that are inspired by Hurston and the process of bringing the SFJ project to life.
•   Stage production: As part of the official launch, Joe's Movement Emporium has agreed to produce the theatrical staging of the album for its official release complete with costumes, set design and lighting.

The Impact

This project is 80% completed. The concert date is set for April 27-29. 2012.  The funding for the 'last big push' will enable us to see this work through completion. We have a unique opportunity to introduce to some and re-capture for others a 1937 tale from a 21st Century point of view.  

The only way this will happen is if we raise the funds to complete the project in all its forms.

What We Need & What You Get

This project has been produced on a shoe string budget. It has taken my personal investments, the investment of musicians, singers, and my studio engineer, to get us this far. We expect that the return on investment and cultural experience will more than outweigh all costs and invite you to join us in this venture. 

Here's what we need:

$1000.00: Mixing and mastering the project

$1000.00: Album artwork and manufacturing

$1500.00 will go towards the stage production of the production set for April 27-29.

Some of the perks will include: copies of the album, tickets to the concert, and dinner with the band at Eatonville's restaurant and more.

Other Ways You Can Help

Thanks for sharing this opportunity with your friends on facebook, twitter, and through other social media outlets. 

We really appreciate your support.