JUNK: A ROCK OPERA by Brainpool and Shakina
If Broadway went bankrupt now and had to use leftover lumber and labour available to put one last great show on, JUNK would be it. Part social satire, part love story and part existential allegory, JUNK follows the lives of six conflicted individuals as they struggle for power, stardom and humanity over the course of one raucous night in the not-to-distant future.
The planet is covered in garbage and on the verge of environmental collapse. The last great city - and final stronghold for humanity - is owned by the mega corporation Junk Inc, which has taken over all aspects of the world, from media to manufacturing. Anna, a Junk Inc. employee, dreams of something more: an escape from the drudgery of corporate-controlled life and an opportunity for fame and romance.
But in a world controlled by greed and power, where does "opportunity" truly lie?. Should Anna succumb to the powerful whims of The Man, the CEO of JUNK Inc., to achieve stardom? Or should she reject the corporate lifestyle and risk everything for the man she truly loves?
Facing an epic choice between opportunity and ideals, Anna risks sacrificing what she holds most dear for a chance to share her voice with the world.
Sample Repertoire
THE TEAM
Shakina Nayfack (Artistic Director)
Shakina is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Epic Megalopolis Productions (EpicMegaPro), the company behind JUNK: A Rock Opera (2007). Other producing/directing highlights include: For coloured girls…(2008), Zoot Suit: 30th Anniversary Production (AD/Choreographer, 2008), Ragesties: Bodies in Crisis (2002), The Poor Players (2002), The Children's Hour (2000). With a passion for new-works development, Shakina has created smaller pieces for the Performance Studies International conference at Brown University (2005), the 2005 Chicago Butoh Festival, and the International Conference of Performance Art Theory at the Escuela Superior de los Artes Visuales in Baja California, Mexico (2006). His work has been featured on MTV and in far-reaching publications including The Nation (New York), The Guardian (Manchester) and Culture Wars (London). Shakina has trained extensively in Butoh Ritual Mexicano with master Diego Piñón, and continues to teach Butoh-inspired work in Los Angles and elsewhere. He holds an MFA in experimental choreography from UC Riverside, where he is also a Ph.D. candidate in Dance History and Theory. His writings on performance have been published by The Industry Standard, The Chicago Cultural Center, The Dance Research Journal, The Drama Review, and most recently by the University of Illinois Press, in their upcoming anthology Dancing Across Borders.
Joseph Yoshitomi (American Producer) ?
Joseph currently serves as the Director of Marketing for the Geffen Playhouse and has over nine years of experience in theatrical development and marketing. He began his career as part of Los Angeles County/J. Paul Getty Trust intern program and, while focused on marketing, has worked in development, production and administrative capacities at several nonprofit and for profit arts organizations. Serving as Associate Marketing Director at Pasadena Playhouse, one of the nation's leading nonprofit theatres, Joseph specialized in new sales and audience participation strategies. This specialization helped him regularly surpass multi-million dollar subscription sales goals while national and regional subscription numbers trended downward. He planned/implemented marketing and advertising campaigns for large scale productions such as Sister Act the Musical, Ray Charles Live! - A New Musical, and Fences starring Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett. Along with his father, international arts consultant, Jerry Yoshitomi, Joseph has presented on such strategies at two national arts marketing conferences and, on his own, at one ticketing and marketing conference. He and his wife independently produced several 99-seat Los Angeles productions and are avid theatre-goers. Joseph holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from U.C. Berkeley (Phi Betta Kappa & Highest Distinction) is a certified Los Angeles County mediator, and holds a pre-medical program certificate from Loyola Marymount University.
Justin Winokur, (Brainpool’s U.S. Agent and Associate Producer)?
Justin Winokur Justin is a possibility thinker—always looking for what can be gained by making a move. He founded music management company JWC Artist Group and currently manages Brainpool, two-time gold record winners and authors of Junk: A Rock Opera. As both a producer and executive producer, he raised funds for the first workshop production of Junk - A Rock Opera at the Steve Allen Theatre. He has taught music business at Cogswell College (Sunnyvale, California). He booked a U.S. concert tour for Norwegian grammy-winning artist Bigbang. He was a vice president of programming for the San Francisco Summer Music Conference, where he planned the event's curriculum. He's currently the marketing director for the Los Angeles Music Network. Based in Los Angeles, Winokur speaks and reads Swedish and holds a permanent resident's visa for Sweden, allowing him to live and work there.