Actress and choreographer Debbie Allen is making a statement, just not through today's usual means of issuing a press release or taking to Twitter to unleash a rant about whatever social happenings have us riled up in the moment. Instead, Allen is going back to what she knows best to let the world know where she stands on some of today's biggest issues—and she's not holding back.
During a rehearsal of Freeze Frame—a mash-up of dance, music, spoken word and theater—we had the chance to see Allen take on race relations, the Black Lives Matter movement, guns in America, gang violence and violence against women. The production—which the Grey's Anatomy star is calling the most important work of her career—premieres at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on February 5, though perhaps Allen is hoping Freeze Frame is the next Spring Awakening and will move on to more stages, perhaps even Broadway.
"We're really excited to be going to the Wallis... we gotta go further," she said, expanding later that she hoped the Wallis was just the start for the show.
Not only did Allen write, direct and choreograph the production, she also plays a powerful role in it when her deaf son is accosted by gang members, and later during a town hall meeting calling for gun control and mental health initiatives. If you haven't gotten the gist of this show yet, let us make it clear, there is nowhere this production doesn't go. From Sandy Hook to the more recent San Bernardino shootings to the upcoming presidential election, it's all in the conversation.
To launch that conversation, there will be a Benefit Gala on February 4 at 5:30pm with an "Architects of Change" panel discussion on Violence in America presented by Maria Shriver and Debbie Allen. Proceeds from the event will go to the Debbie Allen Dance Academy and Arts Education.
"These young people in this production are real people," Allen said. "[This production] will touch you. It will make you want to do something about violence in America. This is a call to action."
Freeze Frame will take place at the Wallis on Feb 5 at 8pm; Feb 6 at 3 and 8pm; and Feb 7 at noon. Tickets for the production (starting at $37) and the gala ($500) can be purchased online.
Debbie Allen's Freeze Frame is rehearsed at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles. Photograph: Stephanie Cary
Debbie Allen's Freeze Frame is rehearsed at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles. Photograph: Stephanie Cary
Debbie Allen's Freeze Frame is rehearsed at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles. Photograph: Stephanie Cary
Debbie Allen's Freeze Frame is rehearsed at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles. Photograph: Stephanie Cary
Debbie Allen's Freeze Frame is rehearsed at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles. Photograph: Stephanie Cary
Debbie Allen's Freeze Frame is rehearsed at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles. Photograph:Stephanie Cary