Damon Cardasis Discusses 'Saturday Church,' Found Family and Queer Joy

I was thrilled to have Damon Cardasis join me for a conversation on Friday, October 17. It just so happened to be the same day that Mr. Scorsese, the five-part documentary series directed by Rebecca Miller, that he produced began streaming on Apple TV. So, yeah, he’s a busy guy! In particular, I wanted to discuss the musical adaptation of his movie Saturday Church, which is currently running Off-Broadway in New York City. The movie was released in 2018, after it debuted in 2017 at the Tribeca Festival, and it received critical acclaim. Both the movie and the musical tell the story of Ulysses, a New York teen who’s struggling with his sexual and gender identity. He doesn’t feel welcome in the Black church and eventually finds support at a youth group in the West Village. It’s a story of found family, queer joy and resilience. And yes: Black Jesus is very much a character in this whole thing. When I saw the show at New York Theatre Workshop last month, I was moved by being in a communal, safe space with such a powerful, talented cast. Not only does the production contain multiple Tony Award winners—including J. Harrison Ghee and Joaquina Kalukango—Damon collaborated with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames (Fat Ham), who co-wrote the book, and director Whitney White (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding). Oh yeah, and the music and lyrics are by Sia. For real!The current production of Saturday Church runs at New York Theatre Workshop through Oct. 24. (You can also stream the original concept album on Spotify, or wherever you prefer to listen.)In this preview clip, you get a taste of the attitude, talent and fabulosity that is on stage. Thank you shana, Emillio Mesa, Rande Iaboni, Lee Tsiantis, and many others for tuning into my live video with Damon. You can also find our previous episodes of the Queer Love Podcast and other interviews on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Go ahead and subscribe so you’ll never miss an episode!The Queer Love Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Queer Love Project at queerloveproject.substack.com/subscribe