Temples of Lung and Air

**This is the archival page for the 2018 production. For info on the 20/21 encore presentation, click here.**

Written and performed by Kane Smego

Directed by Joseph Megel

A hip-hop odyssey through race and identity


Poetry, rap, and storytelling join forces in a tale of race, whiteness, language, and Hip Hop as a global community. Writer-performer and UNC graduate Kane Smego draws on his experience as an international touring poet, Hip Hop artist, youth educator, and native of the American South in this virtuosic one-man show.

AGE RECOMMENDATION

Due to heavy themes and some language use, we recommend this show for ages 15 and up.

RUN TIME

95 minutes. No intermission.

A production of StreetSigns Center for Literature and Performance. This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with additional support by a grant from the Paul Green Foundation, Inc.—Serving the Arts and Human Rights since 1982.

MORE FROM KANE SMEGO

THE COST OF A KING
X CHROMOSOME

TICKETS AND SHOWTIMES

MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
AUG 22

7:30p

SOLD OUT +

 AUG 23

7:30p

 AUG 24

7:30p
10:30p*

 AUG 25

7:30p

SOLD OUT +

 AUG 26

2:00p
7:30p C

C Community Night
All tickets $15

*Special Event
All tickets just $10!

+ Tickets are no longer available online for this performance. Please contact our Box Office at 919.962.7529 for more options and to get up-to-the-minute information on ticket availability.

Talkbacks and Pass the Mic Post-Show

In addition to our usual “second act” of conversation, we’ll be celebrating the rich performing arts communities of the Triangle and beyond as Kane shares the stage with various performance poetry groups from Durham, Chapel Hill, and Greensboro to feature a 30-minute showcase after select showings of Temples of Lung and Air. Make sure to stick around after the main show to hear from some of the area’s most electrifying poets!
(click to expand)

Opening Night—PASS THE MIC—Blackspace Poetry and CJ Suitt

Blackspace is a digital makerspace based out of Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. We offer Black and Brown youth a breathing space to manifest their dreams by any medium necessary.
Thursday—PASS THE MIC—Gate City Slam

The Poetry Project (out of Greensboro, NC) sponsors the Gate City Youth Slam Team as they head to Brave New Voices every summer! The team is chosen from the top young poets (13-19) in the city of Greensboro and they compete in a poetry slam to earn their spot. Each year, 50 Youth Spoken Word Teams from all over the world come together in a city to attend this International Poetry Festival (BNV). The teams get a chance to fellowship, workshop, learn and slam! The team comes together to raise funds, practice and perform in preparation for the festival. Through this process students learn team work, responsibility and participate in community service activities as they give back to the city they represent.
Friday—CONVERSATION

  • Kyesha Jennings, English Lecturer at NC State University College of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Mark Katz, UNC Distinguished Professor of Humanities; Director, Institute for the Arts and Humanities
  • Jaki Shelton Green, NC Poet Laureate
Saturday—PASS THE MIC—Black Poetry Theatre

Black Poetry Theatre seeks to expand the understanding of spoken word and foster greater appreciation for the power of contemporary poetry by presenting it in traditional theatrical settings, raising cultural awareness through the use of the performing arts, and telling necessary stories from within our communities.
Sunday Matinee—CONVERSATION

  • Joshua Rowsey, founding member of the national hip hop collective No9to5 Music
  • Robert Fields, Licensed Psychologist, Hip Hop & Mental Health Speaker, Emcee
Sunday Evening—CONVERSATION—Meet the Team

  • Kane Smego, playwright, performer, educator.
  • Joseph Megel, director of “Temples of Lung and Air” and UNC’s Process Series.

Photos

Reviews

REVIEWS

Temples of Lung and Air at PlayMakers Repertory Company
by Garrett Southerland
Talkin’ Broadway
August 24, 2018

StreetSigns’ World Premiere of Kane Smego’s Temples of Lung and Air at PlayMakers Repertory Company Is Phenomenal!
by Kurt Benrud
Triangle Review
August 24, 2018

Temples of Lung and Air Tackles Tough Questions and Inspires Great Thought
by Susie Potter
Triangle Arts Review
August 23, 2018

NEWS

In Temples of Lung and Air, Spoken-Word Star Kane Smego Drops Real Talk on Hip-Hop and White Privilege
by Kevin J. Rowsey II
Indy Week
August 22, 2018

On Aug. 22-26, PlayMakers Repertory Company Will Present StreetSigns’ World Premiere of Kane Smego’s Temples of Lung and Air
by Robert McDowell
Triangle Review
August 22, 2018

A One-Man ‘Hip-Hop Odyssey’ Spotlights The Cypher
by Anita Rao & Frank Stasio
WUNC
August 15, 2018

Phil Cook Commits to His Community on His Second Record, People Are My Drug
by Spencer Griffith
Indy Week
June 6, 2018

Stories with a Heartbeat: Kane Smego
by Rohan Ayinde
WUNC
December 2, 2016

After helping grow Sacrificial Poets from a slam team to an educational fixture, Kane Smego heads west
by Chris Vitiello
Indy Week
September 10, 2014

Artists

Joseph Megel
Director
Kane Smego. Photo by Abby O. Photography
Kane Smego
Playwright
Torry Bend
Creative Team
Dominic Abbenante
Creative Team
Eric Alexander Collins
Creative Team
Elisabeth Lewis Corley
Creative Team
Elizabeth Ray
Creative Team
Street Signs
Creative Team
Jennifer Bayang
Creative Team

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