121 Project
New Musical Development Program
Francois & The Rebels: A Punk Rock Ritual
Book, Music & Lyrics by Jaime Cepero
Francois & The Rebels is a punk rock ritual performance piece that details the real history of the 1791-1804 Haitian Revolution, as told through the inherent blackness of the rock and roll genre. Using the punk rock asthetic and sound as our access, it follows the first successful slave rebellion in history that resulted in the creation of the first black led country in the western hemisphere, consequently leading to the ending of transatlantic slavery world wide.
JAIME CEPERO (They/He) is an afrolatino queer non-binary, actor, writer, composer, and award winning activist. With a songwriting style that has been called both “eye opening” and “innovative” (Broadwayworld), Cepero’s work has been featured on The Musicals Of Tomorrow for Broadway Podcast Network, The Songwriter Series for Playbill & Audible Theater, and as a 2x Semi Finalist in the Times Square City Songwriting Competition. Artist Residencies include work with National Queer Theater, La Mama Experimental Theater Club, Carnegie Hall, Barishnikov Arts Center, Joes Pub, MTF Musicals, and The Public Theater. Their punk rock ritual about the Haitian Revolution, “Francois & The Rebels”, was a 2022 nominee for the Vivace Award for Theater Artists, as well as a winning finalist of the Phillip Seymour Hoffman Relentless Award for Musical Theater. Their organizing & community engagement work on the 2020 March On Broadway won two Gold Anthem Awards from the International Academy Of Digital Arts & Sciences.