BLACK POETRY THEATER
TELLING STORIES THROUGH VERSE AND PERFORMANCE
CURRENT SEASON
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Upcoming Show
The Adventures of Mystery Green
A Black Poetry Theatre Production
February 17, 2026
Northstar Church of the Arts
220 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701
$12 admission
Doors 7:00pm | Show 7:30pm
In this episode of "The Adventures of Mystery Green," Green and Malik have found themselves in a very precarious situation in Wilson, NC. What was supposed to be a relaxing visit to Malike’s grandmother’s house turned into a roller coaster of emotion, turmoil, confusion, and treachery. Before you know it, Green and Malike find themselves investigating the chaos with folks imploring them to determine the source.
The story begins as Green and Malik are eating breakfast, hoping to enjoy a few days' rest after solving their last case. Mrs M’am, as she liked folks to call her, had opened her home to her grandson and his employer and was determined to help preserve their peace. Unfortunately, they had only been there for 24 hours before they were hearing about fights and arrests. Malik figured it was nothing out of the ordinary, but Green wasn’t so sure. His detective instincts told him there was something more afoot. He was right. This foolishness was going to cut their vacation short. There was a mystery to be solved.
This staged reading brings the adventures of your favorite soulful sleuth you just found out about, to life. Playwright Dasan Ahanu blends humor, cleverness, poetics, and soul music, all with the intent of creating a whole vibe. Find out how Green solves complex cases with keen observation, deductive reasoning, and a lot of sarcasm. This play is a Black Poetry Theatre production.
Season Overview
Works in Progress Series: Lifelines
For our 2025-2026 season we will be embarking on a journey of powerful and dynamic storytelling. We will be presenting a series of staged readings focusing on new works in progress. Be prepared to laugh, wonder, question, and uncover as you go on this adventure with us. Help us shaped this scripts into productions ready for the stage!
Founders
Joseph "Church Da'Poet" is no stranger to the stage. He is a poet, spoken word artist, writer, motivational speaker, and playwright. Church began his poetic journey at the tender age of 14, seeking to express emotions not easily shared. Soon, he was hosting his own poetry events and doing shows across the country. After settling in North Carolina, he set his sights on building new platforms for the art form. Church is the Co-founder of City Soul Cafe Open Mic and the theatre company, Black Poetry Theatre. Church is the creator of the stage plays "Black Poetry" and "Reality Check-in." He is also the author of Life and I Quote, a book of quotes coauthored with NakitaJay Poet.
Church has opened for Saul Williams, J.Ivy, Def Poetry alums Abyss and Georgia Me, and Sonya Sanchez. He also worked with several nationally recognized poets, including Dasan Ahanu, Talaam Acey, Tia Smedley, John Goode, and many more. As a motivational speaker, he infuses pieces of his story in ways that are relatable to all. His mission is to teach youth how to express their emotions through poetry and spoken word.
His thoughts are provoking, engaging, and informative. Breathing life into the mic while garnering your attention with his strong voice and metaphors. Church is true to the art.
Church Da Poet
Technical Director
A self-described introvert with a very public profession, Dasan Ahanu is an award-winning North Carolina-based cultural organizer, artist, and scholar. As an accomplished cultural leader and poet, Dasan has appeared on NPR, TV One’s Verses and Flow, and the documentary Poet Son, among other features. Through his work, service projects, and appointments, Dasan has shown an incredible commitment to his home state, highlighting the creative artistry embedded in North Carolina's fabric. He has served as a resident artist with the St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation/Hayti Heritage Center and the Rothwell Mellon Program Director for Creative Futures with Carolina Performing Arts. He is the Program Director for the Jambalaya Soul Slam and founder of the Bull City Slam Team. Dasan is also respected as a playwright, working with arts organizations and university presenters to craft new productions. He is co-founder and managing director of Black Poetry Theatre, a theatre company dedicated to developing and producing original plays centered on poetry and spoken word.
He has performed extensively and competed in poetry slams across the country, both with the Bull City Slam team and independently. A respected recording artist, Dasan has collaborated with many Jazz, Soul, and Hip-Hop artists in North Carolina. He is a member of the Recording Academy and has released a variety of singles and albums commercially.
Dasan has worked with multiple educational institutions, teaching courses on Hip-Hop, Creative Writing, and Black culture. Among the many great honors throughout his career, Dasan is an alumnus of the Nasir Jones Fellowship with the Hip Hop Archive at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African & African American Research. In 2023, he was named the 15th Piedmont Laureate, a one-year program that changes genres annually, for which he serves as a poet. His writing has been published extensively, and he is the author of seven poetry collections.
Dasan Ahanu
Managing Director
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