74 Corridor

a performance memoir by Jean Rohe

 

SYNOPSIS

Take a ride along the 74 Corridor in a new performance memoir by songwriter Jean Rohe. Through the windows of a secret schedule of the #74 New Jersey Transit bus, passengers can see all the layers of history at once: everything that ever happened in the towns between Paterson and Newark, NJ. With a cameo from New Jersey native William Carlos Williams and against an ever-shifting backdrop, Jean brings her band and audience on a bus tour of her late father's life in the cities that shaped him, all the while collecting evidence that he was more than the only written record he left behind: a pile of letters he sent his friend from prison after a wrongful conviction in 1974. 

The show consists of 14 songs and interstitial musical improvisations, plus spoken text. While Jean’s highly crafted songwriting is the musical centerpiece, she has also created improvisational structures that allow her bandmates’ expansive musicianship to take center stage, evoking motion, time, and spontaneous excitement alongside her narration. There are several opportunities for audience members to join in the singing. Jean’s own field recordings from the #74 bus form the basis for some of the songs. Full concert video available upon request.

 

MUSIC

Songs from the 74 Corridor

  • RUNNING TIME: 75 mins
     
  • DESIGN
    74 Corridor can be staged in a proscenium theater or a club, but the presentational concept is adaptable, and can be presented on a spectrum from “concert” (think music festival stages) to theatrical show.
     
  • CREATIVE
    Music, Lyrics and Text by Jean Rohe
     
  • CAST
    Jean Rohe (guitar, vocal) plus her bandmates: Caroline Davis (woodwinds, synths, vocal), Christopher Tordini (bass, vocal), Jason Burger (drums, vocal)
     
  • The Band
    Caroline Davis @carolinedavismusic 
    Christopher Tordini @christophertordini 
    Jason Burger @jburgerdrums

 

 

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

As Jean began reflecting on her father’s illness and subsequent death in 2019, surprising song scraps poured out, including an early iteration of “Mystery Ride.” This song, about local childhood travels with her father and the ultimate mystery ride of life and death, sparked the idea for an audio tour of the #74 bus line. From this sprung a series of songs and a concert at The Owl Music Parlor, Songs from the 74 Corridor, complete with a collaged “bus schedule” and map for the audience/”passengers," all supported by a grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council.

Now, Jean and the band are beginning to explore the storytelling possibilities of movement, lighting, and sound design. They begin a workshop process culminating in a public performance at Ars Nova in January 2024. Simultaneously, Jean and the band are working with Jean’s longtime collaborator, producer Liam Robinson, on a studio album of the songs from the show. This recording can serve as a musical audio tour for listeners aboard a southbound #74.