From the Archives
COPS & ROBBERS: HUNTER POETRY
Written & Performed by Jinho “The Piper” Ferreira
Directed by Jinho “The Piper” Ferreira
Original Direction by Ami Zins & Lew Levinson
Music by WolfHawkJaguar
Light/Soundboard Operator: Madison Worthington
November 10 – December 9, 2017 | Berkeley
Fridays at 8pm | Saturdays at 8:30pm
“You hear the voices he has been tuned into, and benefit from the experience of someone from the streets who has actually listened.” –Newsweek
“…more than an evening at the theater, it’s a discussion on difficult issues clearly designed to prompt openness, honesty, and world where justice isn’t common.” –San Francisco Examiner
“Versatile actor.” –San Jose Mercury News
Show Description
Cops and Robbers is a meditation on the dysfunctional relationship between law enforcement, the media, and the Black community. The piece opened at The Marsh in 2014 and centers on an officer involved shooting, writer/performer Jinho “The Piper” Ferreira takes the viewer on an emotionally charged ride with unexpected twists and turns. The Piper seamlessly travels through 17 characters, each with their own convictions, logic, and prejudices. Cops and Robbers takes no prisoners as it challenges the viewer to question all preconceived notions of “right” and “wrong.”
Since 2014, the piece has developed, as has society’s feelings around police shootings. Piper is bringing in the artist WolfHawkJaguar, his album is titled: Hunter Poetry, to perform throughout the show. “When I wrote the play it was therapy for me, but I’ve been able to gauge people’s responses so it can be therapy for them as well. It’s a different world. We’re at a different level of consciousness now.”
Artist Biography
Writer/Performer Jinho “The Piper” Ferreira is a rapper, actor, and screenwriter from Oakland, California. He was one-third of Flipsyde, an alternative hip-hop band that has toured internationally with artists such as Snoop Dogg, The Black Eyed Peas, Akon, The Game, Busta Rhymes, and more. Flipsyde has written anthems for the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics. The band continues to enjoy several song placements in television, film, and sporting events. In 2009, Piper won the Creative Promise Award for screenwriter at the Tribeca Film Festival for his CIA thriller: Walter’s Boys.
Appalled by the death of Oscar Grant at the hands of BART police in Oakland, Piper paid his own way through a Bay Area law enforcement academy in the spring of 2010. He eventually graduated in the top percentile and delivered the commencement speech at graduation. Due to his performance in the academy, Piper was offered an opportunity to be the change he wanted to see. In January 2011, Piper became an Alameda Deputy Sheriff.
Piper joined the Youth and Family Bureau Crime Prevention Unit, and along with his co-workers, helped created what ArtPlace describes as one of the most progressive units in the country. The paradox of being a member of the Black community and a hip-hop artist, while simultaneously working in Law Enforcement, served as the inspiration to write Cops and Robbers, a solo performance about an officer involved shooting in which Piper plays 17 characters. Piper wrote a screenplay version of Cops and Robbers and was accepted into the 2017 Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab.
Band Biography
Passion, SPirit and Prosperity directly influence the melodic tunes of Multi talented Urban World Music artist WolfHawkJaguar. His music stirs the soul with a mixture of Spirituality, raptured in the heart of Orisa, Hip Hop, Raggae, Rythem and Blues. Currently residing in Oakland, the California native is a prolific musician, actor, and award-winning filmmaker. He will be joined on stage by percussionist Kele Nitoto and Vocalist Rashida Chase.