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The Light
Zhalarina Sanders tells an autobiographical story of forbidden love woven through three lyrical music videos fusing hip-hop and the theater arts.
The Light
The Light tells the forbidden love story of a girl exploring queer identity at the onset of the 21st century’s evolving negotiation of gender and sexuality. Told through a series of three sequential music videos, written and performed by Zhalarina Sanders playing both herself and her mother Diji, The Light is at once personal and universal — attending to the complexities of identity, coming-of-age, faith, self-actualization, and the bonds and tensions between parent and child.
Act I: Found
Zhalarina finds clandestine love at school to the dismay and alarm of her mother Diji.
Act II: Soot Swallowed
Suffocated at school and home, Zhalarina struggles to write and gets a heartbreaking hit.
Act III: Will Dawn
Zhalarina confronts wrenching alienation but faith and a return to writing help her heal.
Behind “The Light”: Zhalarina
Meet Zhalarina Sanders, The Light's writer, creator and central performer.
Behind “The Light”: Kabuki Drops
Go behind the scenes of The Light to watch the theatrical effect called the ``Kabuki Drop.``
Behind “The Light”: Quick Change
The Light's producers and performer execute a costume change for a swift-paced film shot.
ABOUT
Zhalarina H. Sanders is a rapper, actress, playwright and producer originally from Tampa, Florida. She serves as co-founder of The JVN Project, a hip-hop centered non-profit that seeks to uplift underprivileged communities through the arts, youth mentorship and social justice initiatives. She received her master’s in counseling psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was featured in the PBS Wisconsin 2018 documentary Hip-Hop U.
Zhalarina has performed her award-winning work in the United States and abroad, appearing on stages such as the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway and the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in London. She currently lives in Atlanta where she is working on the completion of her album Again! — for which nine of fourteen songs have already been released. She’s also working on her second one-person show following Rose Gold, entitled All for One.
Q&A: Designing the Set for “The Light”
Cailin Short, set designer and project manager at PBS Wisconsin, played a lead role constructing the real and surreal spaces of Zhalarina’s world in The Light. Here Cailin answers questions about design challenges specific to the production.
Artist Zhalarina Sanders Explores Love, Identity With “The Light”
Zhalarina Sanders is an artist who does it all. Her craft is steeped in theater and music — so lyricist, music composer, instrumentalist, playwright, actor and graphic and visual artist.
I’ll be the light before it gets dark/
cause I’m the one who memorized the beat of your heart/
and you won’t have to go far/
to find a thorough reminder of who you are
RELATED VIDEO
Zhalarina Sanders graduated as part of the 5th cohort of the University of Wisconsin-Madison First Wave scholarship program.
Hip-Hop U is a documentary from PBS Wisconsin exploring how the pioneering program empowers students to pursue a degree while developing their skills in the hip-hop art forms of spoken word, rap, writing, poetry, singing, producing and acting.
The film showcases First Wave’s innovative approach to creating a community of scholars around hip-hop and multicultural arts. Zhalarina is featured in Hip-Hop U with performances and clips that call attention to her considerable range as a writer, musician and performer.
Hip-Hop Culture, Spoken Word and More Comes with This College Education Experience
First Wave graduates Zhalarina Sanders and Tiffany Ike join PBS Wisconsin producer Trevor Keller to discuss their experiences as First Wavers.
CREDITS
Creator / Writer / Producer
Zhalarina Sanders
Performance Director
Jake Penner
Art Director
Rodney Lambright II
Set Designer & Props
Cailin Short
Lighting Director
Will Salzmann
Sound Design
Beauxregard Neylon
Videographer
Ryan Ward
Editor
James Donovan
Cast
Rina – Zhalarina Sanders
Diji – Zhalarina Sanders
Bae – Nia Scott
Dad/Teacher – Jake Penner
Grip
Nia Scott
Sam Wirth
Production Assistants
Philip Ashby
Tommy Bruno
Mike Foley
Angie Hause
Marian Herzog
Will Kenneally
Veronica Plum
Brandon Ribordy
Amanda Richardson
Emily Rubasch
Sam Wirth
Website
Erika Kachama-Nkoy
Chester Lee
Sigrid Peterson
Digital Voltage Advisor
Tim Schneider
Managing Producer
Trevor Keller
Executive Producer
Laurie Gorman
Funding for The Light is provided in part by Steven Vedro and Beverly Gordon, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
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