Here I Am / I Am The Bridge

Following its celebrated premiere in an online/ virtual format in April, 2021, attended by thousands of audience members, The Lab is proud to present the long-awaited in-person premiere of Mélisande Short-Colomb’s Here I Am.

Colomb is a descendant of families who were enslaved and trafficked by the Society of Jesus in the documented 1838 sale. Here I Am weaves narrative, music, and imagery, inviting the audience on an experiential journey celebrating her 11 generations of maternal grandmothers and exploring her complicated relationship with the institution that enslaved her ancestors.

Direction: Derek Goldman
Multimedia Design/Direction: Jared Mezzocchi
Original Music: Somi
Dramaturgy: Nikkole Salter
Sound Design: Andre Pluess

I Am The Bridge, the documentary film from Mélisande Short-Colomb’s point of view, follows her time at Georgetown University and examines the possibilities of repair for the sin of American slavery and the contributions of generations of activists and artists working toward racial justice.

I Am The Bridge (2023) was produced and directed by Bernie Cook; co-produced by Dawne Langford, Christina Dropulic, and Mélisande Short-Colomb; filmed by Kuna Hammad and Jonathan Howard; and edited by Dawne Langford, with music by Grammy Award-Nominated Composer Carlos Simon.