Wherever they go, refugees and immigrants carry stories of survival, displacement, and the search for home – experiences too often reduced to numbers or news headlines. Nyamuon Nguany Machar, also known as “Moon,” will attempt to bring some of these human stories to life in her upcoming performance, “Gospel Messiah,” to be staged in Portland at The Hill Arts, Nov. 14-16.
A fusion of gospel music, spoken word poetry, and theatrical storytelling, “Gospel Messiah” will transform Handel’s classic oratorio into a reflection on migration, resilience, and the universal quest for belonging.
“For me, this project is about reclaiming a story that has always been told to us – and telling it back in our own voice,” Machar explained. “The Messiah is not only a figure of salvation. He’s also a metaphor for how we survive and find purpose after losing everything.”
Who is Nyamuon Nguany Machar?
Machar describes herself simply: “My name is Nyamuon Nguany Machar. I would best describe myself as a Nuer woman from East Africa, born in Ethiopia to a South Sudanese father and an Ethiopian mother.”
She moved to the U.S. in 1995, and channels her experiences as a refugee into her work as an artist.
“My art is how I remember the villages we lost, the faces that disappeared. When I speak, I am not only speaking for myself. I am speaking for the girls who never got to leave.”
As a young woman, Machar began performing at community events and open mics in Maine, and quickly earned a reputation for raw emotional honesty and the excellence of her poetry, which often touches on war, exile, belonging, and the everyday struggle of identity in the diaspora. Over the years, she has collaborated with musicians, visual artists, and youth groups to create spaces where trauma meets creativity.
“When I arrived in the U.S., I felt like I had to learn to breathe again,” she said. “Poetry became my air. It gave me a way to say what my body had been holding in silence.”
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In “Gospel Messiah,” Machar brings that same vulnerability and strength to a larger canvas. The show blends spoken word, gospel music, and contemporary African rhythm – transforming Handel’s centuries-old oratorio into a dialogue between cultures and generations.
“We are taking something classical and Western, and we’re infusing it with our truth,” Machar said with a smile. “When the choir sings ‘And He Shall Reign,’ I hear the voice of every mother who raised a child through war. That’s our gospel.”
Refugee family on stage
The oratorio centers around the story of a refugee family navigating displacement and the search for home. Moon explained:
“You get to actually see in theater what it looks like for a father, a mother, and their children to pack – quite literally – [to] have to carry their things and decide what is most important to take through this journey to find a new sense of home. It makes me feel proud of my parents because now I see the bravery it took to do that.”
Her daughter and other local refugee students are acting in the performance, and her brother will share his poetry, and also portray the father in the story. Gospel singers from the African American community will add spiritual and cultural depth.
“Gospel has deep roots in the African American community,” Machar said. “On stage, it represents how communities can scream out and release what they carry through creative expression.”
The refugee family in the show is deliberately multicultural. Machar explained: “The mother is Asian, my brother is half Ethiopian and half South Sudanese, and the children come from Jamaica and other countries. Refugee experiences are universal, not limited to Africa.”
The merging of gospel music, ballet, spoken word, and theatrical storytelling posed unique challenges.
“All these elements are so independent. How do you make them exist together as one collective choir? But it’s been a fun challenge because it makes you reimagine what creatively can go together. Poetry can be music; it can make the body move in rhythm. That’s been a really awesome experience and it’s grown me as an artist,” she said.
Audience engagement and impact
Machar hopes audiences, many of whom may be unfamiliar with refugee experiences, will connect with the universal human emotions conveyed. “They’ll start finding commonality with refugee stories. We all have the potential to be refugees at any point. Maybe we should think deeper about how we label people without understanding what they’re going through,” she said.
A post-performance talk-back session will allow participants and audiences to reflect on collective traumas, shared experiences, and the power of art to foster understanding.
“Our traumas are not in competition,” Moon pointed out. “It’s more beneficial to understand each other and find solutions together.”
She measures the impact of her work through audience reactions and community feedback. “Even in smaller communities, you see your audience back at the grocery store or at church. Their response tells me that my work is reaching people. Art is not just performance; it’s advocacy and power.”
Looking ahead
Machar plans to tour “Gospel Messiah” beyond Maine, convening panel discussions and offering workshops that connect performers, artists, and refugee communities.
“Artists are dangerous to political structures,” she noted. “We say things metaphorically that others fear to voice. This piece will continue to live – this is just the beginning.”
She wants to leave audiences with a message grounded in resilience: “Joy is a form of resistance. Leave yourself room to be selfish with your peace. You don’t have to wake up every day trying to save the world. Sometimes saving yourself is how you save more.”
