A young man stands up in the church. He is torn between the longing for community and the fear of manipulation. He ignites a dynamic that spirals out of control. It’s about faith, gospel, and violence in the first production of the new Urban Arts division of the Theater Oberhausen: "Preach".

As a pioneer of the hip-hop dance style Krump, choreographer, educator, and performer Kwame Osei – known in the scene as "Big Wave" – has established the six-member dance ensemble "New Wave" at the municipal stage. The first project sounds highly ambitious. The performance is inspired by the work of the black US writer James Baldwin. In a mass in which the audience becomes part, raw violence breaks through. Between praises to God and gospel choir, the fanatical structures of African religious communities are revealed: powerful men and submissive women devote themselves to the faith proclaimed by a priest from the pulpit.