Help Bring Beyond the Wall to Life

Hello, my name is Yannick Kamanzi

I could introduce myself in many ways—artist, director, choreographer—but today I just want to speak to you about why I’m asking for your help.

Beyond the Wall is a musical I’m building as a mirror of society—a tool to bring art back where it belongs: at the heart of the conversations that shape who we are and how we live.

I was born and raised in Rwanda, a country where art was never just entertainment—it was how people lived, taught, solved problems, and healed. Songs, dances, and poetry carried the identity and wisdom of generations. And it was these same traditions—what survived of them—that helped my country begin to heal after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Beyond the Wall isn’t just a show—it’s an attempt to do the same: codify real human struggles into music, movement, and storytelling, so that every performance becomes not just a spectacle, but a personal journey of self-reflection for the audience.

It explores questions we’re all facing today—conformity, control, cancel culture, justice, and the challenge of standing as yourself in a world that keeps asking you to blend in.

To do this properly requires real time, care, and people. I want to create Beyond the Wall in four phases:

1. Writing the script and composing the music

2. Developing the movement and choreography

3. Designing the visual world of the show (sets, costumes)

4. Finally, putting it all together for the stage.

This fundraiser will specifically support the first phase—writing, composing, and recording. It will pay for a creative space to work in, hire the artists, and cover technical costs like a sound engineer to professionally record the soundtrack.

I don’t just want to make this for people—I want to build it with you. As you give, I’ll bring you along the journey: sharing behind-the-scenes progress, early sounds, rehearsals, and sneak peeks reserved for those who make this possible.

Thank you for helping build something timeless.

Let’s go Beyond the Wall together.