Disco Demo

An explosion. A riot. A dance floor. A love story. On July 12, 1979, Chicago erupted in what some call “the day disco died”. At Comiskey Park, the “Disco Sucks” movement’s record torching publicity stunt turned into a riot, destroying thousands of disco records. Across Chicago, in the more than 100 active discos, black, brown, and queer people gathered to dance, celebrate, and fight to survive as the city’s cultural fabric was torn open. Despite this event, they found love, release, and escape. DISCO DEMO is an interview and research-based musical that shifts the spotlight from the spectacle to the people who lived it and found solace in a genre that championed joy and liberation asking, what does it mean to seek joy in the face of hatred?