page_title: Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping
section_title: The Stop Shopping Choir
hierarchical_section_title: Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping / The Stop Shopping Choir
caption_attribution_description: English: Reverend Billy performing an 'exorcism’ of corporate power in the offices of global law firm King &amp; Spalding
context_page_description: Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping is a radical performance community based in New York City. The Stop Shopping Choir is accompanied by a comic preacher, Reverend Billy, portrayed by performer William Talen. The philosophy of the Church of Stop Shopping surrounds the imminent "Shopocalypse", which assumes the end of humanity will come about through manic consumerism.
  The Stop Shopping Choir accompanies Reverend Billy and stages guerrilla theater style actions, singing on the property of the Disney stores, Monsanto facilities, and Trump Tower, among others. They are often considered part of the Culture Jamming movement.
  The group uses the content from their direct actions to create songs that are performed on concert stages and in cabarets. The director of these shows is church co-founder Savitri D. The music director is Nehemiah Luckett. Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir routinely perform at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater in New York City.
context_section_description: The Stop Shopping Choir is a 35-member ensemble that performs an array of original gospel songs in theater performances and alongside Reverend Billy in public spaces during campaigns. The choir began accompanying Talen's sermons at concert shows shortly after the September 11 attacks, adding a musical influence to Reverend Billy performances. Led by musical director Nehemiah Luckett, the choir members are volunteers who rehearse weekly at the Lower Eastside Girl's Club in the East Village.
  The Choir often write songs that draw attention to the environmental and consumerist campaigns championed by the Church of Stop Shopping. They have accompanied Talen into the lobbies of multinational banks such as JP Morgan Chase or research facilities belonging to Monsanto, dressed as golden toads and honeybees, singing songs in support of the day's sermon. One of their best-known songs is The First Amendment, an incantation of the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution, sung rapturously by soprano Laura Newman.
caption: A 2015 'exorcism’ of corporate power in the offices of global law firm King & Spalding.
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