Quinn McLeer was given an opportunity to do something unique. 

Because another actor wasn’t available, he was thrust into the role of his father, Michael “Kaves” McLeer, in his youth in the immersive play “A Brooklyn Dream” at the “Brooklyn Pop” art installation at Industry City in Sunset Park. 

What You Need To Know

“A Brooklyn Dream” is an immersive play at the “Brooklyn Pop” installation at Industry City in Sunset Park 

It was created by artist and director Michael “Kaves” McLeer

Five performances of the play are taking place on Saturday, May 9 

Quinn said he was able to learn more about his grandmother, the late Donna Blanchard, and his father while playing a poignant scene in a re-creation of Kaves’ Bay Ridge bedroom. The scene has brought tears from the audience. 

“I don’t expect it, ’cause it’s like, my first time acting, so I don’t expect to bring any type of reaction out of anybody, but then I look up and there’s people like, tearing up, and that just goes to show how much of a powerful scene it is, and how much people can relate to it,” McLeer said.

(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)

“Brooklyn Pop” opened in September 2024. It’s the creation of the the multifaceted Kaves — an artist, actor, director and rapper from the group Lordz of Brooklyn. He created the installation as a love letter to his beloved home borough.

“Everything from the cinema, to the music, to the art, and in the exhibit, we celebrate movies like ‘Do the Right Thing’ and ‘Saturday Night Fever’ and ‘The Warriors,’ because it played such an important part inspiring us as children, and kind of raising us to have this dream, and it’s a Brooklyn dream,” McLeer said. “And this exhibit, I think, as an artist it was my job to really paint that picture, and tell that story.”

(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)

There’s a multitude of artifacts and ephemera from years of life in Brooklyn, from seltzer bottles with the names of famous Brooklynites to high school jackets — and many photos of Kaves and his family navigating life in Brooklyn.

It’s a look back at Kaves’ rise as an artist, beginning in the subway tunnels with graffiti in the 1980s. There is the soda shop, the bodega, the shoe repair store and the social club, which all become part of the set for the play.

(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)

“And you as an audience member gets to live it, and gets to interact with it — hot dogs, egg creams, a dance floor. I mean, I don’t want to give it away, but you’re totally immersed and involved in the show,” said Kaves of the play, which also features actors Alba Albanese, Jana Arcidiacono, Joseph Donofrio and Paul Nugent. 

“A Brooklyn Dream” is back for five performances on Saturday, May 9. Plan your visit here.