Speakeysie News Service

ATLANTA, GA – Atlanta’s Synchronicity Theatre is pleased to announce the four works that have been selected as part of this season’s Stripped Bare Arts Incubator Project. They are: Coming Home to Roost by Chris Lane (November 15, 2023), Day by Emma Yarbrough (January 6, 2024), Soft As It Began by John Clarence Stewart (February 21, 2024), and Mosaka’s Travel by Thulani Vereen (April 17, 2024). Performances are free and open to a live audience at Synchronicity Theatre, 1545 Peachtree St NE Atlanta, GA 30309. Reservations are required. Complete project descriptions are below. Please go to synchrotheatre.com to reserve tickets and for more information.

2023-2024 STRIPPED BARE ARTS INCUBATOR PROJECTS

Coming Home to Roost

By Chris Lane

Performance Date: Wednesday November 15, 2023

Description:

Coming Home to Roost is a Theatre for Young Audiences play that follows the life of an adopted bird named Cay, an ostrich who is more than determined to fly and goes on a journey to discover that true self worth is embedded inside. With an homage to Dr. Seuss’s rhythm and Jim Henson’s physical animation, Coming Home to Roost is bound to be a new-age thrill for elementary audiences (1st-4th grade). Our youth that go along for this interactive ride will learn the importance of not defining themselves by the abilities of others; that they too are unique in their own skin.

About Chris Lane:

When Chris Lane was in diapers he got bit by a sound bug. The venom soon led him to pick up a saxophone, a set of drums, and eventually his laptop becoming a professional DJ, sound designer, audio engineer, and music producer for various productions across the nation from theatre, to film, to major live stage tours; now exercising his playwriting muscle to blend these rhythms into the script of theatrical works. Born in Baltimore, MD, and now based in Atlanta, GA, Lane is the active CEO at Multiband Studios. Check out the growing BIPOC creative collective atwww.multibandstudios.com.

Day

by Emma Yarbrough 

Performance Date: Saturday January 6, 2024

Description:

Day is one woman’s deeply funny journey through traumatic grief, chronic illness and the untamable joy discovered while she huddled in the darkest recesses of her worst nightmares. Through clowning, storytelling, archival recordings and family interviews, Emma Yarbrough crafts a moving offering to the memory of her Aunt Day, her familial soulmate who she lost to a shocking act of violence, all while coping with her own life-changing health diagnosis and the legacy she shares with Day—a family curse/blessing of exceptionality, of laughing through tears at the absurdity and breathtaking beauty of it all.

About Emma Yarbrough:

Emma Yarbrough is a storyteller, immersive theater-maker and clown from Eufaula, Alabama. Emma studied theater at Emory University and trained in physical theater and clowning at the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. Emma has performed with Out of Hand Theatre, the Object Group, 7 Stages, and Theater Emory and presented original work at the Center for Puppetry Arts, Barn Arts Theater in Tremont, Maine, and Deer Bear Wolf’s immersive Transgression series. In addition to her work in theater, Emma serves as a senior producer for the international storytelling organization the Story Collider.

Soft As It Began 

by John Clarence Stewart

Performance Date: Wednesday February 21, 2024

Description:

One man show. Ritual. An assortment monologue, movement and music tracing the landscape of his journey with masculinity, myth, and purpose by excavating and examining the journey into black manhood in America. The catalyst being the death of his father, the yard that held the archetypal man he strove to be unraveled. A journey into the shadow. Produced with Emily Kleypas. Dramaturgy by Addae Afura Moon.

About John Clarence Stewart:

John Clarence Stewart hails from Stone Mountain, GA. John is a Storyteller who believes in the power of story to transform, investigate, and heal as Story has been essential in those ways in his own life. He attended both Columbus and Kennesaw State Universities, and started his Acting career in the Atlanta Theater Community. He worked with The Alliance (Whipping Man *Suzi Bass Nom*, Choir Boy, Christmas Carol), Synchronicity (Best Christmas Pageant Ever), The Aurora (Lombardi). Outside of Atlanta John worked at the Actors Theatre of Louisville and The Classical Theater of Harlem. In recent years he transitioned into Television and Film, P-Valley and Zoeys Extraordinary Playlist. John is beyond grateful to be coming back to Atlanta to step into a new space as an artist, Playwright/Actor. Grateful for Synchronicity taking a chance on him and this story.

Mosaka’s Travel 

by Thulani Vereen

Performance Date: Wednesday April 17, 2024

Description:

Mosaka’s Travel is a new theatrical dance work that depicts the journey of a courageous South African girl, breaking free from the shackles of Apartheid’s insidious racism and seeking solace in an ostensibly equal and promising land: the United States. This personal narrative unravels the coming-of-age story of the artist’s mother, Dorothy Mosaka. With a dynamic ensemble, this work weaves a tapestry of movement, blending modern, contemporary, African, and jazz techniques. The performance begins amidst the idyllic landscapes of rural South Africa, transitions to Dorothy’s journey to America, and ultimately illuminates the culmination of Mosaka’s odyssey—a tale of new beginnings, love, motherhood, and the intricate nuances of pursuing the American Dream as a black woman in America. This work aims to resonate with the universal quest for identity, equality, and the indomitable human spirit, capturing the resilience of the human spirit as it embraces the universal pursuit of dreams.

About Thulani Vereen:

Thulani Vereen is an Atlanta-based independent choreographer and a software engineer at Microsoft. Since graduating from Spelman College in 2020, Thulani has been an Artist in Residence at the Atlanta Contemporary via Dance Canvas, a Guest Artist with the Georgia Tech Science.Art.Wonder program, and the HomeTraining Experimental Gallery. In 2022, Thulani served as a Guest Artist at Spelman and the Illumine Festival. She was also awarded an Idea Capital Grant. Most recently, Thulani was selected to participate in Excuse The Art by Fly on a Wall and Windmill Arts Center. Thulani aims to create work that encapsulates the most authentic stories of humanity, leveraging dance as a vehicle to unlock new innovations. To learn more about Thulani, visitthulanivereen.com.

ABOUT SYNCHRONICITY THEATRE

Synchronicity Theatre produces smart, gutsy, bold theatre that sparks community connections, uplifts the voices of women and girls, forges long-term and effective community partnerships, and develops new work. Synchronicity reaches nearly 14,000 patrons a year through its season of plays for adults (Bold Voices) and families (Family Series); community outreach; and educational programming, including Playmaking for Kids (PFK) and the award-winning Playmaking for Girls (PFG). An intimate theatre in the heart of midtown at Peachtree Pointe became Synchronicity’s home for its main stage productions in the summer of 2014. The theatre also serves as a rental venue for independent film, dance, theatre and other projects. The Company recently opened the Synchronicity Annex, a new office, class, event and rehearsal space in Piedmont Heights, Atlanta.

ABOUT THE STRIPPED BARE ARTS INCUBATOR PROJECT

The Stripped Bare Arts Incubator Project focuses on projects that emphasize words and ideas, with minimal technical elements, andencourages artists to think about the essentials of theatre “stripped of” intricate sets, lights, props, sound design, and costumes. The focus is on actors, words, passion, and ideas. Each selected project receives up to three days in Synchronicity Theatre’s performance space with a technician, producer and/or facility manager, house manager, and a box office staffer for each performance. Each project also receives marketing support and mention on Synchronicity’s website. Learn more about Stripped Bare experiences and projects at synchrotheatre.com.