A SOUTHERN FAIRYTALE Spotlights The Life Of A Gay Christian Growing Up In The Deep South

A Southern Fairytale, written by and starring Broadway World award-winning actor Ty Autry and directed by David L. Carson, will be heading to Atlanta, Georgia for a one-night-only event at Out Front Theatre Company straight off its international success in Dublin, Ireland at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival (IDGTF) where it was nominated for the Doric Wilson Award for Intercultural Dialogue for exposing the role of conversion therapy and evangelicalism in dehumanizing LGTBQ people. After the hour-long piece, there will be an inter-faith queer panel featuring Kevin Garcia, Charles Thomas, Myles M, and Kelly Wentworth.

Based on true events, A Southern Fairytale artfully illuminates the challenges facing a young, gay Christian growing up in the Deep South. As we accompany the protagonist through multiple journeys into and out of the closet, the audience emotionally connects with the very real impacts of conversion therapy, excommunication, and a father who believes that a demon has possessed his son.

"This is a clever and well-written solo performer play, an intensely personal narrated journey about the transformative power of, as the character puts it, "faith and fairy dust." Both components of that phrase are equally important for understanding the propulsive forces behind this intriguing piece of theatre."
- Review from IDGTF

As family and friends impose extreme measures to reshape Alex Belmont to fit their ideal, the young man is left isolated and alone. Will he ever thrive - or even just simply survive - if he chooses to live as he was born? Is happiness possible when the only faith you have ever known, not to mention everyone you love, demands that you are wrong and living a life of sin?

"Even though this play is based on real experiences in my life as a queer man, I believe that anyone, of any gender and orientation, and from any country, can see a part of themselves in this story," says Autry. "My hope is that this one-man show will be a catalyst for conversations globally about healing and forgiveness. In today's environment, as we see more evidence of overt bigotry and increased incidents of public shaming, around the world, I believe these conversations are much needed."

In addition to Autry and Carson, the production team includes Production Stage Manager Ashton Pickering and producer Cameron Champion.

A Southern Fairytale will be performed on June 19th at 8 PM at Out Front Theatre Company, 999 Brady Avenue NW, Atlanta, GA 30318. Tickets are $15 and available at: OutFrontTheatre.com

Ty Autry (Actor & Playwright, he/him/his) grew up in a rural farming community in the southern region of the United States, but moved to his first big city, Atlanta, Georgia, to pursue a degree in electrical engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. He went on to perform with a wide variety of local/regional companies in the Southeast including OnStage Atlanta, The Lyric Studio, Arís Theatre, Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Act3 Productions, and Resurgens Theatre. For his performance as Adam in the critically acclaimed U.S. production of The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told (Out Front Theatre Company,) Autry received Broadway World's 2017 regional award for Best Actor in a Play. Concurrently with his acting career, he works as a teacher at Atlantic Acting School.

DAVID L. CARSON (Director, he/him/his) has worked extensively with Metropolitan Playhouse, Reverie Productions, and MTWorks over the last four decades. With a particular fondness for developing new works and for "solo" pieces, he guided Jeffrey Solomon's Mother/Son, Robin Goldfin's The Ethics of Rav Hymie Goldfarb and performed Michael Bettencourt's Mine Eyes. He spent five years working on Mr. Goldfin's stage adaptation of Etgar Keret's Suddenly A Knock At The Door, which premiered at Theatre for the New City.

Out Front Theatre Company was established to tell stories of the LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intergender, Allied +) experience and community, giving voice to LGBTQIA+ authors, composers, artists, and creators through the medium of theatre and the performing arts. Out Front Theatre Company develops new works and produces classic pieces of theatre that have communicated these stories of the LGBTQIA+ population to a wider audience over time. For more information please visit outfronttheatre.com.

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