Theatrical Outfit Presents MADE IN ATLANTA

While the doors to the Balzer Theater at Herren's are blocked by construction vehicles for the "Heart of the City" Capital Campaign renovation, Theatrical Outfit (TO) is putting new work center stage with Made in Atlanta.

TO has announced a dynamic program of readings and new play development workshops this Fall, headlined by a major new commission that explores the early life of Congressman John Lewis.

Founded in the 20/21 Season, Made in Atlanta is a new work development program that focuses on stories about Atlanta and the South, and creates a home for Atlanta artists right in the heart of Downtown. This year, TO has expanded the program to include artist residencies, and has converted a former storage room into a dedicated New Play Lab that will be shared with artists and companies who are focused on new work. Made In Atlanta supports TO's mission of "starting the conversations that matter," by creating space for local artists to explore new narratives about our city, and to champion unheard voices and untold stories. TO aspires to contribute to a diverse Southern canon that celebrates the richness and diversity of our communities, and helps to develop an "Atlanta Aesthetic."

"Made in Atlanta is one of our most exciting programs because it taps into the incredible artistic energy that runs through this city," says Artistic Director Matt Torney. "We are offering space and resources to help amazing artists plot the creative future of Atlanta, and to shake up the common myths and narratives about who we are. By expanding the program to share space and resources with other companies, I hope we can expand the impact of the program, and create a network of creative connections that travel far beyond Theatrical Outfit."

TO's very first commission - Young John Lewis - will receive a weeklong workshop from November 8 - 13, 2022. Written by hip-hop & spoken word playwright Psalmayene 24 with all original music composed by Atlanta composer Eugene H. Russell IV, Young John Lewis is a hip-hop musical based on ten crucial years in the early life of John Lewis and his journey from student activist to major leader in the Civil Rights movement - all by the time he was 28. This new work asks how we grow into the courage of our convictions and offers a fresh perspective on one of the most dynamic periods in American History. The week will culminate in a public presentation on November 13, 2022, of songs and excerpts from the show (full details to be announced soon).

TO is also hosting workshops of two other plays: Providence Canyon by Lee Osorio (a highlight of last year's The Graham Martin Unexpected Play Festival) and Marry Me, Bruno Mars by Megan Tabaque who is the current Fellow of Playwriting at Emory University. Providence Canyon tells the story of a writer who finds himself on a journey back to his hometown of Lumpkin, Georgia ... now the home of Stewart County Immigration Detention Center. This story that explores the immigration experience will have a public reading on November 1, 2022, at RoleCall Theater @ Ponce City Market. Marry Me, Bruno Mars works to get inside the psychology of conservative twitter bubbles and reckon with the tragic events of the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings. The workshop will culminate in a public presentation on November 19, 2022, at Schwartz Center @ Emory University.

"We are excited to be expanding Made in Atlanta this season and putting artists right at the heart of our work," says Associate Artistic Director Addae Moon. "We have an amazing line up which highlights both local and Southern Narratives that are rarely seen on National stages. Providence Canyon by Lee Osorio explores the complexity and haunted legacies of illegal immigration; Marry Me, Bruno Mars by Megan Tabaque centers Asian American identity in recent Atlanta history; and Young John Lewis by Psalmayene 24 and Eugene Russell IV offers a fresh perspective on a civil rights icon. It is our hope that Made In Atlanta becomes the starting point for the development of a new Southern dramatic canon that truly represents the diversity of who we are."

TO is also excited to announce a dedicated New Play Lab, and to welcome their first ever Company in Residence: Working Title Playwrights (WTP), a company with over 20 years of solid experience of being a new play incubator and support system for Atlanta artists that has a roster of 150 playwrights and an ensemble of 75 artists. Part of the "Heart of the City" Capital Campaign renovation, the New Play Lab is a brand-new space dedicated for cultivating new work. Located on the second floor of the Balzer Theatre, this space designed for creatives, will be a permanent home for all things Made In Atlanta, and will also serve as a home for Companies In Residence and other Atlanta artists.

(If you are interested in learning more about the New Play Lab, please email TO at madeinatlanta@theatricaloutfit.org.)

Theatrical Outfit is thrilled to tell the stories that start the conversations that matter. We invite you to follow us on all forms of social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn) and visit theatricaloutfit.org for more information and announcements.

Providence Canyon

by Lee Osorio

How much of an activist are you? After receiving this text message from his immigration attorney brother, a Writer finds himself haunted by a very persistent and troubling ghost. Before long, the Writer finds himself on a journey back to his hometown of Lumpkin, Georgia ... now the home of Stewart County Immigration Detention Center. As he talks to those trapped in the prison - both literally and figuratively - the ghost makes a simple but incredibly hard request - SEE.

Public Performance: Tuesday, November 1, 2022, at 7:30pm at RoleCall Theater @ Ponce City Market

Young John Lewis

Written by Psalmayene 24 / Music by Eugene H. Russell IV

How do you make good trouble? Written by hip-hop & spoken word playwright Psalmayene 24 with all original music composed by Atlanta composer Eugene H. Russell IV, Young John Lewis is a hip-hop musical based on ten crucial years in the early life of John Lewis and his journey from student activist to major leader in the Civil Rights movement - all by the time he was 28. This new work asks how we grow into the courage of our convictions and offers a fresh perspective on one of the most dynamic periods in American History.

Public Performance: Sunday, November 13, 2022, at Synchronicity Theatre Annex

Marry Me, Bruno Mars

by Megan Tabaque

How do you process pain? In Marry Me, Bruno Mars, a massage parlor worker slash Bruno Mars fan becomes an unwitting damsel in distress when a vigilante conspiracy theorist and his son set out on a Pizza Gate-esque rescue mission. Set in the suburbs of Atlanta, this piece is a complex caper that tries to get inside the psychology of conservative twitter bubbles and reckon with the tragic events of the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings.

Public Performance: Saturday. November 19, 2022, at 2pm at Schwartz Center @ Emory University

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