A SOUTHERN FAIRYTALE Returns To New York For World Pride

A Southern Fairytale, written by and starring Broadway World award-winning actor Ty Autry and directed by David L. Carson, will be returning to New York after last year's performance at NYSummerfest with a completely reimagined script for an afternoon event at The Duplex Piano Bar and Cabaret Theatre on June 28th at 4:30 PM, straight off its international success in Dublin, Ireland at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival (IDGTF). During its run at IDGTF, it was nominated for the Doric Wilson Award for Intercultural Dialogue for exposing the role of conversion therapy and evangelicalism in dehumanizing LGTBQ people. A Southern Fairytale then made its way down to Atlanta, GA where it had a sold-out performance at Out Front Theatre Company selling all 175 seats in under two weeks after the show was announced to the public.

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.

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 28th at 4:30 PM at The Duplex Piano Bar and Cabaret Theatre, 61 Christopher St, New York, NY 10014. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door (with a two-drink minimum during the show) and available at: www.PurplePass.com/autry0628

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.

Although The Duplex looks like a quiet West Village corner home, there's a raucous world of great cabaret behind its French doors. Opened in the '50s in its original location across the street, The Duplex moved to its current digs in the '80s and is touted as the city's oldest cabaret theatre where the likes of Joan Rivers and Woody Allen tested out their early work.

Enjoy an entire evening of Broadway-quality entertainment without the long lines or overpriced tickets. The centerpiece in the downstairs piano bar is undoubtedly the black baby grand piano, played nightly. For patrons with the courage to take center stage, the piano bar hosts impromptu open-mic sessions for singers during the week after 9 PM and a comedy open-mic on Wednesdays from 6:30 PM - 8: 30 PM.

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