Incarceration Plantation: The Musical – A Home Brew Series work in development

March 29, 2025 – 7 PM at 7 Stages – FREE

Incarceration Plantation: The Musical is a sister and brother’s creative journey, despite the walls that keep them apart. They reflect on more than 30 years of dealing with America’s prison system, its impact, and how systemic racism and the disproportionate sentencing of Black people perpetuates a form of modern slavery.

When Dorothy Victoria Bell was 14, her brother Roger Bell II committed a burglary, but was convicted for a murder that occurred after he left the scene. He was sentenced to three life terms after being convinced to take a plea deal. In 2020, he began sharing his poetry with Dorothy, and she helped him through the process of writing a book. Their continued communication and collaboration helped them get through some dark and terrifying times.

Inspired by classic musicals like The Wiz, Oklahoma and Mary Poppins, Dorothy adds a spoonful of sugar to make these stories more accessible. Dorothy explains “I am a singer, composer, musician and empath ready to sing the story out loud so that we can combat the narrative of fear and division through the power of art.” This story is about decades of incarceration, but it shines a light on the possibilities of hope and healing.

This production is part of 7 Stages’ Home Brew Series, a program that provides a platform and resources for works in development. While Home Brews offer support at any stage in the development process, this new production is in the seedling stage. This public sharing will offer audiences select new musical and movement compositions, letters between Dorothy and Roger, original poetry created behind bars and a sneak peak into the overall storyline.

Creator/Director – Dorothy Victoria Bell

Co-creator – Roger B. Bell II

Producer/Director – Heidi S Howard

Stage Manager/Choreographer/Performer – Kai Anwuzia

Creative Doula – Stephanie S. Scott

Holder of Stories/Memories – Michelle Barnard

Musician/Arranger – Khari Cabral Simmons

Audio/Projections – Josef (Wuzii) Anwuzia

Apprentices – Alisha Simmons, Aubrey Salm

Special thanks to Cleveland Jones, Azya Maxton, Ingrid Sibley, Madgie Abson (aka Mommy), Java Lords and Théâtre du Rêve (Theater of the Dream) 

Dorothy Victoria Bell is an Atlanta-based actor, director, singer, songwriter, and teaching artist who earned a degree in English from Clark Atlanta University and an MFA in Theater from Louisville University. Passionate about empowering people through art, Dorothy has taught and performed across the U.S., the Netherlands, and South Africa. As a healing artist, her vision is to inspire people to use art as a way to discover and share their personal stories, with a particular focus on helping those who are often unheard to find, embrace, and express their own voices. Since 2000, she has focused on multicultural and interdisciplinary art, integrating these methods into education as a teaching artist with 7 Stages and around Atlanta. She is thrilled to take on responsibilities as lead performance teacher and program coordinator for the 24-25 season Big Read program in schools and for Youth Creates 2025, summer theatre program for teens. She has taught at Clark Atlanta University, Clarkston Community Center, Midtown High School, The Globe Academy and Dekalb Elementary School of the Arts. Her stage credits include 7 Stages Theatre, Horizon Theatre, Push Push Theatre, and the Grahamstown Arts Festival.

Roger Bernard Bell II was born in Northwest Detroit in 1973 to Min. Roger B. Bell Sr. and Madgie L. Bell. He became a little brother to Laverne and would go on to become a big brother to four more sisters. After a very strict Christian upbringing and a move to Charlotte, North Carolina, Roger went on to grow into a rebellious teenager. He soon would drop out of high school and begin a life of evasion from, but also frequent run-ins, with the local law.

In March of 1992, Roger had accumulated several outstanding warrants for his arrest, and made the decision to go on the run, leaving Charlotte to stay with friends in Gastonia, N.C. However, this respite was short-lived because less than two weeks after he had arrived in Gastonia, Roger initiated a break-in at a home that resulted in the occupant being brutally sexually assaulted and then killed after Roger had left the scene.

Roger was arrested three days later, and after a 3 year stay in an old decrepit county jail, he bore witness to, and began living, a horrific nightmare of a life of incarceration in the State Prison system in North Carolina. Ignorant to the machinations of the criminal justice system in America, in March of 1995, Roger began to become educated on his place in this new environment, but he also started to recognize the devious philosophy of those who have built these warehouses that have been destroying families by trapping brothers, fathers, mothers, and sisters away for centuries.

To this date, Roger has served a total of 33 years,and eleven days. He has obtained certification in Industrial Sewing, Commercial Cleaning, Dental Technology I, II ,III, gained his GED, and over 50 supplemental continuing education course certificates through the Edovo and Hope University Education Programs. He wrote “Something I Felt Led to Say”, a memoir and poetic reflection of serving time in America’s Incarceration Plantation.

Roger’s case is currently being reviewed for parole consideration for the third time. He spends most of his time daily endeavoring to work to continue positive growth while preparing for a successful and joyful re-entry to freedom after his release.

Heidi S Howard is the Artistic Director at 7 Stages, and previously served as the Education Director and Production Manager for over a decade. She loves creating devised performances, directing new and classic plays, teaching arts-based curriculum, and collaborating with international, national, and local artists. By aligning education programs with all programming, she strives to create a brave space to connect everyday life to the creative process. Directing highlights include Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Lee Nowell’s True North, Secretaries by the Five Lesbian Brothers, FML: How Carson McCullers Saved My Life by Sarah Gubbins, Lauren Gunderson’s The Revolutionists, Suehyla El Attar’s Doctor Devil & My Dad, and Michael Molina’s Mass Transit Muse. She has toured throughout the USA as well as to The Netherlands, Serbia, Israel and China.

Kai “Melody” Anwuzia is a multifaceted performance artist with specialties in dance/theatre/voice, educator and Youth Creates & Bootcamp Alum from Atlanta, GA. Growing up she spent the majority of her time dancing and traveling with Moving in the Spirit and 7 Stages for many years. She is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago majoring in music with a concentration in vocal performance she primarily sings R&B, Neo-Soul, Hip-Hop, and Gospel. Throughout her vocal career she has been privileged enough to study under some of the best in the industry including vocalist/voice over actor/vocal producer Jeff Morrow, gospel artist Jonathan McReynolds, vocalist/musician Cassandra O’Neal, and supporting vocalists/vocal producers/vocal coaches RAII & Whitney. She has performed in venues such as The Rialto Theater in Atlanta, Fox Theater in Atlanta, Metro Chicago, House of Blues Chicago, and Lincoln Hall in Chicago; while as an official member of Maverick City Music’s Gospel Choir was apart of a several tour dates during their “Kingdom” and “Kingdom Arena” tours in collaboration with Kirk Franklin. She is honored to be working with Atlanta royalty on this groundbreaking up and coming musical.

Stephanie S. Scott is the founder of The Ninakula Collective, an arts incubator created to assist artists in the development of projects that facilitate crisis-ending arts action. Over Stephanie’s 35+ year career in the arts, she has worked as a stage manager, production manager, and festival manager for numerous organizations including the Pan African Film Festival, Laurence Fishburne’s LOA Productions, Jomandi Productions, the National Black Arts Festival, 7 Stages, Theatrical Outfit, the Atlanta Jazz Festival and the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta. Stephanie also worked in film and television casting on projects including Malcolm X, HBO’s ROC, ABC’s Where I Live, What’s Love Got To Do With It, Cool Runnings, and The Inkwell. Stephanie holds a B.A. in English and drama from Spelman College, a M.Div. from the Interdenominational Theological Center, and an M.L.I.S. from Long Island University.

Michelle Barnard is a mom of a beautiful six and three year old and proud owner of Balloon Blossoms LLC! a company that creates memorable balloon art for every occasion. She is a personal trainer and yoga instructor with a focus on communal healing through movement. Dorothy’s best friend since 7th grade who, as a witness to Dorothy’s young life became the holder of her memories and a treasured support system.

In the 90’s, Atlanta was a melting pot for burgeoning soul music, house music DJ’s and an underground jazz scene. Khari Cabral Simmons stood at the point where all of these met, as an upcoming bassist and bandleader. It was in this creatively fertile environment that Khari made his start in music. He started playing bass for many of the artists in the scene, such as Bilal Sunni Ali (Sun Ra), Donnie (The Colored Section), Gaelle (Naked Music)and India.Arie. He also started to do recording sessions, playing on house music recordings, including a remix for KD Lang. After a few years of recording dance and soul music, Khari started looking to make his own vehicle for upbeat soulful music. It was then that he created Jiva. Jiva would go on to play all over the Atlanta area, performing alongside artists like Roy Ayers and Incognito.

While Khari Cabral & JIVA were making noise throughout the globe, Khari’s dear friend India Arie got signed to Motown Records. She asked Khari to become her touring bassist, and he accommodated the request. He spent years touring the world with India. Together, they performed on The Tonight Show, The Late Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Grammys, Saturday Night Live and many more. They also spent 3 months touring with Sade. After his success as a Grammy Award winning bassist, Khari was courted by NYC tastemakers, Giant Step Records. JIVA would go on to release 3 singles, an EP and a full length album,”Sun & Moon”, with Giant Step.

The era of Covid found Khari taking a break from playing live shows. That time also found Khari reflecting on the roots of his band. Watching the rise of D-Nice, the DJ that brought the nation together by playing upbeat soul music DJ-sets on Instagram, inspired Khari. After seeing so many people brought together through the music at the center of his soul, Khari began to write the next JIVA album. The result is the new Khari Cabral & JIVA album, “5”. Khari let his dear friend and leader of Incognito, Bluey, hear his first recorded songs. After hearing three songs, Bluey got Khari a recording deal with his label, Splash Blue Music. Holding down the main vocals for this album are Atlanta vocalists Cleveland Jones and Brenda Nicole Moorer. Joining them as guests singers are Lizz Wright, Artia Lockett and Lindsey Webster. Along with his all star rhythm section, Khari lays down the funk with the intent to bring us together again as one nation under a groove!

Josef “Wuzii” Anwuzia is a Nigerian-American saxophonist, music producer, and photographer with a deep passion for sound and a commitment to artistic integrity. Hailing from Chicago and having lived in Maryland, Wuzii brings a unique perspective to every creative endeavor. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago, Wuzii has spent the past nine years establishing a reputation as a skilled music producer and recording engineer in the Chicago scene. Known for a meticulous approach to crafting soundscapes, Wuzii holds both the art and the artist to the highest standard, believing in the power of authentic and meaningful creation. Beyond music, Wuzii is a dedicated photographer and has experience in videography, using these visual arts to further explore and express the world through a different lens. Whether capturing a perfect frame or composing a soulful track, Wuzii seeks to leave a lasting impression by honoring the art form in every project.

Alisha Simmons is a Caribbean-American theatremaker, arts administrator, and educator from Atlanta, Georgia. Their work prioritizes Black queer imagination as praxis and the power of community-based devised performance. Alisha received a B.A in Theater and Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies from Wesleyan University. Recent credits include 7 Stages, The Tank NYC, The Public Theater, Oddfellows Playhouse, Olin Memorial Library, and the Wesleyan University Center for the Arts.

Aubrey Salm is a Tennessee native who recently moved to Georgia to pursue the arts. Adopted by two women, the concept of identity, culture, and humanity has always affected her as an African-American woman raised in a white family. Growing up exposed to movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood and the oldies radio station, she is inspired by the classics in her works as a visual artist. She earned her B.A. in video and film production from Middle Tennessee State University and is enthusiastic to continue to delve into the Atlanta theater scene!

Eunice in Paris –  a presentation of new work as part of 7 Stages’ Home Brew Series

January 27, 2024 at 5:30 PM after Service Saturday

January 28, 2024 at 3:00 PM followed by Art of Activism dialogue

Set in the 1980s in the Parisian nightclub Theatre Olympia, Nina Simone is confronted with her choices and relives experiences with James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, her parents and others in a piece that crescendos with an existential look into her mental health, her choices, and, of course, the motivations behind her music and songwriting.

This production, in development with Hush Harbor Lab, was performed at The Atlanta Black Theatre Festival in 2022. Now, a revised presentation will hit the 7 Stages Backstage Theatre with Parris Sarter as Nina Simone. Written by Amina S. McIntyre, and directed by Thandi DeShazor.

This presentation is part of 7 Stages’ Home Brew Series, which provides a platform and resources for works in development that exhibit promise, stimulation, and provocation. Performances will take place January 27 and 28 at 7 Stages, accompanied by Service Saturday and Art of Activism programs.

*Service Saturday – January 27 from 2-5 PM before the first Eunice in Paris performance.

Service Saturdays aim to help our community thrive by providing vital resources like food, clothing, and personal protection equipment, while bringing together local community-driven organizations under one roof. We have often collaborated with artists to make our Service Saturdays as entertaining as they are enlightening. These events are always complimentary, and they will continue to provide valuable resources to people of our community. Guests on January 27 include LifeSouth Blood Donation Centers, New Georgia Project, Fulton Co Board of Health, and Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative. Refreshments provided by Sip & Share Wines. Click here to sign up for blood donation with LifeSouth!

**Art of Activism – January 28 from 5-6 PM after the final Eunice in Paris performance.

Art of Activism brings together community experts, artists and patrons for powerful conversations. Throughout the year, community members gather to discuss social justice, othering, and the prevalence of intolerance. Conversations are often related to a specific 7 Stages production, but always cover topics of the utmost social importance and relevance. You don’t have to see the production to participate in the Art of Activism dialogue but we encourage participants to do so to fully understand how the art connects to the community conversations. The January 27 Art of Activism will follow a presentation of Eunice in Paris, relating to the themes and development of the production.

Parris Sarter (playing Nina Simone) is a working actor here in Atlanta. She is excited to be back at 7 Stages presenting her one-woman show – Eunice in Paris. Some of her credits throughout town are: Booty Candy, cullud wattah, and Angels in America (Actor’s Express); Angry Fags and The Revolutionists (7 Stages); Eclipsed (Synchronicity Theatre); The Cake (The Horizon); and Women in Jeopardy (Georgia Ensemble Theatre).

Amina S. McIntyre (Writer) is an Atlanta based playwright whose productions and readings include: Actor’s Express, Atlanta History Museum, Working Title Playwrights, Lenoir-Rhyne University, and Out of Hand Theatre. Her residencies include Blackacre Conservancy Writer’s Residency, Hambidge Center and the National Winter Playwrights Retreat.  Her play, On the Third Day, produced by Vanguard Repertory Theatre, earned a Suzi Bass Award. Amina has studied and earned degrees in Anthropology, African American and African Diaspora Studies, Playwriting, and Theological Studies at Colby College, Indiana University, Spalding University and Emory University, respectively. She was a 2014-2015 playwriting apprentice and Black Women Speak Emerging Cohort member at Horizon Theatre Company, Managing Director of Karibu Performing Arts, 2014-2016 Atlanta Region Young Ambassador for the Dramatists’ Guild, Co-Producer of WeReckon: A Southern Chronicle and the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs 2014-2015 Emerging Theatre Artist.  She currently serves as Co-Founder of the Hush Harbor Lab and is a Ph.D Candidate in Religion at Vanderbilt University.

Thandiwe Thomas DeShazor “Thandi” (Director) is an actor, writer, producer and director. He is the writer/director of “Natural Woman: Unofficial Aretha” and other plays. His recent directorial collaborations include True Colors Theatre, Theatre du Reve, Out of Hand Theater and Out Front Theater. His Atlanta theatre credits include Angels in America and The Legend of Georgia McBride. His Television credits include “Lodge 49”, Murder Calls”, “Fatal Attraction”, and Swamp Murders. He started Thandi & Company to collaborate with other creatives to bring their ideas to life.

Mia Kristin Smith (Co-director) is an actress, playwright, director, and producer whose work has previously been named one of Atlanta’s Best Bets, as well as Creative Loafing’s Top Ten Things to Do and Burnaway Magazine’s Top Five Things to Do. Smith, a native of New Orleans now living in Atlanta, is the former Artistic Director of Karibu Performing Arts.

Paris Benjamin (Stage Manager) is a French-American actress of Moroccan descent. After working on multi-award winning films, plays and radio dramas in London and Paris, she established residence in Los Angeles where she joined Tim Robbins’ theater troupe The Actors’ Gang. She continues to work in film and television, recurring in shows such as Stranger Things (Netflix) and Succession (HBO). Paris speaks fluent English, French and Arabic.

In 2000, Magnetic North began moving at an erratic, sudden speed. It’s averaging 34 to 40 miles per year. It’s been scientifically proven that human beings can feel this, and we’re learning that it’s affecting us in wide-ranging ways. 

When magnetic fields move erratically and quickly around us, the part of our brain that makes ethical decisions becomes impaired. Changes in electromagnetic energy, caused by magnetic movement in the Earth’s core and in the magnetosphere around the Earth, can affect our health, our potential, and our physical and mental well-being. 

True North is a guidebook for all of us, combining the latest scientific research with ancient practices that enable each of us to ground ourselves in the midst of uncertainty.

There will be a virtual première at 7pm on Thursday with a post-show talk back with artists,

a chance to offer a virtual cheers on Friday at 5pm with Happy Hour with Heidi,

engage with our community on Service Saturdays,

and join in the discussion during our virtual Art of Activism brunch on Sunday from 11am – 1pm.

Markell Williams is an award winning actor based in Atlanta. He helms from the state of SC where he earned a BS in Chemistry with strooong encouragement from his parents ( HEY, Ma! HEY, Dad!). After 10 plus yrs of working in Quality Control and R&D he allowed his heart to direct him to his original passion for performance art. He has performed for the Alliance Theater, 7 stages, Birmingham Children’s Theatre, Found Stages, Weird Sisters, NC Black Repertory Co.,The Object Group, Center for Puppetry Arts, Impulse Rep, and Theatre in the Square. Favorite roles include: Lord Byron in NYE Frankenstein Ball, Booth in Top Dog/ Under Dog, Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, Peter in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe where he and cast received a Suzi Bass Award for Best Performance and a guest star role on the FX TV series Atlanta.

Contact him at: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/markellwilliams & Follow him on instagram @Markell.Williams to see what he’s up to next!

Scott Turner Schofield (Magnetic North) was named a “Trans influencer of Hollywood” by OUT Magazine after over a decade of leading groundbreaking transgender representation on screen behind the scenes. He is an Emmy-nominated actor; a Lambda Literary Award Finalist; an indie producer with Tribeca laurels; and the role he helped create as a consultant on HBO’s EUPHORIA has been called “TV’s most interesting trans character” (Daily Beast) and “the future of TV” (Marie Claire). His one man show special, Becoming a Man in 127 EASY Steps, was nominated for a 2020 WOWIE from World of Wonder, celebrating the best in artistry, activism, entertainment, and more. The live show of the same name was co-commissioned by 7 Stages and the National Performance Network.

Scott is delighted to come full circle to his artistic home with this project. Find him on social media @turnerschofield.

Dorothy Victoria Bell-Polk (Noosphere) is a singer, writer, composer, actor, and educator from Detroit who earned a degree in English from Clark Atlanta University and an MFA in Theater from Louisville University. Dorothy is currently theatre teacher at Dekalb Elementary School of the Arts and is a lead performance teacher for 7 Stages Youth Creates summer theatre training program. She has been a part of their Holland exchange program since the inception. She has performed internationally and nationally with local productions including Robert Earl Price’s All Blues, Hair, The Crucible, Mass Transit Muse, fml: How Carson McCullers Saved my Life, 3 Penny Opera, and Human. “It is an honor to be an Artistic Associate to my theatre home, 7 Stages! 

Thank you to my perfect husband Detrick and creative son Sam for their love and support.”

Lee Nowell, creator of True North, is an actor, director and playwright. Her previous work has been workshopped, commissioned and produced at many theatres, including Actor’s Express, Found Stages, Horizon Theatre, and Synchronicity. Below, find out more about inspiration, research and writing process that went into True North:

Q. What inspired you to create a production focused on science?

A. This all began when I saw a Time magazine sitting open on a table. The open page read “Average number of miles Magnetic North has moved since the year 2000:  34.” I thought, gee, I wonder if we can feel that?

I dove into scientific research for a year and a half, reading scientific papers from NASA, Cal Tech, and Princeton, and then kept searching and reading papers and books from scientific experts around the world. It turns out that we can feel the movement of Magnetic North. Not only can we feel it, but it affects us in significant ways. When magnetic fields move erratically and quickly around us, the part of our brain that makes ethical decisions becomes impaired. Changes in electromagnetic energy, caused by movement in the Earth’s magnetic field and in the magnetosphere surrounding the Earth, can affect our health, our potential, and our physical and mental well-being.

There are scientific reasons for the sudden surges of nationalism and hatred around the world, and they are connected with the sudden, erratic movement of Magnetic North. People who can’t adjust to the movement of Magnetic North know that something feels unstable; instead of understanding the source of the problem, they turn on other people. When people feel threatened, they circle the wagons. They decide that “only people like me” are safe. If the people who are freaking out could learn how to ground themselves, they’d realize that there’s no impending threat to them from other people; they’d learn to harness the potential of this energy as it moves through them. Historically speaking, some of the greatest achievements in human culture have come during great shifts of electromagnetic energy. True North is a guidebook for all of us, combining the latest scientific research with ancient practices that enable each of us to ground ourselves in the midst of uncertainty.

Here’s the best metaphor I’ve developed for the way this works:
The universe is a power grid. Each one of us is basically an electrical outlet that receives and sends energy. The magnetic field of the Earth is essentially a power station. The magnetosphere that surrounds the Earth is another power station. When there’s a geomagnetic storm, it sends surges through the entire system. You want to be a grounded outlet. If you aren’t grounded, you can’t handle the power surges, and your health and well being can be seriously impaired. If you are grounded, you become capable of greater breakthroughs in the arts, sciences, philosophy, and social progress. That’s what research covering the past three hundred years of human civilization has shown us. This electrical system doesn’t just send energy. It also sends and receives information from people you know, from the collective human consciousness, from the magnetosphere that surrounds the Earth, and from the Earth’s magnetic field. This transfer of information works in much the same way that wifi works (and P.S., wifi is an electromagnetic energy transfer of information).

Q. The film focuses on scientific theory for magnetic fields and their affect on our well being but also ancient practices in grounding and dealing with these affects, what was that research process like?

A. The research process started by reading one article, then having a question about it, doing a search about that question, and then discovering another article that explored that question. This has gone on for a year and a half now, so it’s turned into a process of going down the rabbit hole, and then realizing I’m living down the rabbit hole. It’s also a process much akin to a spider spinning a web: this all started with one filament of a thought that then spun into threads that connected to other threads, until I realized there was an entire completed web with a pattern that I’d created, based on all of this research. Examining that web, once it was completed, and teasing out the meaning of it, and developing a unified theory based on the implications of this research was the most complex part of it. After I’d completed the first draft of the script, which is based on this research, I realized how complex it was. I also realized that I needed a scientist to read through it in minute detail to check and make sure that what I had written was not only cohesive, but also scientifically accurate and true to the body of research that formed the basis of the script’s thrust. I was lucky enough to connect with Heidi S Howard’s father, who is a retired science teacher, early in the development of the script, and he really guided me through a lot of complex trains of thought. He helped me during a particularly baffling research period, and I am very grateful for his insight. Once the script was completed, I stared at it, realizing I also needed an astrophysicist to review it for clarity. I had no idea how to find an astrophysicist. The next day, a friend who went to high school with me asked to be my Facebook friend. We had been in high school band together, and I hadn’t been in any sort of contact with him since then. I accepted his Facebook friend request and then read in his profile that he was an astrophysicist who had worked with NASA. I asked him if he’d review the script, and he said he’d love to do that. We spent a few weeks going over each word in the script, and we examined the source research in detail to make sure the script represented it factually. I still am amazed that I had a thought of “where can I find an astrophysicist to help me?”, and the next day, the perfect astrophysicist for the project showed up. With that being said, the research in this script explains how something like that happens, so it’s gratifying to think about that as well. In terms of the ancient practices for grounding and dealing with the effects of magnetic changes, I pulled practices from my classical yoga training. The scientific research talked about yoga and its effect on the ability to find balance in uncertain situations. As soon as I read that, I realized that different disciplines are trying to say the same things, using different modes of language to describe them. The scientific community talks about frequencies; the yogic community talks about modalities that end up creating those same frequencies scientifically.    

Q. Have you adopted any of these practices? If so, how has it changed your response to these uncertain times?

A. Definitely. I was already using these practices – I’ve done them for over 10 years – without realizing the implications or the extent of the effects they were having. I knew I felt better, that I felt more grounded and universally kinder towards other human beings (and less erratic inside myself) when I practiced them, but I didn’t know how or why they worked. It was gratifying to have my intuition resound in such a big way with quantifiable, proven scientific experiment results. There’s one yogic technique in the script, for example, that’s colloquially called “the bee breath.” When you practice it, even for one minute, it eliminates anxiety, panic, stress, and monkey mind. From a scientific perspective, what it’s doing is balancing the right and left brain in terms of activity, and changing the type of brain waves that you’re producing from an anxious wave pattern to a calm, coherent wave pattern.  I use the term “wave pattern” to suggest the printed readouts you’d get from an EEG machine. Those wave patterns are the result of the frequencies you’re creating. That’s the connection between the yogic perspective and the scientific perspective. It’s powerful to bridge the two ways of thinking about the same thing.

Q. What do you hope audiences will take away from watching this film?

A. I hope audiences will consider the things around them that they can’t see, like electromagnetic energy and the way we interact with it, in addition to the way it affects us- all of us. There’s a more subtle concept I’d like for people to explore, which is that we – all individual human beings – feed energy and information into the global electromagnetic field.  What we think, how we choose to move in the world, has measurable effects not only on our lives but on the lives of everyone and everything else. Electromagnetic energy is the only type of energy that has no end point in the universe – it keeps going, so it isn’t physical-location-specific in terms of its ability to transfer information, including thought patterns and emotions. We have the ability to measure the effect that human thoughts and emotions have on the collective energy pattern now, and we’re just starting to really investigate how and why that works the way that it does. What it basically comes down to is this: each of us is responsible for what we put into the collective energy of the world. What we put in has scientifically measurable effects, from the symmetry (or asymmetry) of the subatomic particles directly around our bodies, and the timbre of the emotional and creative and intellectual movement of the collective energetic system. What we think, how we feel- becomes what we create, whether we intend that to happen or not. When enough people start thinking towards creating something – even unintentionally because of an emotional reaction – something in the world called The Noosphere moves to make those thoughts a physically measurable, actual reality. What we think, we create. So learning to be intentional and, more importantly, responsible for our input into the creation and evolution of the world is the most basic, fundamental thing we can each do to move the world, to help evolve the world, in a better direction. True North is a guidebook, compiled from the greatest, most recent achievements of the world’s best scientific minds, that will help you do just that. 

WARNING: this film contains adult content, the use of fire arms, and depictions of violence.

‘L’Etranger/The Stranger’ is a world premiere production by Michael Haverty and The Object Group combining puppetry and cinema to adapt Albert Camus’ complex cautionary novel of 1942. The result is a timeless and challenging performance about cultural alienation, the brutal lack of empathy in Western history, and the devastating effects of oppression on individuals and society as a whole.

Led by artistic director/adaptor/sound and video designer Haverty, director Bryan Mercer, assistant director Marium Khalid, performer Jake Krakovsky, performer Luis Hernandez, and puppet designer Jeffrey Zwartjes. Our production is told with a combination of Punch and Judy-style hand puppets and projected cinema, allowing for animations, images, and film to interplay with live puppetry in multiple windows and stages. Combining Camus’ characters with traditional Punch and Judy archetypes, we take the anarchic and absurd energy of this puppetry tradition and channel it into satire and socio-historical context throughout the play, so that the audience can begin to see the messiness that is Camus’ philosophy reflected in their own relations with race, class, and privilege.

The story follows Meursault as he attends to the details of his life in the French-colonized city of Algiers. After attending his mother’s funeral with a peculiar detachment, Meursault inexplicably kills an unnamed Arab at the beach. When he is arrested and brought before the court, he betrays no guilt over the shooting, which the judge also dismisses as meaningless. However, in an absurd twist, Meursault is convicted and sentenced to execution for the crime of not loving his mother.

Our investigation and re-imagining of Camus’ story focuses on disrupting the violent treatment of Arabs/Africans in colonial territory on the ground and on the page, and the bubble of white supremacy which the main character and author live within. Foregrounding the historical framework of colonial conflict hidden within the novel, we seek to expand our audience’s understanding of this widely read ‘text of decolonization’, offering audiences a glimpse of the varieties of perception brought about through systemic oppression. Co-produced with 7 Stages Theatre.

PROCESS

The Object Group follows a 2-year process for creating new work. This development time included detailed research of the French-Algerian conflict, French philosophy, New Wave cinema of France, Czech Republic and Brazil, and studies on colonial sociology and psychology by Franz Fanon, Paulo Freire, and other scholars. A profound influence is the novel ‘The Meursault Investigation’ by Kamel Daoud, which reimagines Camus’ text through an Arab point of view.

After a year and a half in development, which included residencies at 7 Stages Theatre and the Arts Xchange in Atlanta, and the Hippodrome Theatre in Gainesville, Florida, on March 12th our creative team was wrapping up our final filming weekend in Atlanta when quarantine was declared. We were lucky to be in the editing stage for the rest of Spring, but by June we realized our planned rehearsal and live premiere would have to change.

Puppetry has a natural flow into cinematic expression, and our production was already half projections, so we decided to shift to a full film format for our premiere, with the hope to submit to festivals and other theaters interested in digital content. Our original plans was for this to be our entree to international puppetry festivals, which proliferated in Canada and Europe before COVID. It goes without saying that this dream has been extended, though not lost.

A small team of four rehearsed and filmed for three weeks in September. Performers Luis Hernandez and Jake Krakovski, and video/sound designer/adaptor Michael Haverty met in person in Atlanta, and were joined by director Bryan Mercer, streaming online from Gainesville, Florida on a laptop. Onsite we used COVID precautions developed with input from SAG puppeteer Raymond Carr, the CDC, and any information we could get our hands on, leavened with a dose of criticality. We were tested for COVID twice before our work period. We took temperatures every day before entering the studio. We wore masks and gloves throughout rehearsals and in all filming not requiring a mouth instrument. We sanitized puppets and sets throughout the day. We were blessed to experience no illness during this period.