Gale Theatre Company and The VORTEX present TWENTYEIGHT, a new play by Tyler English-Beckwith. TWENTYEIGHT has received developments at the UT Cohen Festival (2015), The VORTEX (2016 & 2017) and Columbia University in NYC (2017).

Set to the hymns of Kanye West, TWENTYEIGHT is the story of six Black people separated from their homes in search of outer space. As they work to build their space craft, they live in constant fear of the sirens and what comes after the sirens are gone.

TWENTYEIGHT is inspired by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement research that concluded in 2012 a Black person was murdered in the United States of America every 28 hours by a police officer or vigilante. TWENTYEIGHT is an afro-futuristic look at police brutality and racial violence in the United States. TWENTYEIGHT asks us, who will survive in the America we are building? And how do we hang on to hope when fear is on the only constant?

Gale Theatre Company is dedicated to presenting new ensemble driven work, training actors, and community collaboration. We strive to make performance that is physically daring, aesthetically arresting, emotionally compelling, and ensemble driven. For more information visit galetheatre.org or katherinewilkinson.com

Praise for Gale Theatre

the “most astonishing and innovative pieces of theater to come along in Austin in quite a while.” W.K. (Broadway World, Jeff Davis, )

“Gale Theatre Company’s play is everything modern theater should be” Salomé (CTX Live Theatre, Brian Scipione)

TWENTYEIGHT TEAM:

Playwright, Tyler English-Beckwith

Directors, Tyler English-Beckwith & Matrex Kilgore

Executive Producer, Katherine Wilkinson

Production Manager/Movement Coordinator/Asst. Director, Brianna Smith

Dramaturgy, Gethsemane Herron-Coward

Lighting Design, Rachel Atkinson

Scenic Design, Ann Marie Gordon

Technical Director, Zac Crofford

Stage Manager, Valerie Johnson

Asst. Stage Manager, Latoya Patterson

Graphic Design by Hakeem Adewumi

Produced by Gale Theatre & The VORTEX

Performance Ensemble:

Delanté Keys

Taji Senior-Gipson

Mae Rose Hill

Oktavea Williams

Kenah Benefield

Jeremy Rashad Brown

TWENTYEIGHT is funded in part by VORTEX Repertory Company, The John L. Warfield Center for African and African American Studies at the University of Texas, a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts, The Austin Awesome Foundation and by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.