A SOUTHERN FAIRYTALE Returns to Atlanta

A Southern Fairytale, written by and starring Broadway World award-winning actor Ty Autry and directed by David L. Carson, will be back in Atlanta on August 24th for a return engagement at Out Front Theatre Company after a sold-out performance in June and an equally impressive turnout at The Duplex during the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. This story is now an award-nominated play and has opened the door to dialogue about faith, queer identity, and the family we keep. Stay after the show to listen to another talkback featuring local queer-identifying individuals talking about their own journey of growing into their true identity.

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."

A Southern Fairytale will be performed on August 24th 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.