April Alsup

BANNED is a modern-day musical that follows a group of gender misfits through the events leading up to their debut at a local performing arts festival. The polarizing discourse around gender today goes beyond opinions and has real consequences in society. The characters in BANNED go online to live out their dreams and escape the harsh realities of the world. We witness the juxtaposition of their psyche online and offline, we experience their inner struggles with intimacy, authenticity and acceptance. If the root cause of inequality is marginalization, the remedy is inclusion.

Situated in Scotland's Inner Hebrides, the Isle of Eigg has a fascinating history of sovereignty. Not long ago, the inhabitants of Eigg faced a different type of invader; a celebrity Laird looking to create his Gaelic island utopia. Will the citizens support his vision? Can they put up with his antics? Can he accept that a medieval landlord mentality no longer works on Eigg? The transfer to community ownership hatched on Eigg is arguably the most captivating example of Scottish land reform.

The pain (and joy) of his success is his commitment to the cause

SISYPHUS the Musical takes a modern twist on the Greek Myth of Sisyphus. SID, an up and coming politician is running for mayor of some gritty city somewhere. His heart is full of good intentions, but he has no problem doing whatever it takes to further his career. He often works with a local social service worker (SISTER DAWN) to solicit votes from those who might not otherwise vote. During a campaign stop to christen Olympus Park he angers the leader (OLD MAN ZEUS) of a small group of homeless people.

ZEUS challenges SID for inadequate solutions and the suffering of the homeless and rejects the sincerity of his campaign. The confrontation ignites the homeless and they become aggressive. ZEUS starts a revolt. The police move in and OFFICER AFFIE and OFFICER ARCHIE try to arrest ZEUS and his buddy THANTOS intervenes. When the dust settles we find ourselves in Corinth, a small town near Mount Olympus during the Age of SISYPHUS.

SID (now SISYPHUS) is running for mayor of Corinth and politics are as corrupt as ever. The OLYMPIANS have always influenced the elections for their own good and the mayor of Corinth is an important position. On Olympus, ZEUS faces instability among the gods. APHRODITE's long love affair with ARES, god of war, always contentious, threatens to blow up when THANTOS, god of death, tells her about ARES' affair with DAWN. In her uncontrollable jealousy and rage APHRODITE casts a curse upon DAWN of irresistible desire for mortal men and she falls for SISYPHUS.

After a town hall meeting with SISYPHUS the citizens vandalize the temple. The treasonable act angers ZEUS. He condemns SISYPHUS to Hades but, with the help of the illusive DAWN by his side, they trick THANTOS to chain himself in his own death box. The shock waves of THANTOS’ disappearance disrupts the fragile order between the gods and humanity. ZEUS sends ARES to find THANTOS and bring SISYPHUS and DAWN to him.

The ultimate crisis for Olympus comes after THANTOS accosts DAWN and ZEUS starts eliminating the citizens. Sisyphus the Musical is an entertaining portrayal of the paradox between free will and predestination. Sisyphus must accept his role as leader, teach the citizens of Corinth to embrace their free will and their humanity despite the wrath of the gods; ultimately, the pain (and the joy) of his success is his commitment to the cause.

Logout and Login to Life

WYSIWYG (WIZ-ee-wig) or What You See Is What You Get is a timely story of how we disconnect from ourselves and each other as we plug into our electronic devices. The show exposes a world where people can live their lives defined by others or go online to live as they want, safely behind the anonymity of the Internet. Everyone can relate to how social media has changed the way we communicate with each other.

The characters in WYSIWYG go online to live out their dreams and escape the harsh realities of the world. We witness the juxtaposition of their psyche in their interactions with one another, online and offline, we experience their inner struggles with intimacy, authenticity and acceptance. Today, much of society has fallen into this trap and the pandemic has only amplified the problem. This show helps us escape from that.