Freedom

Bridging the Social Justice Dialogue Between Art and the Lives of Ordinary People

There is an indescribable yearning in an artist to tell a story, a musician through instruments; a dancer through the fluid movement of limbs; a singer through the emotion and range of a melody; a painter through intense strokes of a paintbrush, and a writer through words. By all accounts, Freedom is the story of a true writer. But, even a writer could only tell a story this precise, had they lived it. The stage play Freedom is a cleverly written composition of metrical discourse conceived and written in 2004 by Jennifer Davis. It has been originally produced by the company she founded, T.U.R.N., since its Jan. 6, 2006 premier at the Robinson Music Hall in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The 17 cast ensemble effectively mirrors society and embraces diversity. It includes complex characters in our human drama while reiterating voices that have not been portrayed by our stages. It is a larger more interesting picture of America. In Freedom, our goal is to develop a kind of theater that is more sensitive to the events and people of our own time than traditional theater.

The T.U.R.N. project is interested in ethnic diversity and endeavors to make theater a more responsible partner in the growth of communities. By examining social issues we break the silence and encourage people to participate in dialog. The play gives eight different perspectives to ones choice of lifestyle, religion, and racial identity.

Poignant and powerful FREEDOM, invites the audience into the world of Pam, Maya, Angela, Xavier, Jimmy, Richard, D.D. and Lena, Eight passengers in the waiting area of the St. Louis airport waiting impatiently on a delayed flight. In a brilliantly written composition of rhythmic quick-witted dialogue, the eight characters engage in a very revealing conversation where they each find themselves divulging their own harrowing stories. The play then unfolds via vivid flashes of the past and telling glimpses of the future as it chronicles each character. Whether drawn together by coincidence or providence, before the day is done, everyone will take a trip through the eyes of these familiar strangers. Through the course of this encounter they will face invaluable lessons of personal evaluation and self-acceptance.