Synchronicity Theatre to Launch STRIPPED BARE Arts Incubator Series for 2026-27
The Atlanta company will present four new works, including CROSSROADS AND CYPHERS by Alex Acosta, at its Annex salon space.
As Synchronicity Theatre packs up the current performance space and continues to make plans for the company's new permanent home, we are excited to launch our Stripped Bare 2026-27 Series at our Annex space. Synchronicity first acquired and built out the Annex in 2019 in partnership with Selig Enterprises, and it has served primarily as office and rehearsal space, and will now also be Synchronicity's new 'salon' performance space for smaller development projects, making it a perfect match for the Stripped Bare series.
Synchronicity is pleased to announce the four works that have been selected as part of the 2026-2027 Stripped Bare Arts Incubator Project. They are:
- Crossroads and Cyphers by Alex Acosta (October 14, 2026)
- Hannah & Greta, or The Cost of Livin' The Dream by Bobbi Twiggs (October 21, 2026)
- My Daughter, My Karma by Hiroko Kelly (April 14, 2027)
- The Welfare Queen by Brazil Remani (April 21, 2027)
Performances are free and open to a live audience at the Synchronicity Annex, 1586 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30324. Reservations are required. Complete project descriptions are below. Please go to synchrotheatre.com to reserve tickets and for more information.
The Stripped Bare Arts Incubator Project focuses on projects that emphasize words and ideas, with minimal technical elements, and encourages artists to think about the essence of theatre “stripped of” intricate sets, lights, props, sound design, and costumes. The focus is on actors, words, passion, and ideas. Each selected project receives up to three days in Synchronicity Theatre's Annex with a technician, producer and/or facility manager, house manager, and a box office staffer for each performance. Each project also receives marketing support and mention on Synchronicity's website. Learn more about Stripped Bare experiences and projects at synchrotheatre.com.
2026-2027 STRIPPED BARE ARTS INCUBATOR PROJECTS
Crossroads and Cyphers
By Alex Acosta and ANON The Griot
Performance Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Description:
Crossroads & Cyphers is an immersive theatrical and live music experience developed by Atlanta-based artists Alex Acosta and ANON The Griot. The production explores the evolution of Black musical expression, tracing the lineage of rap music from enslaved African work songs and Southern blues traditions to contemporary hip-hop freestyle culture. Through live performance, storytelling, historical reflection, and audience engagement, the show examines how music has long served as a tool for survival, resistance, healing, and community building. At the center of the work are two concepts: the “crossroads” and the “cypher.” The crossroads symbolizes both the historical hardships and spiritual mythology connected to Black Southern musicians, laborers, and blues traditions. The cypher represents the communal practice of gathering in a circle to exchange stories, freestyle, and knowledge through hip-hop. Together, these concepts create a framework that connects past and present forms of Black cultural expression. Led by artists from Soul Food Cypher, the production blends spoken word, live instrumentation, freestyle performance, and theatrical narrative to create an engaging and educational audience experience. Crossroads & Cyphers seeks to preserve cultural memory while introducing audiences to the historical roots and social significance of hip-hop through an innovative live performance format.
About the Artists:
Alex “Cost One” Acosta is a Community Leader, Arts Advocate, and the Founding Executive Director of Soul Food Cypher. In 2011, he had a vision of creating the cypher while mentoring at-risk teenagers at the Whitefoord Intel Computer Clubhouse in Atlanta, Georgia. Originally, he aimed to teach students media production at the clubhouse, but quickly found he could reach them directly through their shared passion of Hip-Hop. Experiencing their brilliance and spontaneous ingenuity, he became a believer in their ability to improve themselves and their communities through their words. From this, Soul Food Cypher was born in 2012. Since then, he has led Soul Food Cypher from the basement of WonderRoot Community Arts Center to stages and platforms worldwide, including Marseille, France, at the invitation of the French Consulate for the annual Hip-Hop Society Festival in 2024, and appearing on CNN as an honored Champion of Change in 2023.
Ahmariah “Anon the Griot” Jackson is a dynamic force at the intersection of spoken word, education, and Hip-Hop culture. Drawing inspiration from the impactful ideologies of Gil Scott-Heron and the subtle subversion of James Baldwin, he wields words as his sword and shield. As an educator, ANON passionately believes in the transformative power of education as a noble revolution. He prioritizes the holistic growth of students over standardized assessments, challenging the status quo. ANON has reimagined the poetry club as 'The Griot Circle,' a space where he cultivates empowerment through creative expression.
An avid emcee and devoted advocate of hip-hop as a culture, movement, and music, ANON seamlessly integrates his passions into the realm of education. He is the author of 'Locked Up but not Locked Down: A Guide to Surviving the American Prison System' and 'Poems for a Barfly.' He is a two-time Cypher Master and curriculum developer for the freestyle rap organization, Soul Food Cypher, and pioneers his original course, 'Criminology in Hip Hop,' at Pendulum Ink.
Chiwuzo Ife Okwumabua (Chi Ife) (Producer, Production Manager) is a theater producer, musical theatre songwriter, creative writer, and arts professional committed to creating bold, culturally rooted work that uplifts communities and inspires social change. With experience spanning national and international stages, she has served as a show producer, production manager, lyricist, and actress—bringing visionary projects to life with excellence, heart, and strategy.
Hannah & Greta, or The Cost of Livin' The Dream
By Bobbi Twiggs
Performance Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Description:
This loose adaptation of the Hansel and Gretel story follows two recent college grads and wannabe internet-famous friends who fall into the temptations of a job that promises them everything: a decent paycheck, health insurance, and a chance to actually use their degree. But they will soon have to ask how much of themselves they are willing to give up to live their dreams.
About the Artists:
Bobbi Twiggs (Playwright) (They/She) is a three-time award nominated playwright, theatre educator, and Atlanta native. Their first full-length play, The Pros and Cons of Killing Your Cult Leader, had its world premiere in 2023 with two sold out runs at the Aurora Theatre and Shakespeare Tavern, and has since been performed at Barking Legs Theatre and The Chattanooga Theatre Centre in Tennessee, and at Grove 34 Comedy Club in New York City. They have also worked on the main stage writing team for Sketchworks Comedy, and as a contracted playwright in residence for Georgia Gwinnett College for the 2023-2024 school year. They are currently a teaching artist with Stage Door Theatre and Decatur Community Players.
Charis Sellick (Director) (She/They) is an Atlanta director, actor and playwright. She is one of the Co-founders of Play Haven, a new play incubator and presenter of new plays by Atlanta playwrights. Charis is a graduate of Working Title Playwrights Dramaturgy Intensive and recipient of the 2025 New Play Award at GTC, she champions new work as both a performer and director with Essential Theatre, Stage Door Theatre, and Theatrical Outfit. Her performances in new original work such as The Wash (Synchronicity Theatre) and Hot Jambalaya (Dad's Garage) earned Suzi nominations for Best Ensemble two years running, and her short film Night of the Living Baggage has won multiple honors on the festival circuit. Thank you for supporting new work!
My Daughter, My Karma
By Hiroko Kelly
Performance Date: Wednesday, April 14, 2027 at 7:30 p.m.
Description:
In My Daughter, My Karma, choreographer Hiroko Kelly explores intergenerational relationships and cross-cultural identity by combining contemporary dance and spoken word with original dialogue. Rooted in the second-generation immigrant experience, the work examines how cultural memory, care, and inherited values move through the body across generations. The piece questions how our ancestors' choices can influence present-day karma. By examining these relationships, My Daughter, My Karma highlights the humanity and resilience of the immigrant experience and considers how cultural practices serve as a tether to identity across time and place.
About the Artists:
Hiroko Kelly (Choreographer) (she/her) is a Japanese American choreographer, moving artist and researcher, whose work reflects the intangible truth of intergenerational connectivity rooted in Eastern philosophy. She received her BA in Dance from Kennesaw State University and her MA in Urban and Public Affairs from the University of San Francisco. She was a 2024 Dance USA Institute for Leadership Training Mentee and a 2024 Dance Canvas-Atlanta Contemporary Summer Choreographic Residency choreographer. This year, Hiroko is a Paint Love Artist fellow, where she is completing a professional certification in trauma-informed arts education. She is a company member of Catching Mangoes Dance and Full Radius Dance.
Jacque Pritz (Director) is the founder and Artistic Director of Catching Mangoes Dance and serves as Assistant Director of Community Programs at Emory College of Arts & Sciences. A dance artist, producer, and project manager, she brings people together through arts, culture, and community engagement. Her creative work explores cultural identity, ancestral relationships, and the Filipino value of kapwa, which recognizes our shared humanity and interconnectedness. Outside the studio, she enjoys traveling and experimenting in the kitchen.
The Welfare Queen
By Brazil Remani
Performance Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2027 at 7:30 p.m.
Description:
What happens when the woman asking for help and the woman deciding whether she deserves it have more in common than either is willing to admit? The Welfare Queen is a two-person play set inside a worn Department of Family and Children Services office in the contemporary South. Through humor, confrontation, and spoken word, the play follows Idea Jasmine, a whimsical young woman applying for food stamps while pursuing her dream of opening a hair studio, and Masque Hollow, a blunt, rule-hugging caseworker nearing retirement. As their meetings unfold, both women are forced to confront the stories they've been told about poverty, motherhood, and success. When Idea publicly exposes Ms. Hollow's remarks, the backlash threatens to close the very office serving families like her own, forcing both women to reckon with the consequences of their choices.
About Brazil Remani:
Brazil Remani (she/her) is an Atlanta-based playwright whose work centers the richness, resilience, and contradictions of modern life in the Deep South. Her plays explore where personal decisions collide with larger systems—including family, government, and community. Her work has been developed through Workshop Theater's Fall 2025 Writing Intensive, and her ten-minute play Eddie's Special was featured in the Essential Theatre Festival. She is a 2025 Barbara Molette Scholar with Working Title Playwrights, a runner-up for the Del Shores Foundation Playwriting Competition, and holds a law degree that informs her storytelling. She is currently serving as Playwright/Producer for The Welfare Queen through Synchronicity Theatre's Stripped Bare program.
|
2026 Season Marietta Theatre Company (1/22-8/22) |
|
It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play Merely Players Presents (12/04-12/20) |
|
Subscriptions Now Available for 2026/2027 Regions Bank Broadway in Atlanta Season Fox Theatre (9/02-7/11) |
|
The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center (11/21-11/21) |
|
C.S. Lewis On Stage: Further Up & Further In Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center (9/27-9/27) |
|
Atlanta Chinese Dance Company Presents Chinese American Journeys Performing Arts Studio (8/15-8/16) |
|
The Atlanta Opera's Carmen Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center (1/30-2/07) |
|
A Midsummer Night's Dream The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse (7/09-8/02) |
|
GPG: Good Times Bad Times - The Led Zeppelin Experience Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre (7/31-7/31) |
|
Invasion: Christmas Carol Dad's Garage (11/27-12/30) |