IT HAPPENED IN ATLANTA Comes to Karamu's Cleveland Foundation Jelliffe Theatre

Karamu House, the nation’s oldest Black producing theatre, will continue its 2023/24 mainstage season with the world premiere of It Happened in Atlanta. Written by Cleveland playwright Michael Oatman and directed by Tony F. Sias, It Happened in Atlanta centers around four college friends from Cleveland who come together to reckon with what happened at Freaknik 20 years ago. When dark liquor, weed and a card game, called For Better or For Worse, come out they are forced to wrestle with their secrets about what happened in Atlanta. 

It Happened in Atlanta will be performed at Karamu’s Cleveland Foundation Jelliffe Theatre from March 8 through March 30, 2024.

Playwright Michael Oatman says ”For me, Karamu has always been home; my North Star; the place where I got my start, was born as an artist, and grew my artistic chest hair.  I cannot convey, to you, the cherished and beloved theater-goer how amazing it is to come home again.”  

Tony F. Sias, Karamu’s President + CEO, and Director of It Happened in Atlanta says, "It’s been 15 years since I last worked with the phenomenal playwright, Michael Oatman so I am exhilarated to sink my teeth into his words. Freaknik was a seminal moment in Black culture, that allowed Black youth to be steeped in Blackness through the act of fellowship and the celebration of music, fashion, and education, while living on the edge of freedom even if it was only for spring break. It Happened in Atlanta is a reflection on personal growth as we move through life's phases.  Many Freaknik attendees in the 1980s and 1990s are now successful, thriving, adults who are vital change agents within their communities.  It Happened in Atlanta highlights the individual journey of evolution, our collective need to find support through conversation in safe spaces, and the importance of steadfast commitment in relationships.  The hope is that audiences will connect to this universal sentiment.”

It Happened in Atlanta contains adult language consumption of controlled substances, sexual suggestiveness.

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