As a creator, I am drawn to works of art that make me “feel.”
I played in a band called The Dog Apollo for nearly five years, and it was always our goal to write compelling music we hoped would punch people in the jaw. What audiences heard and saw when we performed was a genuine representation of who we were. People gravitate towards honesty and transparency and can easily identify contrived works of art.
Phase Eight Theater Company is one of Brunet-García’s clients and an account I manage. Phase Eight is dedicated to performing works that are thought-provoking, dynamic, and impactful. Brunet-García rebranded the company and provided strategic marketing support for all of its performances to date. After a year of partnership, it has been a privilege to see the vision of Artistic Director/Founder JaMario Stills come to fruition—and to work with a group that views creative work the same way I do.
Stills methodically selected plays for Phase Eight’s inaugural season, all of which fall under the concept of “family.”
“The people who help shape you, who support you, and inspire you, that’s family,” he notes. “Family is not always literal. Your family could be your fellow inmates while you’re doing time in the pen, or the other hookers at a brothel. Family is family.”
Phase Eight kicked off the 2017 season with “All My Sons,”a play by Arthur Miller.
For its second performance of the season, the company premieres “On Purpose,” a play written and performed by Jacksonville native Ebony Payne-English. She paints a vivid picture of femininity at the peak of its strength and from the pit of its vulnerability in the face of an HIV diagnosis. In this coming-of-age story, Phase Eight promises to deliver a raw and provocative statement about fear, honesty, and success.
This season, plays like “On Purpose” and the passionate members of the company are the reasons why I love the work we do with Phase Eight—their creative output makes me “feel.” I look forward to “feeling” something during the premiere on April 7.
For more information on tickets, check the event page here.
