Coping Mechanism
by Cyrus Aaron
Directed by Tramane Harris
September 27- October 21, 2023
Previews: September 27-28, 2023
Opening Night: September 29, 2023
Guns. Guns. Anti. Pro. Life. Death. Chaos. Control.
As the conversation about gun violence rises and falls between news cycles, the victims of the victims are left to hold it all together. This is a story about grief, and the internal struggle that gets overshadowed by the larger public debate. How does one hold on and move on at the same time? One year after her son’s murder, Debra Clayborne is invited to finish something her son Nathan started. For Debra and those closest to her, the invitation stirs up a world of hurt, and with just a week to decide what’s best, she is at the mercy of time, and the only way out is through.
featuring Gerrard James, Eric Ruffin, Jes Washington, and DeShawn White
Scenic Designer: Alex Jourdan
Lighting Designer: Amina Alexander
Costume Design: Gina Ruiz
Sound Design: Sean Hagerty
Props Design: Samantha Tutasi
Stage Manager: Eitan Markowitz
Assistant Stage Manager: Cara Kienitz
Wardrobe Supervisor: Maeve Rose
“I believe this production is the vulnerable art we need, but don’t quite know how to ask for,” shared playwright Cyrus Aaron. “I don’t want people to come in expecting a play about grief to be sad. Sure, sadness is a part of the grieving process, but I think Coping Mechanism is genuinely about human relationships and how much our livelihood depends on them. We’re all fragile, and trying to clean up the mess in our lives the best we can.”
Originally conceived as a ten-minute play for The Flea Theater’s “Flea Fridays” in 2017.
Cyrus expanded the piece and presented an initial workshop reading at Wild Project in 2018 directed by William Bryant Miles, starring Sharron Lynn and Justin Jorrell.
wild project is a proud partner of IndieSpace. We donate $0.05 from every ticket to support historically excluded Indie Theater artists in New York.
Talkback Program
Wednesday October 4th with Jasmine Ellis-Cooper
A Special Talkback with Jasmine Ellis-Cooper immediately following the performance.
Born in Saint Louis and raised in Atlanta, Jasmine Ellis Cooper is a budding screenwriter, speaker and star of Bravo’s Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard. Jasmine’s
Wednesday October 11th with Byas & Leon
A special Community Night & Talkback hosted by Byas & Leon immediately following the performance.
Byas & Leon founded and owned by friends Rony Byas & Harvey Leon, is an impact-focused creative enterprise. Physically headquartered in BedStuy, Brooklyn, The Byas & Leon Shoppe is a sustainability-minded fashion house specializing in ethically sourced apparel, including curated vintage from around the world and wares from fair trade and zero-waste brands. It also serves as an incubator of various community-driven initiatives and an Afro diaspora-centric cultural hub, providing space for creatives and entrepreneurs to exchange ideas and host programming.
Friday October 13th with Tara A. Nicolas featuring Monique Evans, LCSW
Special Talkback with Tara Nicolas and Monique Evans immediately following the performance.
Tara Nicolas is a Washington, D.C. native of Haitian descent currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. Her first on-stage performance was at the age of three in Lomé, Togo and she’s been going ever since. After receiving her BA from UPenn, her passion for the arts led her to New York City. You may have seen her in commercials, performing with Beyonce, or acting in episodes of FBI and Godfather of Harlem.
In addition to her work in the arts, Tara is equally involved in the wellness space. Her wellness journey began unexpectedly through her own need for lasting health. As a Global Nike Trainer, Reiki Master, and Meditation Instructor, Tara’s approach to wellness is rooted in empowerment with the hope of helping clients find lasting health from the inside out. Her programming has been featured on Nike Training Club, Netflix, Good Morning America, Blavity, Well+Good, Health Magazine, Self Magazine, Cheddar News, and others. When she’s not programming a spicy workout for Megan Thee Stallion, you can catch Tara eating dark chocolate, writing her next film, or prepping for a community healing event in Brooklyn.
Monique Evans, LCSW (she/her/hers) is a licensed clinical social worker who works as a full-time clinician as an employee assistance program counselor for a major hospital and sole-owner of her private practice (IG: @therapywithmo). Ms. Evans spent the first five years of her career conducting individual, family and couples’ therapy treatment. Ms. Evans holds unique knowledge of the child welfare and family court systems based on her prior experience working in family prevention programs and for a non-profit clinic program. In that capacity, Ms. Evans provided wraparound services which included family psychotherapy, care coordination, and other community-based services. Additionally, Ms. Evans is a graduate of Ackerman Institute for the Family’s postgraduate externship program where she received extensive training in couples and family therapy.
Ms. Evans obtained her B.A. in Sociology from Hunter College of the City University of New York. Afterwards, she continued her graduate studies at New York University- Silver School of Social Work to obtain her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree in 2016. In her training and development as a social worker, Ms. Evans has applied evidence-based treatment modalities to treat clients’ presenting symptoms ranging from anxiety, mood disorders, school issues, childhood trauma and adult mental illness. She is a strong advocate for the needs of those in her clinical care. Ms. Evans is committed to serving her clients with grace, care and compassion through some of the most difficult challenges they may encounter. Ms. Evans’ identity as an African-American woman is important to her on issues of race, social justice, and consciousness inside and outside of the clinical context. She is passionate about these issues and how to continue these important conversations.
Tuesday October 17th with Rachel Cargle
Special Talkback with Rachel Cargle immediately following the performance.
Rachel Cargle is an Akron, Ohio born author, activist and entrepreneur. Her company, The Loveland Group, houses a collection of Rachel’s social ventures including The Great Unlearn a community learning platform and her bookstore Elizabeth’s which lives in her hometown and is designed to amplify, celebrate and honor the work of the marginalized voices we don’t hear enough from. In 2018 Rachel founded The Loveland Foundation a non profit that provides free therapy to Black women and girls where she now serves as president. Her book A Renaissance of Our Own: A Memoir and Manifesto on Reimagining released with Penguin Random House in May of 2023.
Wednesday October 18th with Dario Calmese & Jonathan McCrory
A special post show conversation with Dario Calmese & Jonathan McCrory
Dario Calmese is an American creative director, photographer, and design theorist. His work interrogates the mechanisms of cultural production and the ways in which image, environment and technology shape the lived experience. In 2020 he made history as the first-ever Black photographer to shoot a cover for Vanity Fair with his portrait of Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis. He is also the founder of the Institute of Black Imagination, a global collective dedicated to igniting the curiosity, imagination, and creative potential of black and brown visionaries across the world. Recently, he became a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Jonathan McCrory is a Tony Award and Emmy Award nominated producer, two time Obie Award-winning, Harlem-based artist who has served as Executive Artistic Director at National Black Theatre since 2012 under the leadership of CEO, Sade Lythcott. He has directed numerous professional productions and concerts which include: How the Light Gets In (NYMF), Klook and Iron John (NAMT), Dead and Breathing, HandsUp, Hope Speaks, Blacken The Bubble, Asking for More, Last Laugh and Enter Your Sleep. He has worked at ETW at TISCH NYU with Emergence: A Communion and evoking him: Baldwin and at Suny Purchase directing Exit Strategy, & A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes. He has been acknowledged as an exceptional leader additionally through Craine’s New York Business 2020 Notable LGBTQ Leaders and Executives. In 2013, he was awarded the Emerging Producer Award by the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston Salem, North Carolina, and the Torch Bearer Award by theatrical legend Woodie King Jr. He is a founding member of the collaborative producing organizations Harlem9, Black Theatre Commons, The Jubilee, Next Generation National Network and The Movement Theatre Company. McCrory sits on the National Advisory Committee for Howlround.com and was a member of the original cohort for ArtEquity. A Washington, DC native, McCrory attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and New York University’s TISCH School of the Arts.
Thursday October 19th with Black Gotham Experience
A communal sharing led by the BGX crew
Black Gotham Experience is a creative intervention that elevates the impact of the African Diaspora. We establish space to revisit untold and suppressed stories through a practice that invites people to walk, talk, and reimagine the past to expand public consciousness. We know that history is not an unbiased collection of records but a cycle of events that we participate in collectively. We are creatives building intentional experiences at the intersection of aesthetics and scholarship to learn, heal, and remember together.
Friday October 20th with Brooklyn Tea
A special Community Night & Talkback hosted by Brooklyn Tea
In 2017, Alfonso and Jamila launched Brooklyn Tea as an online business. The two spent the first year participating in street festivals, pop-ups, and private events to get the company’s name out there. In December of 2018, they opened their first brick and mortar, becoming one of only two black-owned tearooms in NYC.
Since then, the company has gone on to be featured in The Brooklyner, New York Magazine, Self-Magazine, Goop Magazine, USA Today, News 12, Channel 2 News, a Shonda Rhimes’ Tweet, Beyoncé’s Black Parade List of curated black businesses, and others. Their company empowers people to explore healthy alternatives, build strong community through safe space, and promote generational wealth. They opened their second location in Atlanta with their business partner Kerriann T. Thomas.
Saturday October 21st Community Night w/ The Lay Out
A special Community Night hosted by The Lay Out
A social demonstration of love and joy, The Lay Out creates moments for us, by us, to reclaim space, time, energy and most importantly each other in our continued fight for equity and justice. Since our inception in 2020, following George Floyd’s murder, physical space has been integral to our mission of reclamation and centering Black joy.
COVID Safety protocols at wild project
Hand sanitizer stations are installed throughout the building for your convenience.
wild project’s performances will be presented in accordance with applicable public health requirements as of the date of the performance. As this is an evolving situation, our health and safety policy will be updated accordingly.
Masks will be optional for this production.
wild project
195 E. 3rd Street
New York, NY 10009