Ja’Michael De’Shawn’s solo play The Self-Portrait of the Soul as a Young Man, both written and performed by De’Shawn, will hold two industry readings in NYC this month, with presentations set for October 17 at A.R.T./New York and October 19 at Alivn Ailey American Dance Theater. Brandon Rumaker is directing.
According to press notes, the work “follows a weary young man as he encounters a lost soul in a foreign land and is thrust into a journey through blood memories that forces him to unearth the source of wounds he didn’t know he carried.” These presentations follow an intimate reading at A.R.T./New York that was held earlier this year. A workshop production performed at Italy’s Atelier Teatro Fisico, winning the company’s Totò Award for innovation, conceptual originality, and a fresh approach to comedy and drama.
A multi-hyphenate artist, De’Shawn has been seen on NYC stages in such works as Kill Floor, Casta, The Afterparty, Delivery, and TwentyEight. As a dancer, he has performed work by Ian DaSilva, Maguette Camara, Lisa Johnson-Willingham, Earl Mosley, Ron K. Brown, Matthew Rushing, and Maguette Camara.
Taji Senior serves as dramaturg. Rumaker and Adrienne Dawes are serving as associate producers on the project.