Mariam Tirani — Kingston Theatre Alliance

Imagine this: you walk into a room and see ten objects laid out in front of you. A wallet, a medallion box, two remote controls, a Father’s Day card, a photo book, a radio, a stack of papers, an empty milk jug, and a cell phone. Carefully and strategically placed by Scenic Designer Helen Yung, you know each of these items holds the memories of a person, but you don’t know who exactly. Soon, you will find that the owner of these belongings is Brian Lewis, an unhoused veteran who is the father of Cole Lewis, the co-creator and performer of 2021. Lewis, along with Co-creator and Performer Patrick Belnkarn will guide you through the video game version of the very real story that is the last two weeks of Brian Lewis’s life. Exploring themes of  parenthood, the effects of war, ethics in artificial intelligence (AI), and terminal illness, 2021 is a show that can connect with people from all walks of life.

How do Black Caribbean men say ‘I love you’? Or perhaps a better question is, how do they show it? This curiosity is what sparked Marcel Stewart’s inspiration for creating WindRush. Also playing the character Basil, Stewart pieces together a realistic and gripping story about a Jamaican man experiencing loss, grief, friendships, and siblinghood.