Two new readings at Theatrical Outfit show the range of Atlanta playwrights

This past March, Theatrical Outfit gave four talented playwrights the opportunity to develop and produce their own pieces as part of its Launchpad series. Falling under the umbrella of its Made in Atlanta program, the series was part of its larger mission to empower and uplift Atlanta-based theater artists. On July 21, that mission continues as Theatrical Outfit will host a staged reading of Abe Johnson’s new play Cabin 6 Is Not Okay, with a reading of Emily McClain’s Syran-0 following on July 22. 

Johnson (they/them) and McClain (she/her), both Atlanta-based playwrights, have been in residency working on these projects since late 2024. As with the Launchpad series, they were given rehearsal space and dramaturgical assistance from Theatrical Outfit Associate Artistic Director Addae Moon, and the rest was left up to the playwrights. However, unlike Launchpad, which was designed with the goal of empowering playwrights to become their own producers, these workshops are aimed at helping the chosen artists develop and fine-tune their pieces in hopes of preparing them for full production.

Johnson’s Cabin 6 Is Not Okay is a one-person, dark horror comedy about a camp counselor struggling with the lack of support from the camp’s administration and the inherent intensity of working with adolescents. Johnson draws heavily on their own experience as a high school teacher to shed light on the disturbing culture that often warps young boys’ minds. “Once I started teaching, I was like ‘Oh, young men are not OK, and I don’t see anyone really writing about this,’” said Johnson. “I think there is something very deeply wrong, culture-wise, with what’s going on with young men.” 

McClain’s Syran-0 is, as described by the playwright, a “dark tech romance” partially inspired by Cyrano de Bergerac, in which protagonist Alfie decides to take the plunge into internet dating and enlists an AI software he has built to help him figure out what to say. Things take an existentialist turn, however, when Syran-0, the AI, realizes that they are in love with Alfie. 

“Imagine if the story of Cyrano de Bergerac was a Black Mirror episode,” said McClain. The story interrogates society’s use of AI, exploring where it may be beneficial and where it may be detrimental. “I was thinking about that symbiotic partnership you have with these AI assistants and where that could start to go off the rails.”

What is particularly notable about both of these works is the differing approaches Johnson and McClain have taken to the residency process. With the program designed to be tailored to the playwright, the two of them have been able to operate on very different timelines.

McClain has been working on Syran-0 for over a year and entered the process with a full draft, while Johnson started with a concept and an outline. Because of this, McClain’s residency has mainly been spent workshopping and refining her script, while Johnson has spent most of their time developing the script in concert with their director, Charis Sellick, and actor Matt McVay. And whereas McClain wrote the play and is now looking to hear it on its feet, Johnson needed to see the little they had written on its feet to decide what they needed to write next.

While these differing approaches speak to McClain and Johnson’s approach to writing, they also speak to the individual plays. We can see this in the varying levels of staging that both readings will have. McClain describes her reading as “not very staged,” with basic choreography and some minimal sound effects used to create the digital landscape of the production. Johnson’s much more interactive work will feature audience engagement, lighting cues, props and a number of other elements designed to heighten the physicality of the play. 

 “The theatrical game of the script,” Johnson said, “is that [the main character] is constantly talking to either the counselors, who are the audience members, or he’s talking to off-stage campers.” 

What we experience are two very different plays Theatrical Outfit has managed to make space for. While these works no doubt speak to the talent and creativity of Atlanta writers, they also speak to the flexibility afforded by the Made in Atlanta program and how that flexibility helps make that talent shine. 

Where & When

Made in Atlanta summer residency staged readings are at Theatrical Outfit tonight, July 21, and tomorrow, July 22. Tickets are $5.
84 Luckie St. NW.

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Luke Evans is an Atlanta-based writer, critic and dramaturg. He covers theater for ArtsATL and Broadway World Atlanta and has worked with theaters such as the Alliance, Actor’s Express, Out Front Theatre and Woodstock Arts. He’s a graduate of Oglethorpe University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and the University of Houston, where he earned his master’s.