PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, April 19, 2012 CONTACT: Patrick Finlon, Marketing Director 315-443-2636 or pjfinlon@syr.edu
Flights of Poetry, Music and Dance in The Brothers Size A Timeless and Contemporary Tale of Filial Love Put to the Test (Syracuse, NY)—Tarell Alvin McCraney is an exciting new voice in American Theatre and his award-winning The Brothers Size proves why. In the Louisiana bayou, big brother Ogun Size is hardworking and steady. Younger brother Oshoosi is just out of prison and aimless. Elegba, Oshoosi’s old prison mate, is a mysterious complication. A simple circle defines a world that begins in ritual and evolves into a tough and tender drama of what it means to brother and be brothered. Flights of poetry, music, dance and West African mythology combine in a contemporary tale that explores the tenuousness of freedom and the need to belong somewhere, to something, to someone. Performances of The Brothers Size started April 18 and will continue through May 12 in the Storch Theatre at Syracuse Stage, 820 East Genesee Street. Tickets range $18-$50 and are available at the Syracuse Stage Box Office, 315-443-3275 or www.SyracuseStage.org. Family Guide: The Brothers Size contains strong adult language, discussions of sexuality, and sexual gestures. Recommended for high school and up. Sponsors are the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation and the Syracuse Stage Board of Trustees. Media sponsors are Urban CNY and WAER. Syracuse Stage’s 2011-2012 season sponsors are The Post-Standard and Time Warner Cable. “The Brothers Size is a play that’s very much about sibling love,” said Timothy Bond, Director and Producing Artistic Director of Syracuse Stage. “The younger brother has to find his way. What must the older brother do to empower him so that he can move forward in his life? Does that mean letting go? This kind of family relationship and conflict cuts across cultures. It’s universal.” To emphasize the universal aspect of his contemporary story, playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney infuses elements that reflect the Yoruba culture of West Africa. A drumbeat initiates action and helps propel the story forward, physical movement accents and explores emotional connections, and the three characters are named after orishas, or Yoruba divinities. Ogun Size, played by Joshua Elijah Reese, is the older brother Size named after the spirit of iron and labor. Oshoosi Size, played by Rodrick Covington, is the younger brother Size named after the spirit of the forest and a wanderer. Elegba, played by Sam Encarnación, is a friend of the brothers named after the spirit of chaos and the god of the crossroads, a go-between between this world and the world beyond.
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