THE STORY

Uninvisible follows the journey of Yelraf (portrayed by Ian Farley), a too-kind-for-his-own-good, naïve clown character, haunted by nightmares of regret, fear, and struggle. He wants to be brave! He wants to make his mark on the world, but is accustomed to being invisible, being in the shadows, being “nobody.” His own stories and the memories of his grandfather and father lead Yelraf to relive moments of the Black experience that have been erased from history. Compelled by his search for self, meaning, belonging, courage, and freedom, Yelraf resurrects forgotten, erased, and slayed figures from Black American history (such as the WWII “Wereth Eleven” - eleven Black soldiers from the 333 Artillery Battalion who were captured and murdered with particular brutality by the Nazis near the Belgian village of Wereth in 1944). As he commemorates and honors the lost heroes and repressed past, Yelraf opens a gateway into claiming his visibility, fulfilling his dreams, and living up to his potential. The personal, familial, and historical intertwine and coalesce to paint a poetic image of a contemporary Black man’s thoughts, feelings, reflections, and aspirations. Comedy and tragedy juxtapose to take the audience on an unexpected, deeply felt journey of personal discovery with societal significance.

THE BACKSTORY

The idea for Uninvisible was born during a clown workshop, which Ian and I attended in fall 2019 in London, U.K. Upon our return to the U.S., we stayed in touch with the goal of collaborating on a show. With the developments of the 2020 tragedies and protests, we both experienced a deep need to examine our personal and artistic connection to the fight for equity and justice. We felt compelled to pursue the project and in June 2020, we began the work on Uninvisible.