HEREafter is an ongoing immersive theater production told in episodic format and centered on the story of an Atlanta family’s loss of their matriarch Harriett “Lovey” Green. Created and directed by Kathleen Wessel and Kelly Bartnik. Performed by Lamia Dingle, Aaron Glaize, Ivory Lloyd, Patrick Otsuki, Tate Rehklau, and Monique Wimby. Produced by Combo Platter Productions.

Episode 2 premiered in September 2020 on the top floor of the LAZ parking garage in South Dwtwn Atlanta with support from Newport RE, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Carnegie / Rockefeller Foundation. Part therapeutic circle, part healing cypher, this live performance told through monologue, dance, and an original sound score envelops the audience in the story of each family member’s journey through the stages of grief. Prerecorded text integrates with a soundscape that ushers the mind into a dream state of fragmented memories and anxious self-talk. Familial divides and long-standing resentments uncover emotional isolation, echoing the physical isolation of our current time. Still, we keep coming back to the circle, and moments of togetherness allow a sense of relief and catharsis for all those present. Sharing the burden is an offering of relief for a distanced world.

Episode 1 premiered in October 2019 in the historic H.L. Green building in South Dwntwn Atlanta with support from Newport RE and Mailchimp. A multi-sensory immersive theater experience for 40 audience members at a time, HEREafter opens on the night of Lovey’s surprise birthday party. Viewers sit together with the performers, share stories and toasts to the formidable matriarch, and witness family dynamics play out through text and movement unfolding around them. In the end, Lovey doesn’t show and the family must begin to process her tragic death. Sit at our table. Join the madness.