Works by Nathan Yungerberg:
ESAI’S TABLE
Synopses:
Esai’s Table – Esai’s Table is an Afro-surrealist vision play dedicated to the life of Michael Brown Jr. and all the young Black men whose dreams were snuffed out by police brutality and white supremacy. Esai’s Table explores the humanity of three young Black men who are being held in an ominous basement by a peculiar man who forces them to practice lines from a play that were found inside of fortune cookies. There is a large, durable, oversized wooden table that appears to possess the wisdom and power of a well-aged seer filled with all their favorite foods from New York Strip to Cool Ranch Doritos. A violent storm ensues, the space floods, reality collapses, and the man sends the boys on a mythical night-sea journey on the tabletop. From unrecognizable star formations to the overwhelming beauty of the Carina Nebula and unceasing violent storms, the young men must learn to navigate the seas and the mysteries of their past that led them to this strange new world where they can create entire galaxies with their imagination.
Bio:
Nathan Yungerberg is a storyteller and Afrosurrealist who writes for TV, scripted podcasts, and theater. Nathan is a freelance writer for Sesame Street and head writer for Live from Mount Olympus a podcast co-directed by Tony award-winner Rachel Chavkin. He also worked as script editor for Cultureverse, a podcast on TRAX by PRX, narrated by Yara Shahidi and Kelly Marie Tran. Nathan’s plays have been developed or featured by The Cherry Lane Theatre, JAG Productions, LAByrinth Theater, The National Black Theatre, Alliance Theatre, The Fire This Time Festival, 48 Hours in Harlem, The Lark, Roundabout Theatre Company, The Playwrights’ Center, American Blues Theater, Crowded Fire Theater, Climate Change Theatre Action, Northern Stage and The Bushwick Starr. He was commissioned by The New Black Fest for HANDS UP: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments published by Concord Theatricals and adapted by BBC radio afternoon drama. Nathan’s play Esai’s Table was featured in The Cherry Lane Theatre’s Mentor Project (Mentored by Stephen Adly Guirgis and directed by Danya Taymor). Highlights: 2021-2024 Playwrights’ Center Core Writer, 2021-2022 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship, 2021 National Black Theatre of Harlem I AM SOUL residency, Blue Ink Playwriting Award (Finalist), and a 2019 Djerassi Resident Artist.
Website: www.nathanyungerberg.com