Growing up gay in a small Kentucky town, as a kid Mark Lamb would often times retreat into a world of fantasy through the performing arts. His dreams of getting out and becoming a professional performer drove him into a career as a choreographer, dancer and storyteller. Decades later as an established choreographer, with his own dance company in New York City, Mark was offered the opportunity to come back home to Kentucky and teach a dance workshop in the rural public schools that he attended as a child. When a sullen boy refuses to participate in, Mr. Lambs class, Mark discovers that the child is the son of his high school crush Jeff Sheffer, whom he secretly hoped to run into on his travels back home. Little did Lamb know this chance encounter with Jeffs son would change his life forever.

The piece is based on a true story. However, often times Lamb reveals to us his tools of survival he employed as a child by sharing his imaginings that blur the lines of reality and fantasy.

His take on magical realism is enhanced through his long time collaborator; violinist/performance artist Helen Yee. Yee skillfully supports Lambs story by morphing from musician to dancer, and all the while providing an arresting witness to Lambs story.

"I discovered while working on this story how important it can be to look back in order to move forward." - Mark Lamb

About the artists:

For Mark Lamb, storytelling came as natural as country ham on a biscuit. Hailing originally from Sturgis, Kentucky, Mark comes from a long line of storytellers. Now these storytellers are not the kind you would find up on a stage. But more like the kind you would find around the kitchen table or the front porch swing. His influence comes from Aunts, Uncles, Mamaws, folks who loved to stir up a good story and occasionally add a cup of sugar just to sweeten the memories.

He now resides in New York City where his work as a choreographer and performer has been recognized by the New York Times as "quietly celebratory" "gently charming" and "expression of communal joy". Mark is a 6 time storytelling slam competition winner at the Peabody Award winning Moth storytelling series, and the 2016 Grand Slam champion for the state of Kentucky. Mark's show "A Boy and His Dolly" was sanctioned by Dolly herself as an official event to benefit her literacy program The Imagination Library, and has toured in many forms throughout the U.S.A and internationally. He recently filmed a version of tonights story for Public Television at WGBH in Boston. For more about Mark go to www.marklambdance.org or www.magnoliamouth.com

Helen Yee is a violinist, multi-instrumentalist, composer with experience in a broad range of genres. Often using violin with live looping and electronics, she creates solo and collaborative work and has composed and performed music for plays including Miss Julia, Pillowtalk, Manon/Sandra, and The Comfort of Numbers. She was honored to be a 2011 fellow at Music Omi International Musicians Residency and was violinist for the eclectic string ensemble Trio Tritticali and a founding member of Invert, a two-cello string quartet that released three CDs of original music composed by its members, with roots in rock, jazz and world music.

This show is being produced as part of The Tank's annual PrideFest 2017!

We have four awesome solo storytelling events happening and we'd love for you to see them! Grab a Proud AF Storytelling Pass for $18 (each show is $10)! Curated by Susan Kent. For more information, go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2989231

For more information about PrideFest 2017, go to http://thetanknyc.org/series/pride_fest_2017/