SYNC OR SWIM
2018–20
Our borders are shifting.
Our bodies are transforming.
Set in a world where water is rapidly rising and borders are massively disintegrating, Queer & Now: Sync or Swim is a theatrical experience that follows seven mythical deities overcoming struggles rooted in rampant sexism, corporate greed, and climate change.
Told through a series of vignettes with drag, lip syncing, and dance, Sync or Swim takes ancient world mythology and fuses it with contemporary pop music to embrace our impending future.
Photos by Jason Fisch and Tom Kelleher
COLLABORATORS
Director and Producer Garrett Sager
Dramaturgs Fig Lefevre and Afrikah Selah
Costume Designer Christina Beam
Props Designer/Asst. Costume Designer Sami Brzozowski
Lighting Designer Jordan Mitchell (2018–19); Aidan Gerard (2020)
Makeup & Hair Designer Sarah Talaid
Sound Designer Fig Lefevre and ensemble
Sound Engineer Tom Kelleher
Stage Manager Thea McCrory
Production Assistants Melissa Smith (2018); Allison Chen (2018–19); Erik Long (2019); Liz Diamond and Taylor Lennon (2020)
Ensemble Faolain Bobersky (as Circe), MerMx (as Merrow), Elisabeth Castellon Gonçalves (as Nemesis), Emma Hollows (as Antigone), Akira Rose (as Mami Wata), Garrett Sager (as Demeter), and Sebastian Salloum (as Narcissus)
PRODUCTION HISTORY
UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center, Amherst, MA • December 2018 (premiere)
NYPOP/West Chelsea Arts, New York, NY • April 2019
Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center, Greenfield, MA • January 2020
PRESS
SUPPORT & DEVELOPMENT
Sync or Swim was developed as a B.A. honors thesis project at UMass Amherst. The project received funding and support via a Projects & Events Grant from the UMass Arts Council, an Honors Research Grant from the Commonwealth Honors College, and donations to an Indiegogo campaign, for the show's tour to NYC.