WORLD PREMIERE IS COMING TO HOLLYWOOD FRINGE 2019

THE RAW TRUTH of the affects and healing process after a life full of Abuse.

A Year in Dragonfly is the survival story of one woman’s journey after a life of abuse that began in early childhood after being abandoned by her biological father and then raised by her pedophile Step-father. After two divorces herself, and many years of denial, it took one fatal night for her existential crisis to begin. The catalyst? Being brutally attacked by the man she so foolishly thought was her soul mate at last. Told in original spoken word and song, this is the navigation back from the darkest corners of fear, depression and shame as she learns to let go, forgive, and love herself for the very first time.

“Science has said that the Dragonfly swims as a nymph for almost a year before it begins to fly. As a woman with Native American heritage, I tattooed the symbol for the Dragonfly as a totem upon my arm the day I began my voyage to discover and fall in love with my true self."

Domestic Abuse is a serious and prevalent issue in the United States as well as around the world.

Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten.
Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Most often, the abuser is a member of her own family.
Everyday in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.

This project was created to bring awareness to the emotional battle a person who has suffered from Domestic Abuse is confronted with in the aftermath. Even after the assailant is gone and the victim is considered “safe,” there is so much more struggle to overcome. While this is only one woman’s account of her journey, it is a story that helps others to recognize that they are not alone in their feelings of fear, anger, sadness and shame. It also helps to remind them that with time, patience, self care and positive/creative outlets there is hope.

“We don’t have to settle as being the ‘victims’ in life. There is a ‘victor’ in all of us.”
– Austin Musick
PRESENTED BY:

Writer, Producer, and Lead: Austin Musick is originally from East Tennessee, where she grew up with The Great Smoky Mountains National Park as her backyard. There she and her five brothers and one sister spent the days making forts in the woods and inner tubing on the river. Austin has her BA in Theatre with a minor in business and when not creating, she serves as the President of TAO Enterprises, a Commercial Real Estate corporation on the East Coast. She has lived in California for the past ten years with her two daughters, the oldest whom is now 21 and the youngest, 7 years old. She has been a single mother for 3 years and strives everyday to teach her children the value of having a dream and the perseverance that it takes to being dedicated to that dream; To teach them never to give up hope; To show them the value of self love and the importance of giving back in gratitude. She is represented Theatrically and Commercially by Lovestone Talent Agency and managed by Artists Management Group.

Director : T.M. Hayes is a screenwriter, theatre director and narrative dance storeographer with a penchant for developing idiosyncratic historical material for screen and stage. An honors alum of NYU Film with three feature screenplays produced this year, four television series in collaborative development, and five children in various phases of flight, T.M. believes preparation, inspiration and perspiration (in equal measure) make for memorable shared experience. His past collaborations include writing for George Lucas, Jamie Foxx, Robin Williams, Jim Carrey and Spike Lee, to name a few.

DATES OF PERFORMANCE:

Sunday, June 9th, Preview, 4pm
Thursday, June 20th, 7pm
Friday, June 28th, 8:30pm

RUNNING TIME: 55min

WHERE: Asylum Studio C, 6448 Santa Monica Blvd, 90038

ADMISSION: Free with a suggested donation of $5 where 100% of the proceeds will be Donated to www.DomesticShelters.org

HOW: Get your tickets online at The Hollywood Fringe Festival webpage
https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/5537?tab=tickets