Arcable

Logline

The captain of the debate team makes high school and fatherhood look easy until his life is forever changed after pleading guilty to a crime he didn’t commit.

Behind The Story

Our film shines a light on the U.S. criminal justice system and how it grossly fails people of color and the working poor.

It is about a strained relationship between a father and a son, about a teenager who attempts to navigate fatherhood and youth. It is about the social systems that affect our lives, and demonstrates how systemic racism affects the working poor. Cocoa in the Dark presents the reality of these sometimes opaque topics.

We are deeply grateful to the numerous artists and community partners that gave to this project. Their commitment made it possible. Finally, this project is dedicated to the people about whom the subject is about.

In solidarity.

Media: Trailer

Director's Note

The first time I heard the phrase "school-to-prison pipeline" I thought it was hyperbole. As deep and as far back as my interest in slavery went, linking children to prison felt like a leap. Truth is, I didn't want to take a closer look. I was okay wearing blinders. I had already known people in my orbit - my best friend, my classmate, my sister's crush, a guy I played football with - who got sucked into the criminal justice vortex.

The blinders were a coping mechanism, a shield from the powerlessness I felt when I thought of the cycle, the cyclone. I saw up close what happens when you are poor and black and male. I was all of these things. I saw what the system could do, what it could turn you into, what happens when it turns you out. My encounters with them upon their release is the most troubling. They went to war. Their bodies broke down. They came out with PTSD. Their faces hardened. Their logic stunted. Their light dimmed. Worst still were the young deaths in my orbit. No more light.

Pipeline is about the cycle, the cyclone, the path many young black males experience. We created our version of this story with care, clarity, and intentionality. We hope our telling makes you do more than "feel" something. We hope you act. - Ryan Hope Travis

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames and directed by Ryan Hope Travis, White is a comedy based on a true story where art imitates life (and the other way around).

White reminds us that “nothing is truly black or white, just shades of gray.” At the same time, as the play demonstrates, some moments are just black (or white). Ijames leaves that for us to decide. 

Like a multi-dimensional universe, White is rich with meaning, double entendre, and humor. In the notes section of his script, Ijames counsels, “This play should feel like a sitcom until it’s not.” This advice was our guiding light throughout our process.

White was staged at the Hippodrome Theatre, an Equity playhouse, in Gainesville, FL.

The Making of a Not-So-Devised Play

The first and most important concept we learned (and re-learned) in our six-month creation process as this: Ensemble – with a capital E.

On the first page of Blood at the Root, Playwright Dominique Morisseau explains the play was crafted with devised theatre at its core. The page only represents “half.” Morisseau calls on the director and the ensemble to complete the work by putting “their own signature on the work.

The devising process incorporates the most communal elements of theatre creation. The defined roles of actor, writer, and designer blur. Devised theatre moves the performer beyond the singular act of embodying a character. It moves designers from their typical silos. Actors, writers, designers, dramaturgs, stage managers - everyone - comprise the Ensemble. In this spirit the play emerges.

While there is no standardized approach toward building a devised play, one factor unifies devised theatre as a form - it responds to the communities in which the work is created. Blood at the Root at the University of Florida in 2023 embraced that call. - Ryan Hope Travis

In 1916 in the town of Newberry, FL, six African Americans were lynched, allegedly over a hog. For generations, community members carried this burden in silence. New Berry helps to break this silence. Local government, various community stakeholders, and concerned citizens have worked to right this wrong. This multi-year reconciliation effort has included a home-going service for those harmed by the Newberry Lynchings, a soil collection ceremony, public lectures and community dialogue, and in August, a historical marker was placed at the site of the murders.

New Berry is based on the moments leading up to the lynchings. It is about the lives that were lost, the ripple effect of injustice, and the deep reflection required for true reconciliation. Rooted in the spirit of accountability and love, the play also reminds us that we must acknowledge our past to create a more just future.

This new work was devised and directed by Ryan Hope Travis and was written in collaboration with the ensemble. Major funding for this project was made possible by the Racial Justice Initiative, a grant from the offices of the President and Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Florida. It was co-produced by Arcable, the UF School of Theatre and Dance, and the Hippodrome Theatre.

Media: NPR, The Gainesville Sun, ABC-WCJB, and COTA

Produced by Broadway production company Tilted Windmills Theatricals and the University of Florida, Hills on Fire is a musical ghost story about the opioid crisis in Appalachia. This folk tale follows the Stray family as they attempt to overcome poverty and escape the ghosts that haunt them in their fiery Rust Belt town. Will they survive or will the town swallow them whole? Music and Lyrics by Joe Stevens and Keaton Wooden, with direction by Ryan Hope Travis.

Reel: Hills on Fire

Media: The Gainesville Sun

Compelled to confront his past, Moses returns home after living in a swamp for 7 years. Pupae was an Official Selection at the Academy Award-qualifying Atlanta Film Festival, Dumbo Film Festival in New York, City, and the Buenos Aires Film Festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Written, directed, music, and cinematography by Ryan Hope Travis. To view film and Director Statement, click here.

Set in a world where trees talk and wizard potions heal everything but broken hearts, Sequoia weaves themes of environmental justice, love, and belonging. This new work was written over the course of the semester and was staged at the Museum of Fine Arts in Tallahassee, FL. Part choreopoem, part storybook fantasy, Sequoia delighted even the toads among us. Led by Assistant Professor Ryan Hope Travis, BFA Acting students from the Class of 2024 (Florida State University) presented Sequoia, a production competitively selected for exhibition in the WJB Gallery in February 2024.

A picture perfect abusive relationship between a man and woman is viewed through the lens of the woman's best friend and confidant. In Between were Official Selections at Indie Nights Film Festival in Los Angeles and the Urban Film Festival in Miami, FL. Written by Tercell Pryor, Cameo Sherrell, and Dia Matthews, with direction, photography and music by Ryan Hope Travis. To view film, click here.

Devised and directed entirely online, Remove Before Flight re-imagines our current social and racial reality. Set in an alternate universe where white people are the global majority, but racially marginalized, this satire opens critical dialogue for re-imagining our current criminal justice system. Created and directed by Ryan Hope Travis, written in collaboration with the ensemble.

Media and Highlight Reel: ABC - WJCB 20

Notes by Co-Director and Poet Alana Jackson

If The World Could Hear My Voice is a documentary-style filmed work narrated through an infusion of poetic verse, song, and spoken word. It captures middle-high school students in process as they participate in masterclasses to hone their voice as effective poets, storytellers, and change agents in their own lives.

The film also featured a preview & conversation facilitated by Dr. David Fakunle. The expert panel represented those whose work spans a breadth of knowledge from the arts, to health, to value creation and economic agency. The conversation created dialogue around the ways the arts and performative storytelling are connected to literacy, education, health, and youth outcomes.

If The World Could Hear My Voice was made possible by a Creative Catalyst Award submitted by Alana Jackson, with additional funding by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture (section 286.25, Florida statutes.).

Dancers from the International Dance Academy Hollywood created original choreography based on a variety of issues impacting our communities. Immigration reform, Black Lives Matter, and sexual assault – among others – were explored and interpreted. Young community leaders from South Los Angeles were given the raw footage, and created original poetry based on this work. for girls (and boys) everywhere is an example of what’s possible when artists from different mediums come together to create work that inspires positive social change. An Official Selection of FilmOneFest, with direction, photography, and post by Ryan Hope Travis. To view film, click here.

“We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Pig Academy. As a requirement for all incoming transfers, you must complete a new pig orientation. Our orientation programs are designed to help you take flight. At orientation, you will be assigned to a group of Upperclasspigs who will help individualize your transition into flying pigs.”

The New American Dream: How to Teach A Pig To Fly was co-produced by T.I.E. (Theatre. Immersion. Education) a creative workshop on devised theatre and community outreach with a focus on social justice in Gainesville, FL. The workshop was led by Dr. Nandita Dinesh who conducts community-based theatre projects internationally during and after violent conflict. Dr. Dinesh collaborated with Co-Director Ryan Hope Travis remotely and then engaged in a 10-day devising and rehearsal intensive, culminating in performances on the UF campus and in the community at the Actors' Warehouse.

Written and performed as an artistic response to the murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, A Poem for Alton Sterling and Philando Castile features original poetry by The Engaging Men Troupe of Peace Over Violence, Inc. (Los Angeles), with direction, cinematography and music by Ryan Hope Travis. To view the film, click here.

Created by Vishani Miller, this project is “One-hour Drama Series. Part Hollywood Dream. Part Real World Tragedy. And Mostly Magic. ✨” The short film version of Normies + Wierdōs was an Official Selection at the Austin Micro Short Film Festival (Best Actor Finalist), the Los Angeles Motion Picture Festival (Bronze Award - Best Micro Movie), and the United Kingdom Motion Picture Festival (Grand Jury Prize - Best Acting Showreel). Written by Vishani Miller, with direction, cinematography, and post by Ryan Hope Travis.

Unable to ask his year-long crush on a date, Harry takes his subtlety game to a whole new level. Our inaugural film, Charlie, Short for Charlotte was filmed in Los Angeles and written and directed by Ryan Hope Travis. ©2017

At a crossroads between his street family and his biological one, the price of Tony’s choice is more than he can afford. Written and directed by Ryan Hope Travis, Bolognese features Tercell Pryor and Ashley Gandy.

A group of art students are beyond annoyed as their classmate discovers new found ecstasy in her painting. Fine was written by Tercell Pryor with direction, photography, and post by Ryan Hope Travis. Featuring - Joydaisa Mims. Art Students - Ashley Gandy, Vishani Miller, Tercell Pryor + Erin Yu-Lee.

A domestic worker sues her abuser when she is abruptly replaced by another unsuspecting housekeeper. Her pro bono attorney is the first and most important ally she needs in her fight. Every Chance had its world premiere at the Cinema Capitol Local Short Film Showcase, a regional, competitive showcase in Rome, NY. Written and featuring Blondean Young, with direction, cinematography, and post by Ryan Hope Travis.

A Muay Thai fighter looses more than he bargains for when his high stakes scheme backfires. Written and directed by Ryan Hope Travis, Fixed Blue is a micro budget short film captured in Harlem, New York.