In 1998, on the Island of Mozambique, within the ancient walls of a five-hundred-year-old colonial fortress… The director of a nursing home is brutally murdered.

Maputo PD Investigator, Izidine Naíta, is assigned to the case. But as he probes further into the secrets of the fortress of São Sebastião, Izidine’s investigation descends into chaos, with the elderly residents spinning a tangled web of contradictory stories and cryptic clues that threaten to unravel his grasp on reality. At the same time, the spirit of another dead man returns to Earth, a Carpenter on a journey seeking resolution for his own gruesome death. He is guided by Halakavuma, a four-legged envoy between worlds. For both the Carpenter and the Investigator, the truth is buried within the fortress’ dark corridors and crumbling voids, caught between a cursed man-child, a shape-shifting witch, and the ghostly figure of a man tied to the vanes of a windmill. It lies beneath the scars of colonial rule and the forces of nature that surround the island.

In I Am The Dead Man, a stage adaptation of Mia Couto’s acclaimed novel Under the Frangipani, the boundaries of life and death intertwine in a psychological thriller steeped in folklore, where every revelation pulls you closer to the heart of a haunting mystery.

Stephen Malcolm Ruffin is an Atlantan storyteller with a B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Florida. He’s honored to return to Synchro, and to have their continued support as an artist. Acting credits span TV (Chicago Fire, Snowfall, BMF, Survivor’s Remorse, Terror Lake Drive, Love Is, The Resident, Sleepy Hollow), Film (Sundance 2020 premiere Beast Beast, SXSW 2018 premiere Summer 03, Safety, Daphne & Velma, Kemba) and Theatre (Synchronicity, Alliance, Theatrical Outfit, Horizon, Atlanta Shakes, Actor’s Express, Hippodrome) and more.

Filipe Valle Costa is a multidisciplinary artist from Lisbon, Portugal, with an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of Florida. As Artistic Director of Saudade Theatre, he collaborates in creating original works rooted in the Portuguese-American experience. His producing credits include U.S. Premieres of The Constitution, My Favorite Suicide, El Comanchero or [The Path to the Kingdom of Heaven], and I Am the Dead Man. Acting credits span TV (Snowfall, Chicago Med, Blue Bloods, Gotham), Film (Son of a Kingpin, Geostorm, Posthumous), and Theatre (Alley, INTAR, Rising Circle, Northern Stage, Cherry Lane, Hippodrome, The Shakespeare Forum), and more.