NEW YORK — A local artist is getting the chance to present his solo performance live with theater company Mabou Mines after it was halted because of the pandemic.

Sean Devare, a multidisciplinary theater artist, is the creator of "First Violin," a piece that investigates cultural inheritance and musical evolution. 

Devare explores the ancient Indian origins of the violin. In his performance, he uses the instrument's history as a metaphor to explore his own experience as an Asian-American “third-culture kid.”

Devare’s parents are Indian and Chinese. His culture inspired the project, which started in 2018 during his MFA program at Sarah Lawrence College.

"It is the ideas, the culture, the stories, the mythology. Those are the things that inspire me, and I've come to that in my own way, regardless of what way I might have been raised," Devare said. "I did have a remarkably secular upbringing, but there were hints of these things at the edges."

The performance, he said, is about "reconnecting something which is so far from its roots with its origin." "And not only to return to the beginning, but to create something that is new, that is neither 'A' or 'B.' It's something else entirely," he added. 

While Devare was supposed to present his piece in 2020, he was forced to perform virtually due to the pandemic. Now, he'll get to present it live.

"I guess I'm just really excited to be back in a space with people," he said. "For me, the heart of theater and what I want to do with my work is to connect with people in a space, especially when the work is this personal."

The performance will take place at Mabou Mines’ performance initiative, SUITE/Space. There will be performances on Dec. 9, Dec. 10 and Dec. 11 beginning at 9 p.m.