Interview: Leighza Walker Talks Tenth Anniversary of MUSEUM OF DYSFUNCTION at Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company

This June, Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company is setting the stage for their tenth annual wildly quirky and delightfully diverse play festival, MUSEUM of DYSFUNCTION. The festival, taking place over the course of two weekends, was founded in 2008 by Mildred's Artistic Director Jennifer Decker as a collaborative outlet for both new and established playwrights alike.

BroadwayWorld spoke with Leighza Walker to hear more about MUSEUM of DYSFUNCTION X, which will include the addition of several student writers whose work will be professionally produced for the first time. With 75% of the playwrights being female and over half of the roles being for women, MUSEUM of DYSFUNCTION is wholly aligned with the Mildred's mission of artistic support for women.

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BWW: Tell us a little about MUSEUM of DYSFUNCTION. What can the audience members expect?

Leighza Walker: MUSEUM of DYSFUNCTION is two weekends of short plays. The audience should expect anywhere from slightly odd to extremely weird plays. Our selection committee looked for plays that edged into strange relationships, strange situations; we love plays that don't always make sense.

BWW: Who is the target audience of MUSEUM of DYSFUNCTION? Is there something for everyone?

Leighza Walker: There really is something for everyone! There is a myriad of combinations of odd, dark, quirky, funny, and flat-out bizarre. I think we do a good job of presenting at least one play per night that each audience member will find suits their idea of dysfunction the best.

BWW: What is your favorite part about putting on MUSEUM of DYSFUNCTION?

Leighza Walker: My favorite part is how it explores what dysfunction is and accepts that it is different for everyone! Producing MUSEUM of DYSFUNCTION is always an adventure. There are twenty plays, which means twenty casts, and around ten directors. There are so many moving parts and it somehow magically all comes together.

BWW: How do you feel this festival ties into and supports the rest of the Mildred's season?

Leighza Walker: Mildred's Umbrella has never been afraid to produce work that pushes theater boundaries. MUSEUM of DYSFUNCTION is a showcase of short pieces that do just that. It's a sampler of the "feel" of Mildred's Umbrella.

BWW: This will be the tenth time Mildred's has produced this annual play festival, which is a great success! What kind of feedback have you received from audience members in the past?

Leighza Walker: This annual event is an audience favorite. There are two separate weekends with completely different material, and most of our audience members come to both shows. They love how they walk away having laughed hard, cried maybe, and definitely had at least one "what in the world did I just see?" moment, all in one night.

MUSEUM of DYSFUNCTION X performances are at 8:00pm June 21st - June 23rd (Group 1) and June 28th - June 30th (Group 2). Performances will be held at Chelsea Market Theater, 4617 Montrose Blvd. #100, Houston 77006. All performances are Pay-What-You-Can. For more information, call 832-463-0409 or visit mildredsumbrella.com.

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