Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company Presents 4th Annual Staged Reading Festival, 3/31-4/1

As part of its mission "to reestablish and expand Detroit's theatre district," Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company has chosen plays by Michigan natives and current Michigan residents to stage as part of a festival to take place March 31 and April 1, 2012, at the Abreact Performance Space (1301 W. Lafayette, #1301, Detroit, MI 48226). Attendees will see a reading of each play and are encouraged to participate in a workshop-style discussion afterward. Admission is by donation only.

The schedule for the weekend is as follows:

Saturday, March 31

2:00 p.m.
You Wouldn't Expect
By Marilynn Anselmi
Directed by: Cal M. Schwartz

Almost 8,000 individuals were sterilized in North Carolina between 1930 and 1973. Though the program began as a way to protect the severely mentally impaired, it morphed into attempts at controlling the poor and black populations. You Wouldn't Expect recounts the stories of four of these victims.

5:00 p.m.
Soul Mates
By Kirsten Knisely
Directed by: Alex D. Hill

Soul Mates explores the idea of fate and cosmic connection as a dynamic handful of characters are followed through various points in their lives. Through eight short vignettes that span over 50 years in America's history, the play presents distinct encounters between these characters as they find their soul mates, and perhaps a much greater sense of interconnectedness.

8:00 p.m.
See Jane Quit
By Beth Kander
Directed by: Kirsten Knisely

Jane is a neurotic waitress at a crossroads in her life who really needs to quit smoking. When she announces to her family that she's ready to quit, they're thrilled! But unfortunately, they're all also secretly dealing with personal crises of their own. And now, since none of them want to stress her out (because stress is the perfect excuse to light up again!), they all start tripping over themselves to shield Jane from all of their growing interpersonal dramas. But of course, desperately trying to hide stress and drama ... is guaranteed to cause more stress and drama.

Sunday, April 1

2:00 p.m.
Correctly Political
By Edward Thomas
Directed by: Kevin Young

With the importance of political correctness growing, six congressional aides are chosen to head the newly formed Political Correctness Watchdog Group. Their mission: to eliminate everything offensive from American society. But just how far are they willing to go when everything offends someone?

5:00 pm
Oasis Detroit
By MerciLee Jenkins
Directed by: Glenn Allen Pruett

Oasis Detroit tells the story of two people, a black man and a white woman, who return to Detroit after a long absence to a city they hardly recognize. They grew up in different worlds only three blocks from each other, survived the 1967 riot/rebellion together, and meet again forty years later. As they revisit their past, they come to a new understanding of their relationship to each other and the future of the city.

8:00 p.m.

Talk Show

By Maggie Patton

Directed by: Sean McClellan

Talk Show tunes in to the Marjory Manning Show, a low-budget and very live cable tv show, where we discover what really motivates those crazy people who put everything on the line for a shot – any shot - at the big time. Everyone has a secret, and during the final broadcast when Marjory and her guests seem to have a real shot at fame and fortune, everything goes wrong in spectacular fashion.

For additional information on the 2012 Staged Reading Festival featuring Michigan playwrights, visit http://www.magentagiraffe.org.

Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company is a nonprofit organization that acts to eliminate apathy, violence, prejudice and barriers to education through theatre productions, projects and programs; and further acts to reestablish and expand Detroit's theatre district.

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