Magenta Giraffe Theatre Opens THE MAIDS Tonight

Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company of Detroit presents Jean Genet's classic The Maids, translated by Bernard Frechtman, directed by Frannie Shepherd-Bates. The show runs from tonight, April 26-May 18, 2013.

Tickets are $15-$18, with pay-what-you-can tickets available to all performances. Tickets may be reserved by phone at 313-408-7269 or at www.magentagiraffe.org. The Maids will be Magenta Giraffe's third production in residence at the Abreact Performance Space (1301 W. Lafayette, #113, Detroit, MI 48226). As the space is very intimate, reservations are strongly suggested.

This play is exactly what audiences have been demanding and waiting for. Hearkening back to Magenta Giraffe's inaugural production of Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit, The Maids is being produced as a direct result of audience feedback. The Maids is an exploration of the process of de-realization from the twisted mind of Jean Genet, whose works are well known for providing an intellectual workout. Two maids play at being mistress and servant but never quite get to the end of their role-playing before their actual mistress arrives home. Presented with an opportunity to kill the woman they both love and hate, the sisters conflate reality and fantasy, blurring the lines between murder and suicide as they finally succeed in ending the game they've been playing for so long. Audiences will love peeling back the layers of truth and falsity as they navigate the twists and turns of this delightfully complex and entertaining play.

"The Maids is a play that Magenta Giraffe has been wanting to produce for quite awhile, and we are thrilled to bring it to audiences now," says Executive Artistic Director Frannie Shepherd-Bates. "People still ask me when we'll do more plays like our first production in 2008, so we thought we'd give them what they want! Jean-Paul Sartre was a contemporary and champion of Jean Genet, and he wrote a definitive essay about The Maids, so this seemed to be a great choice. And the play's political themes of Otherness and being constrained by class and society fit perfectly with our mission statement."

The cast includes Meredith Gifford (Rochester), Molly McMahon (Detroit) and Jaclyn Strez (Detroit). Adam Crinson exhibits his scenic design; costumes by Katie Casebolt.

Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company's production of The Maids will take place at the Abreact Performance Space: 1301 W. Lafayette, #113, Detroit, MI 48226. Reservations are available via phone at 313-408-7269, at www.magentagiraffe.org, or at the door the day of the performance. Cash or check preferred, but credit cards will be accepted. Tickets are $18/$15 Student/Senior/Industry, and are also available on a pay-what-you-can basis at all performances.

The Maids will run Fridays at 8:00 pm and Saturdays at 8:00 pm. There will be one matinee at 3:00 pm on Sunday, May 12. Dates and times are:

Friday, April 26, at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 27, at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, May 3, at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 4, at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, May 10, at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 11, at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 12, at 3:00 p.m.
Friday, May 17, at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 18, at 8:00 p.m.

Audience members paying the full ticket price may wish to take advantage of our "Repeat Offender" offer: If you've paid the suggested rate for a ticket and would like to see the show a second, third or fourth time (we love those who love theatre!) bring back a customer paying the same rate each time and see it free of charge.

The first two performances of The Maids on April 26 and 27 are being offered as excursions to purchasers of the Detroit Passport to the Arts. The space is very intimate - for guaranteed seating, we recommend you look into a passport! Detroit Passport to the Arts provides an introduction to the Detroit cultural scene for people 45 & under. With an affordable passport, DP2A offers an opportunity to experience Detroit and its culture with like-minded people. A passport provides access to six performances, including dance, opera, symphony, theatre, film and chamber music, followed by six social networking events. For more information about DP2A visit www.dp2a.org or call 248-559-2095.

The Maids, by Jean Genet, translated by Bernard Frechtman, is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company is a 501(c)3, 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. The Maids, by Jean Genet, translated by Bernard Frechtman and directed by Frannie Shepherd-Bates, is the theatre's thirteenth production.

For additional information on the production of The Maids, contact Frannie Shepherd-Bates or visit www.magentagiraffe.org.

Pictured: Jaclyn Strez and Molly McMahon. Photo Credit: Chuk Nowak.

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