Theatre and Dance at Wayne to Present Staged Readings of THE DETROIT PROJECTS

Theatre and Dance at Wayne is pleased to present staged readings of The Detroit Projects by Dominique Morisseau. This trilogy is a three play cycle that recounts the telling of the black experience at three pivotal moments in Detroit's history. As a free community event, the staged readings will take place on three consecutive days at the Charles H. Wright Museum in the General Motors Theater, October 13th - 15th.

Paradise Blue sets the scene in 1949 in Detroit's Paradise Valley, now Lafayette Park. Blue, an exceptional trumpeter, contemplates selling his once-vibrant club to rid himself of inner and outer conflicts from his past. The play received its world premiere this past summer at Williamstown Theatre Festival and is a recipient of the Edgerton Foundation New Play award. The staged reading for Paradise Blue will take place on Tuesday, October 13th at 7:00pm.

Detroit '67 takes place during the explosion of the lively city of Motown, as well as the height of the civil rights movement in the late 60's. By drawing upon the thriving music and entertainment environment, Chelle and Lank, decide to turn their basement into a hot after-hours joint. As interpersonal tensions rise in their family, so do racial tensions throughout the city. In 2014, Detroit '67 won the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama, which is one of the most prominent prizes given for playwriting. The staged reading for Detroit '67 will take place on Wednesday, October 14th at 7:00pm.

Skeleton Crew follows four auto workers who stare insecurity in the face as Detroit falls into the 2008 recession. With the announcement of a shutdown by the end of the year, their jobs at the last exporting auto plant in the city are in jeopardy. With foreclosed homes, dangerous habits, and stubborn wills in the mix, frustration and heartache overwhelm these four individuals. Skeleton Crew is scheduled for a production at the Atlantic Theatre Company in 2016. The staged reading for Skeleton Crew will take place on Thursday, October 15th at 7:00pm.

Directing The Detroit Projects is Billicia Charnelle Hines, who serves as the Director of the Black Theatre Program at the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance. Previously, she was Director of Theatre at Elizabeth City State University, who received her BFA in Professional Theatre from NC Agricultural & Technical State University her MFA in Acting from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

Dominique Morisseau, Playwright and Actress, got her BFA in Acting from the University of Michigan and her start as a performance poet in the Detroit community of Harmonie Park. She is a recent PONY (Playwright of New York) fellow, and is also generating a substantial body of work independent of the Detroit cycle: Sunset Baby, Follow Me To Nellie's, and Blood At The Root. Her work has also been published in NY Times bestseller- "Chicken Soup for the African American Soul" and in the Harlem-based literary journal "Signifyin' Harlem".

These relatively new works highlight and explore the human condition in a dramatic fashion; evoking themes of generational struggle, the commitment to socioeconomic advancement, and the imperative and meaningful connection within one's lineage and race. This community event is made possible through support and partnership by the Charles H. Wright Museum and the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights, with free admission, cash bar and light concessions available before and after each performance.

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