New play festival returns for second year

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The Western Michigan University departments of English and Theatre will host the second annual Activate: Midwest New Play Festival Thursday through Saturday, June 16-18, in WMU's Gilmore Theatre Complex. All events are free and reservations are not required. The festival is organized by the departments of English and Theatre and is made possible by contributions from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation and private donors.

About the festival

Playwrights from across the region submitted their work to a reading committee, and four plays were selected for staged readings. After the festival, one of these plays will be selected to receive a workshop production in August in Chicago. The four selected plays are:

• "Borrowed Babies," by Jennifer Blackmer.
• "Faces and Names," by Max Bush.
• "Pocketful of Sand," by Emily Dendinger.
• "Good Enough," by Cara Beth Heath.

"The wonderful and varied plays in this festival will have great resonance for our community," says Joan Herrington, festival founder and Department of Theatre chair. "'Good Enough' focuses on women who worked in the Gibson guitar factory here during the war—a little recognized fact but one with great relevance for Kalamazoo.

"'Borrowed Babies' examines issues of adoption and the search for birth parents and our sometimes narrow understanding of this world—This moving story of relationships between parents and children will hit home for many.

"'Faces and Names' is a powerful play that looks at the impact of sexual violence, juxtaposing cultural sexual violence against women around the word and the impact of sexual assault here at home.  The topic is extremely relevant and the play evokes both great emotion and thought.

The final play—'Pocketful of Sand'—is deeply based in mythology and asks us to think about issues of life, death and the saving of our souls. It is a deeply moving play—told in a very contemporary story—that resonates in very profound ways."

Schedule

Thursday, June 16

• 7:30 p.m.—Keynote speaker, Steven Deitz.
• 8:30 p.m.—Staged reading of Dietz's new play, "Mad Beat Hip Gone," followed by a question-and-answer period.

Friday, June 17

• 7:30 p.m.—New Play Project, five selected 10-minute plays.
• 8 p.m.—"Borrowed Babies" by Jennifer Blackmer.

Saturday, June 18

• Noon—"Good Enough" by Cara Beth Heath, followed by a discussion with the playwright.
• 5 p.m.—"Faces and Names" by Max Bush, followed by a discussion with the playwright.
• 8 p.m.—"Pocketful of Sand" by Emily Dendinger.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.