Farmington Players to Present THE AMISH PROJECT Tonight, Tomorrow

The Farmington Players will present The Amish Project by Jessica Dickey June 12th and 13th at 8pm at the Farmington Players Barn located at 32332 W. Twelve Mile Rd. in Farmington Hills. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door, by calling 248-553-2955, or at www.farmingtonplayers.org

The Amish Project contains adult language and situations. It is a fictional exploration of the 2006 schoolhouse shooting in an Amish community in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania.

The Barn entered the one-act play into Michigan's AACTFest Competition held March 27-29. Judges selected The Amish Project as the alternate to the regional festival. The production also won two awards: Maryanna Lauter received the "Rising Star" honor, and Steven White won the "Featured Actor" award.

Director Terie Spencer of Commerce says, "The playwright's emphasis is less on the details of the tragedy and more about the path of forgiveness and compassion forged in its wake." She describes the characters as going through personal journeys during the course of the play and dealing with issues such as loss, guilt anger forgiveness and ultimately hope.

Actress Amy Lauter of Farmington Hills says, "We have a talented cast, a great story to tell, and have created some beautiful stage pictures and moments."

She admits the subject matter is very difficult to work with. "For instance my character is the widow of a gunman, who shot 10 young Amish girls and then himself," says Lauter. "Although the play is not an exact factual account of the incident, it is based on a true story. So trying to wrap my head around what this woman went through has been a challenge."

The Amish Project is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. In January the Farmington Players received an MCACA capital improvement grant to help enhance stage lighting at The Barn. Barn President Maureen Mansfield says the grant money "is more important than people realize. Arts make communities vibrant, welcoming and desirable and thereby increase the local economy," she says.

"They strengthen the social fabric of the cities we live in. Students with an education rich in the arts even have a higher GPA. The Farmington Players are extremely proud and grateful to have received such a generous grant from MCACA."

Cast includes:

Maryanna Lauter as Velda (Farmington Hills)

Madison Krumins as Anna (Waterford)

Amy Lauter as Carol (Farmington Hills)

Dan Tarjeft as Eddie (Southfield)

Paige Osgood as America (Brighton)

Bonnie Fitch as Sherry (Southfield)

Steven R. White as Bill North (Plymouth)