SHANA UNSETTLED, LETHAL INJECTION and More Set for 2012 Baltimore Playwrights Festival

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival has announced its upcoming season as follows:

June 22 - July 15
Fells Point Corner Theater
“Shana Unsettled” by Ronda Cooperstein
Directed by Janel Miley; Asst. Director Jim Knipple
Friday & Saturday at 8:00 pm, Sunday at 7:00 pm
Thursday performances June 18th & July 12th at 8:00 pm

After years of life on holy land frontiers, Shana Uzali finds it impossible to protect herself from intrusive facts that call her faith into question. Shana wakes and sleeps and engages with both the living and the dead in order to sort out the confusion she experiences when facing the truth about her husband’s excessive violence. Tribalism and religious fundamentalism are at the root of Shana’s struggle. Has the path that she has chosen led to a dead end?

July 12 - 29
Theatrical Mining Company
“Hired Gun” by Mark Scharf
Directed by Stacey Bonds
Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 8:00 pm, Sunday at 2:00 pm
Performances will be at Load of Fun Theater

Once there was the King, the Killer and the Fat Man of Rock n’ Roll. But time has left the Fat Man forgotten in the Louisiana bayou. Jesse now has the fastest and cleanest hand in rock. Jesse’s a hired gun; a studio musician who chooses his projects. Dewitt can see his way back to the top with Jesse playing for him. Intrigued by the faded rockabilly star, Jesse travels to the bayou only to find out that rock n’ roll never dies – even when it should.

July 20 – August 5
The Vagabonds Theater
“Lethal Injection” by Michael Reimann
Directed by Larry Pinker
Friday & Saturday at 8:00 pm, Sunday at 2:00 pm

In Lethal Injection, the audience plays the role of the jury. Stakes couldn't be more serious for two well-bred brothers accused of murdering an intruder in their Texas home. A conviction means death by lethal injection. All is not what it seems in this high-intensity, high-impact courtroom drama. At the sound of the gavel - court is in session.

August 3 - 26
Fells Point Corner Theater
“Following Sarah” by Rich Espey
Directed by Anne Shoemaker
Friday & Saturday at 8:00 pm, Sunday at 7:00 pm

Maddy, Kat and Julia are high-achieving, super-stressed seniors on the Cross Country team at Thwaite Academy. An email from their former teammate Sarah threatens to push them over The Edge. Why? Because Sarah died after winning last year’s Cross Country Championship. Following Sarah takes us on a magical journey with young women figuring out how to survive in today's achievement-obsessed culture.

August 9-26
Theatrical Mining Company
“Passport” by Kevin Kostic
Directed by Barry Feinstein
Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 8:00 pm, Sunday at 2:00 pm
Performances will be at Load of Fun Theater

It’s December 27th, 2007 in Kisumu, Kenya. People have taken to the streets to protest the questionable results of the presidential election. Jeff, a humanitarian worker burnt-out from his job and estranged from his wife, finds himself trapped in his hotel room due to the riot occurring outside his window. Hearing screams, he pulls in two Kenyan women who will forever change his life.

August 10-25
Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theater
“The Things We Do – An Evening of One-Acts”
“Protest” by Adam Meyer
“A Good Brain is Hard to Find” by Rebecca Wyrick
“Replay” by Mark Scharf
Directed by Lynn Morton
Friday & Saturday at 8:00pm, Sunday at 2:00 pm

“Protest” by Adam Meyer

What if someone organizes a protest and no one shows up? That’s the dilemma faced by Lizzie, who shows up to speak out against something called “flerbing,” and finds that the only other protester is a musician namEd Tyler. But the more Lizzie opens up to him, the more she finds herself realizing that she may not be as committed to the cause as she’d like to think.

“A Good Brain is Hard to Find” by Rebecca Wyrick

Child genius Hannah West’s life is turned upside down when a stranger comes to town, but is he really a stranger? With a totalitarian government hot on her trail, Hannah tries to unravel the secrets of his criminal past… and must decide how far she will go for love.

“Replay” by Mark Scharf

Every night, at 4:30 a.m., Josh awakens to find Leann silently watching and waiting for another chance to replay how a promising relationship ended stillborn in pride, misunderstanding and miscommunication. As the play unfolds, we come to question if Leann’s visits are real or if they are only replaying in Josh’s head. Replay is about the journey from regret and remorse to redemption in our shared struggle to connect to another human being before it’s too late.

August 10 – September 2
Heralds of Hope Theater Company
“The Last Shall Be First” by Percy Thomas
Directed by Percy Thomas
Friday & Saturday at 8:00 pm, Sunday at 3:00 pm
Performances at Sojourner Douglas College Theater

The Last Shall Be First tells of the excesses and cruelties of slavery as experienced by a fictionalized character named Monroe. Monroe a self proclaimed preacher, who through a veil of prophecy, mysticism, truth and rebellion leads a small band of slaves to plan their escape from the Potter Plantation. Using religion blended with historical accounts of slavery, newspaper clippings from 1831, and the account of the November 4, 1979 Iran hostage crisis, The Last Shall Be First weaves a tale of one man’s quest to be free.

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The Baltimore Playwrights Festival has presented 273 scripts by 165 playwrights, produced by 25 different companies, over the past 30 Years. Our mission is to provide an environment that nurtures the talents of Maryland and DC playwrights through public readings, discussions, critiques and workshopping of new plays. Our summer season is devoted to the presentation of these newly developed works in cooperation with local area theaters. Further information can be found at www.baltplayfest.org.