Magenta Giraffe's 5th Annual Staged Reading Festival Begins 5/24

As part of its mission "to reestablish and expand Detroit's theatre district," Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company has chosen plays by Michigan natives and current Michigan residents to stage as part of a festival to take place May 24, 25 and 26, 2013, at the Abreact Performance Space (1301 W. Lafayette, #1301, Detroit, MI 48226). Attendees will see a reading of each play and are encouraged to participate in a workshop-style discussion afterward. Several plays that have been read in past staged reading festivals have gone on to be produced in the region, and this event gives audience members an opportunity to become a part of the process of developing plays for eventual production. Admission is by donation only.

Followers of past staged reading festivals will see some familiar names as well as new ones! The schedule for the weekend is as follows:

Friday, May 24

8:00 p.m.

Fall

By Audra Lord

Directed by: Nancy Kammer

A parent's suicide provides the backdrop for this exploration of isolation, identity and assimilation in a family of Korean immigrants living in America. Inspired by a true story.

Saturday, May 25

2:00 p.m.

Bloom

By Andrew Morton

Directed by: Phil Bolden

Daniel is 15, has just lost his father, and is sleeping on a couch in his aunt's basement in Flint, Michigan. After a violent outburst at his new school, his social worker Michelle suggests he spends a week working in an urban garden in the middle of the city with her father, Bobby. A week soon turns into a few months, and as the two men work together over the summer, they form an unlikely friendship and begin to help each other heal some old wounds.

5:00 pm

A Play by Franco Vitella

By Franco Vitella

Directed by: Jonathan Davidson

The playwright Franco Vitella attempts to write a play, but has no idea what it's about or how it ends. As the writer struggles through starts, stops, and revisions, a group of actors attempt to perform the show without incident. A Play By Franco Vitella destroys theatrical barriers by blending characters with their real-life counterparts and examining what it means to be an actor, writer, and audience member.

8:00 p.m.

The Friday Afternoon Bucket List of Booze

By Maureen Paraventi

Directed by: Angie Kane Ferrante

A group of longtime friends gathers regularly to sample exotic kinds of alcohol, laugh, and talk about everything - romantic dilemmas, caring for elderly parents, the joy of menopause - everything except for the fact that one of them is dying. Ultimately they have to confront this hard truth and the effect it has on all of their lives.

Sunday, May 26

3:00 p.m.

The Antichrist Cometh

By David MacGregor

Directed by: David Woitulewicz

A happily married couple is getting ready to host a small dinner party when the husband makes the surprising discovery that he just might be the Antichrist. Should the party go on as planned or should he start making plans for the Apocalypse? Or perhaps a festive combination of the two?

6:00 pm

Love is Strange

By Sean Paraventi

Directed by: Matthew Turner Shelton

Love is Strange explores a heartfelt, yet deeply disturbed, relationship between two lovers with a horrifying hobby. As the story reaches its climax, everything we think we know about victims and predators is called into question. We're forced to look for the answers in our own dark places. This play contains mature content. No minors will be admitted without a parent present.

For additional information on the 2013 Staged Reading Festival featuring Michigan playwrights, contact Frannie Shepherd-Bates or visitwww.magentagiraffe.org.