Theatre Faculty Will Direct Shows for Forward Theater's 2021-22 Season

University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Theatre and Drama faculty members Baron Kelly and Mark H. are both slated to direct productions in Forward Theater's upcoming 2021-2022 season.

Kelly is a professor in the Department of Theatre and Drama, and also holds a concurrent appointment with the Odyssey Project in the Division of Continuing Studies. Mark H. is an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre and Drama.

The Department of Theatre and Drama is housed in the School of Education.

Kelly will direct "Mom, How Did You Meet the Beatles?" by Adrienne Kennedy and Adam P. Kennedy, which performs Sept. 9-26, 2021. The story of the play: It's the Swinging '60s in London, and American playwright Adrienne Kennedy finds herself among the rich and ultra-famous when she's hired to write a stage version of John Lennon's new book. Told in an interview-style conversation between Kennedy and her son, this autobiographical play shares her sense of awed wonder as she tries to hold her artistic ground in a patriarchal world of show business luminaries.

Mark H. will direct the world premiere of Quan Barry's "The Mytilenian Debate," with performances Feb. 24 - Mar. 13, 2022. The story of the play: Latimer is a successful heart surgeon. When his younger wife, Nina, unexpectedly gets pregnant, Latimer must break the news to his grown daughter, who is struggling to start a family of her own. Written by poet, award-winning author, and Forward Theater Writer in Residence Quan Barry, "The Mytilenian Debate" raises questions about legacy and the responsibilities inherent in bringing a Black child into a complicated world.

For more information about Forward Theater's 2021-2022 season, including ticket information, visit www.forwardtheater.com.