Magenta Giraffe Theatre Co. Announces 2012-2013 Season

Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company of Detroit is today announced its fourth full season of productions and projects, in residence at the Abreact Performance Space in Detroit. Following its popular and critically acclaimed past three seasons, the company is finding new ways to enhance and enrich the community through theatre. This season Magenta Giraffe invites audience members to join the company in actively participating in Detroit’s much-publicized artistic renaissance, as the season includes a play steeped in politics, one by a local playwright, and another that is a staple of modern classic theatre.

First up is Picking Palin by Stephen Padilla, directed by Molly McMahon, from October 12-November 3, 2012. Picking Palin, marking its Michigan premiere, "follows John McCain’s campaign managers as they go through the process of choosing a running mate for his 2008 presidential campaign. Which of the proposed candidates would have the best chance of winning the election; which would be best in governing the country? Playwright Padilla explores this story and the issues facing the Republican party in a purely objective manner, managing to be insightful and non-partisan all the way through. As the country gears up for another presidential election, it serves us well to reflect on decisions made the last time around, and what effect those decisions had, and have, on the nation."

Soul Mates, a new piece from local playwright Kirsten Knisely, follows from February 1-23, 2013. Directed by Frannie Shepherd-Bates, this "sweet and lovely play explores the concept of soul mates as it travels through a series of vignettes. What is a soul mate? Can a person have more than one in a lifetime? Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company is thrilled to present this, its second debut from a local playwright, following the critical success of Sean Paraventi’s The Current in 2010. Knisely’s skill and talent shine through this beautiful piece that will warm audience’s hearts in the cold months of winter."

The final production of the season is Jean Genet’s The Maids, from April 26-May 11, 2013. This play, also directed by Frannie Shepherd-Bates, is "exactly what audiences have been demanding and waiting for. Hearkening back to Magenta Giraffe’s inaugural production of Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit, The Maids is being produced as a direct result of audience feedback. The Maids is an exploration of the process of de-realization from the twisted mind of Jean Genet, whose works are well known for providing an intellectual workout. Two maids play at being mistress and servant but never quite get to the end of their role-playing before their actual mistress arrives home. Presented with an opportunity to kill the woman they both love and hate, the sisters conflate reality and fantasy, blurring the lines between murder and suicide as they finally succeed in ending the game they’ve been playing for so long. Audiences will love peeling back the layers of truth and falsity as they navigate the twists and turns of this delightfully complex and entertaining play."

Performance schedules of all three shows will be Fridays at 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. Each production will feature one Sunday matinee. Tickets will be $18 General Admission and $15 Student/Senior/Industry, with pay-what-you-can tickets available to all performances. Subscriptions are available at the Industry price of $15 per production and include a FREE Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company t-shirt. Please visit www.magentagiraffe.org.

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