Slipstream Theatre Announces Upcoming Season Featuring THE WINTER'S TALE, A DOLL'S HOUSE and More!

Slipstream Theatre Initiative says "Hello" to the Detroit Area Theatre Scene! Slipstream is a new company founded in Ferndale and focuses on current takes on classical works as well as featuring original works by local playwrights. The mission is simple: use a core ensemble of actors and focus on the intent of the playwright while making viable,contemporary and thought provoking art. The company utilizes some of Detroit's well known talent (as well as several newcomers), a minimalistic technical approach and the area's most unique spaces to cross the divide between old and new. Slipstream will work in conjunction with several companies in the area and is set to perform on most theaters' "dark" nights, offering a weeknight outing for an affordable price while leaving the weekends free for more established companies' seasons. Based in Ferndale but using different venues around the area to suit each show, Slipstream promises to make you rethink what makes something "classical" and what defines "contemporary."

Kicking off in December with Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, we pose the question: "What if you take the magic out of a Christmas fable and focus on the miracle of humanity instead?" Pared down to eight actors and an hour and a half, this is a show for all ages and faiths, with heart and humor galore.

January brings Tongues, a dark farce about three couples that most certainly should not be together and the odd Tarot card reader that seems to be determining their fates. A Detroit Original, this play explores the natures of sex and love and how they can intertwine in the most inappropriate ways.

In February (just in time for Valentine's day), we see another Detroit Original, Basheret. Staged as a benefit in 2013 by WickedGreen Productions, Basheret follows a day in the life of a struggling actor with some major issues as he consults with some of his best female friends on the meaning of what exactly a soulmate is. Told in one-on-one scenes out of sequence, the maze of the lead character's life becomes a labyrinth for the audience with a huge payoff at the end of the twisted road.

The March slot goes a bit darker and underground with Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. Re-imagined from the perspective of a young girl held captive in a strange man's basement for ten years with only an actual dream house to play with, this version of Ibsen's classic will question how much we know about our own abilities to stay or go....in any situation.

April lightens up a bit with Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Venice, of course, being the hungry and greedy Wall Street. In a digital age where the trade markets are more valuable than human life, people are sold and bought just as quickly as a stock, which will prevail; big corporations or the human spirit?

May goes dark again with an all-female version of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Full of all the gore and insanity that makes this piece one of the Bard's most popular, what happens when the society is free of its Patriarchal grip? Empowering women and offering a strong vulnerability in its core, this Hamlet is sure to bring a new twist to family values. Play selection subject to change.

In June it's time to go Wilde - Oscar Wilde, of course. Using the current fight for marriage equality as it's foundation, The Importance of Being Earnest utilizes an all-male cast and lacks none of Wilde's words or wit. It's a riotous time that pulls out all the stops, leaving you to wonder just how valuable is marriage? And what defines it? Show date, selection and slot subject to change.

The season closes in July with Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. This classic battle of the sexes, regularly considered sexist and senseless, is brought to new life when gender is taken away and only the battle of the wits remain. Who will win? And what does that say about our often gender-biased society?

Slipstream Theatre Initiative is founded by Bailey Boudreau, formerly of WickedGreen Productions, and produced the successful all-male Twelfth Night at both the Michigan Actors Studio and Two Muses Theatre in May, as well as an upcoming all-male S&M themed "Shrew" as part of The Ringwald's Gay Play Series on June 23rd. STI is dedicated to helping bridge the gap between local theatre companies and encourage the community aspect of the growing artistic industry in the Detroit area. It features an ensemble including Steve Xander Carson, Dani Cochrane, Richard Payton, Emilio Rodriguez, Cara Trautman, Jaclynn Cherry, Katie Terpstra, Brenton Herwat, Miles Bond, Jennifer Jones Jolliffe, Jan Cartwright, Dennis Kleinsmith, Barbie Weisserman, Adriane Galea, Michael Lopetrone, Luna Alexander, Dick Ward, Katherine Nelson, Tiaja Sabrie, David Galido, Zee Bricker, Michael Soave and Jay Jolliffe. Technical direction by Alexander H. Trice and Artistic direction by Bailey Boudreau.

Shows run for the full month and ticket prices range from $10-$15, with week night performances and occasional weekends nights.

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