 By Face Off Theatre Company
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Fabulation, a cautionary tale reminding us not to forget our roots as we climb the ladder of success, kicks off the Black Arts & Cultural Center's Face Off Theatre Company's seventh season in February. The company is devoting its entire 2021 season to plays that tell deeply personal stories of African-Americans’ struggle for economic prosperity in America, in response to the tumultuous racial unrest nationwide that’s put a spotlight on imbalances. “Face Off Theatre is offering five plays in a series we’ve titled ‘Rebirth,’ so appropriate after all that our nation went through in 2020,” says Artistic Director Marissa Harrington, in announcing the company’s new season that starts in February. “We hope these works will help keep top of mind the importance of creating a world with the access and conditions that allows everyone to lead safe and financially secure lives. We need to continue the fight for racial equity.” Fabulation, or the The Re-Education of Undine by Lynn Nottage, will be streamed online only, and is timed to coincide with Black History Month. Showtimes are: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Feb. 26-28. (Scroll down for the link for tickets. The show is pay-what-you-can.) The play is a social satire about an ambitious and haughty African-American woman, Undine Barnes Calles, whose husband suddenly disappears after embezzling all of her money. Pregnant and on the brink of social and financial ruin, Undine retreats to her childhood home in Brooklyn’s Walt Whitman projects, only to discover that she must cope with a crude new reality. This piece, directed by Ynika Yuag, is a comeuppance tale with a comic twist. Many of the cast members are familiar faces to Face Off Theatre audiences, such as Khadijah Brown, this time starring as Undine Barnes Calles. Rounding out the cast are Michael Davis Arnold, Charles-Curtis, Zaynee Hobdy, Jerome M. Jones, Jayla Smith, Elizabeth Taylor and Ron Ware. TICKETS: faceofftheatrecompany.anywhereseat.com ====================== About Face Off Theatre Company Face Off Theatre Company launched in 2015 in Kalamazoo. It is devoted to thought-provoking Black theater and the development of playwrights of color, drawing audiences from throughout Southwest Michigan to its performances. Tickets may be purchased online, or at the door. For more: faceofftheatre.com Follow Face Off Theatre on Facebook and Instagram for show updates and auditions!
0 Comments
 By Face Off Theatre Company KALAMAZOO, Mich.— Get ready for stimulating conversation! Reginald Edmund, an international thought leader on systemic racism, and longtime and emerging Kalamazoo activists headline a dynamic virtual “Black Lives, Black Words” panel discussion at 7 p.m. Friday, July 31. Watch the livestream on the Facebook page of Face Off Theatre Company via Facebook Live. The panel discussion is hosted by the Black Arts & Cultural Center’s Face Off Theatre Company and Western Michigan University Department of Theatre. Panelists will discuss what’s being done to affect lasting change on the race issue. The lineup includes:
About 'Black Lives, Black Words' This is the second event in a three-part “Black Lives, Black Words” series being held online by Face Off Theatre and Western. Reginald Edmund, an award-winning playwright based in Chicago, is the founder of the Black Lives, Black Words International Project that provides workshops to train people of color how to create plays and other works for the stage that answer the question: “Do Black lives matter?” WMU graduate Marissa Harrington helped start Face Off Theatre. Harrington, who serves as artistic director, believes having an outlet for artists of color to express themselves at this critical moment of heightened racial tensions is essential. "The movement here has been so inspiring. I don't see people letting up, and that's a good thing," Harrington said in a recent interview with her alma mater. "I hope that people are inspired by what they see and what they hear and are encouraged to keep going." Face Off Theatre Company has twice partnered with the WMU Department of Theatre to bring the Black Lives, Black Words project to Kalamazoo, first in 2018 and then in 2019. This summer's series is the first time they’ve done it virtually. Joan Herrington, who heads the WMU theater department, told WMU News Services that it is important for the project to return in the wake of calls for racial justice nationwide. WMU is the second university in the U.S. to host Reginald Edmund’s BLBW initiative. "I think there is more energy, more urgency for this work, and not just for this work, but really for us to look at institutional racism as it expresses itself in the arts,” Herrington said. NEXT UP: The series' third and final event is a curated talent showcase at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, also on Face Off Theatre Company’s Facebook page.  Play Exposing Retail Racial Profiling Brings Strong Close to Face Off Theatre's Virtual Series7/17/2020  By Face Off Theatre Company KALAMAZOO, Mich. – It’s important to dismantle racism everywhere its ugly head rears, including in retail racial profiling. That’s the subject of “I’m Not Buying It,” the final show in Face Off Theatre Company’s 2020 Virtual Spring/Summer New Play Series at 7 p.m. EST Thursday, July 23. Watch the production LIVE at Face Off Theatre Company’s Facebook page via Facebook Live for free! Kalamazoo writer Vickie G. Hampton’s 10-minute play takes us on the harrowing journey of self-discovery for a cashier on his first day at a high-end department store. You, the audience, can post your thoughts in real time during this staged reading. The program concludes with a Q&A with the playwright who will answer your questions, plus some of ours! 'Will generate conversation' Playwright Vickie Hampton says eliminating racism requires each of us do our part. “There is a crucial individual component to dismantling racism,” Hampton says. “I hope that, at the very least, ‘I’m Not Buying It,’ will generate conversations about our personal responsibility in examining our innermost beliefs about race and doing the hard work of confronting our own biases.” In "I’m Not Buying It," a cashier is surprised by the deep-seated discomfort and fear that surface when he deals with his first customer on his first day on the floor of an upscale department store. During the seemingly innocuous encounter, the cashier learns that there is, indeed, something sinister and disturbing at work. A brief post-play interview will be conducted by the play's director Earlene McMichael, an actress/writer who is Face Off Theatre’s brand marketing and social media manager. The company fully staged McMichael's “You’re Gonna Learn Today” new play at last summer's Black Arts Festival in Kalamazoo. Then Micealaya “Mickey” Moses, Face Off Theatre’s season planning/new play development director and dramaturg, will ask Hampton the Facebook audience's questions. Moses holds a master’s degree in fine arts with a concentration in playwriting from Western Michigan University. The play stars Beth Fields, Timothy Smith, Dwane Stiger and Ron Ware, all of whom have been in past Face Off Theatre productions. Thanks for your interest in Face Off Theatre Company! To help us put on future plays, please consider a CashApp donation to $BACCFOTC. FOTC is a division of the Black Arts & Cultural Center, known as the BACC. ====================== About Face Off Theatre Company Face Off Theatre Company launched in 2015 as the theatrical arm of the Black Arts & Cultural Center in Kalamazoo. It is devoted to thought-provoking Black theater and the development of playwrights of color, drawing audiences from throughout Southwest Michigan to its performances at the Epic Center’s Judy K. Jolliffe Theatre and nearby artistic venues. Tickets may be purchased online about a month before the show, or at the door. For more: faceofftheatre.com About the Black Arts & Cultural Center The Black Arts & Cultural Center, headquartered at downtown Kalamazoo's Epic Center, is widely known for its annual Black Arts Festival since founding in 1986. The organization develops the potential and creativity in Blacks in the Kalamazoo area, advances the awareness of Black artistic ability, helps to preserve Black cultural heritage and enhance interactions among diverse groups. For more: blackartskalamazoo.org Follow Face Off Theatre on Facebook and Instagram for show updates and auditions!   By Face Off Theatre Company KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Black Arts & Cultural Center’s Face Off Theatre Company and Western Michigan University Department of Theatre have retained award-winning playwright Reginald Edmund to headline a three-part “Black Lives, Black Words” virtual event to teach and celebrate how the performing arts can be an agent of change in fighting racism. Events include an “art-as-activism” workshop and a panel discussion on Black Lives Matter efforts in the Kalamazoo area to address systemic racism. They take place July 14 and 31, respectively. The series closes out with an open mic-style talent showcase on Aug. 1. All programming is free, and held at 7 p.m. Edmund, who is based in Chicago, founded the Black Lives, Black Words International Project, where he travels the world giving workshops posing the question, “Do Black lives matter?,” and then instructs participants on how to turn their answers into plays and other works for the stage, such as poems and spoken-word. “A playwright has a sacred task stemming back from ancient times of the griot, as the politicians, the preachers, and the prophets of their times gathering the people together and guiding them through stories toward a better world,” Edmund writes on the Black Lives, Black Words website. The virtual series The July 31 panel discussion will feature local people on the front lines of fighting racism. The Aug. 1 showcase will present extraordinary actors, playwrights, spoken-word artists and poets specially chosen for the occasion. Both events take place at 7 p.m. on Facebook Live on Face Off Theatre’s Facebook page. The July 14 workshop will be a private event between Edmund and up to 20 of Kalamazoo’s creatives of color on using their “art as activism” as the Black Lives Matter Movement continues to intensify nationwide in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Pre-registration is required. With the workshop coming up quickly, interested persons of color should email Face Off Theatre Company as soon as possible at faceofftheatre@gmail.com to be considered, or inbox us on Facebook. Include name, phone number and email address. Briefly state why the workshop would be beneficial. Face Off Theatre Company has twice partnered with the WMU Department of Theatre to bring the Black Lives, Black Words project to the campus, in 2018 and in 2019. Reginald Edmund, at right below, posed with some of Face Off's company members in 2019. This summer's series is the first time that Face Off and Western have ever done a virtual BLBW event or presented it as a multi-part offering.   By Face Off Theatre Company
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Enjoy LIVE local Black theater on your favorite device courtesy of Face Off Theatre Company! For free! Just visit Face Off Theatre Company’s Facebook page at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 25 for a Facebook Live staged reading of "Is Black Enough?," a 10-minute play about a rising Black actor's struggle for Hollywood recognition. This theatrical premiere is the second show in our Virtual Spring/Summer New Play Series. You, the audience, can post your thoughts in real time during the reading. The program concludes with a Q&A with the playwright who will answer your questions, plus some of ours! Join us at the same time on July 23 for a different play! The series will present a playwrighting workshop soon! Stay tuned! “Our core mission is to provide year-round innovative diverse theater, and the pandemic has only heightened our commitment to doing that,” explains Marissa Harrington, artistic director of Face Off Theatre Company, a division of Kalamazoo's Black Arts & Cultural Center since 2015. “We're also passionate about continuing to be a space where new and emerging playwrights of color can thrive.” June’s featured play is Kalamazoo writer Shea-Lin Shobowale-Benson's "Is Black Enough?" Jackson Atwater is a young Black actor in Hollywood. After several bit roles he has landed a lead role in the film, “Black Like Me, Black Like You.” Jackson’s performance in the film does not go unnoticed as he receives a nomination for Best Actor on two different platforms. Jackson is conflicted in his feelings and navigates these feelings and emotions with his older sister. Although Jackson is Black and proud, he wonders if it is enough. A brief post-play interview will be conducted by actress/writer Earlene McMichael, Face Off Theatre’s brand marketing and social media manager. The company fully staged McMichael's “You’re Gonna Learn Today” new play at last summer's Black Arts Festival in Kalamazoo. Then the play's director, Kai Harris, will ask Shobowale-Benson the Facebook audience's questions. Harris is Face Off Theatre's production manager. She is working on a PhD. in fiction at Western Michigan University. The play stars Dwane Stiger and Denetta Diamond, familiar faces at Face Off Theatre Company. Stiger appeared in Denise Miller's "A Ligature for Black Bodies" in July 2019, and Diamond in "Crowns" in February 2020. Thanks for your interest in Face Off Theatre Company! To help us put on future plays, please consider a CashApp donation to $BACCFOTC. FOTC is a division of the Black Arts & Cultural Center, known as the BACC. ====================== About Face Off Theatre Company Face Off Theatre Company launched in 2015 as the theatrical arm of the Black Arts & Cultural Center in Kalamazoo. It is devoted to thought-provoking Black theater and the development of playwrights of color, drawing audiences from throughout Southwest Michigan to its performances at the Epic Center’s Judy K. Jolliffe Theatre and nearby artistic venues. Tickets may be purchased online about a month before the show, or at the door. For more: faceofftheatre.com About the Black Arts & Cultural Center The Black Arts & Cultural Center, headquartered at downtown Kalamazoo's Epic Center, is widely known for its annual Black Arts Festival since founding in 1986. The organization develops the potential and creativity in Blacks in the Kalamazoo area, advances the awareness of Black artistic ability, helps to preserve Black cultural heritage and enhance interactions among diverse groups. For more: blackartskalamazoo.org Follow Face Off Theatre on Facebook and Instagram for show updates and auditions!  By Face Off Theatre Company
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Enjoy LIVE local theater from the comfort of YOUR HOME courtesy of Face Off Theatre Company! All plays by Black women! For three months! For free! Just visit Face Off Theatre Company’s Facebook page at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 28 for a Facebook Live staged reading of "The Special Friend," a short play about secrets, family and identity as we kick off our Virtual Spring/Summer New Play Series. Here’s how it’ll work. You, the audience, can post your thoughts in real time during the reading. The program concludes with a Q&A with the playwright who will answer your questions, plus some of ours! Join us again on June 25 and July 23 for a different play! The series runs the fourth Thursday of the month, from May through July, at 7 o'clock in the evening. “Our core mission is to provide year-round innovative diverse theater, and the pandemic has only heightened our commitment to doing that,” explains Marissa Harrington, artistic director of Face Off Theatre Company, a division of Kalamazoo's Black Arts & Cultural Center since 2015. “We're also passionate about continuing to be a space where new and emerging playwrights of color can thrive.” May’s featured play is Kalamazoo writer Dawn Richberg's “The Special Friend,” a moving, 10-minute piece about a mother who dies with a family secret that spurs feuding between the two daughters and grieving husband she leaves behind. A brief post-play interview will be conducted by actress/writer Earlene McMichael, Face Off Theatre’s brand marketing and social media manager. The company fully staged McMichael's “You’re Gonna Learn Today” new play at last summer's Black Arts Festival in Kalamazoo. Then company stage manager, Shea-Lin Shobowale-Benson, will ask Richberg the Facebook audience's questions. Shobowale-Benson, a thespian and writer, is at work on an original piece that'll debut at our June virtual reading. Face Off Theatre Company presented “The Special Friend” at the Theatre Kalamazoo! NewPlayFest in February under the direction of Micealaya “Mickey” Moses, season planning director for the company. We’re delighted that the entire cast, JoVaughan Head, Hadiya Deas-Richberg and Ni’esha Wright, are returning to reprise their roles! Thanks for your interest in Face Off Theatre Company! To help us put on future plays, please consider a CashApp donation to $BACCFOTC. FOTC is a division of the Black Arts & Cultural Center, known as the BACC. ====================== About Face Off Theatre Company Face Off Theatre Company launched in 2015 as the theatrical arm of the Black Arts & Cultural Center in Kalamazoo. It is devoted to thought-provoking Black theater and the development of playwrights of color, drawing audiences from throughout Southwest Michigan to its performances at the Epic Center’s Judy K. Jolliffe Theatre and nearby artistic venues. Tickets may be purchased online about a month before the show, or at the door. For more: faceofftheatre.com About the Black Arts & Cultural Center The Black Arts & Cultural Center, headquartered at downtown Kalamazoo's Epic Center, is widely known for its annual Black Arts Festival since founding in 1986. The organization develops the potential and creativity in Blacks in the Kalamazoo area, advances the awareness of Black artistic ability, helps to preserve Black cultural heritage and enhance interactions among diverse groups. For more: blackartskalamazoo.org Follow Face Off Theatre on Facebook and Instagram for show updates and auditions!  By Face Off Theatre Company KALAMAZOO, Mich. – You might have heard how people couldn't get enough of Face Off Theatre Company's last gospel musical, Mahalia! Now we're back with another one, and it opens Thursday, Feb. 27 to coincide with Black History Month! The award-winning Crowns by Regina Taylor is a moving and celebratory musical play in which hats become a springboard for an exploration of Black history and identity as seen through the eyes of a young Black woman who has come down South to stay with her grandmother after her brother is killed in Brooklyn. Each hat holds a story of a wedding, a funeral, baptism and more as women share their stories of how they moved through life's struggles. It features some rap but predominantly gospel music underscore and support the narratives. Showtimes are: 7:30 p.m. Thursday,Feb. 27 - Saturday, Feb. 29 and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 1 at the Judy Jolliffe Theatre in the Epic Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall in downtown Kalamazoo. For tickets, visit faceofftheatre.com. The show is the first of four plays in the 2020 season of the Black Arts & Cultural Center's Face Off Theatre Company. "Crowns is a coming-of-age story about a 17-year-old girl,” says Director Marissa Harrington. “Yolanda is on a self-destructive path running the mean Englewood streets of Chicago. Her mother sends her down South to live with her Grandma Shaw after Yolanda’s brother is shot and killed. Grandma Shaw introduces Yolanda to her circle of 'Hat Queens.' Each woman owns at least 100 hats!” The vocally-delightful cast includes:
Khadijah was in our last gospel show, "Mahalia," staged a year ago this same time. Zaynee was in our November production, "eLLe," about relationships and belonging. Face Off Theatre’s entire new season is devoted to stories like this about African-American youth. Their voices will be illuminated through works by new and established playwrights. It reaches a fever pitch in November when the company closes the season with esteemed playwright Dominique Morisseau’s Pipeline, a poignant piece about the hot-button topic of the school-to-prison pipeline in the black community. 2020 Season At-A-Glance Click here for tickets!
About Face Off Theatre Company Face Off Theatre Company launched in 2015 as the theatrical arm of the Black Arts & Cultural Center in Kalamazoo. It is devoted to thought-provoking Black theater and the development of playwrights of color, drawing audiences from throughout Southwest Michigan to its performances at the Epic Center’s Judy K. Jolliffe Theatre and nearby artistic venues. Tickets may be purchased online about a month before the show, or at the door. For more: faceofftheatre.com About the Black Arts & Cultural Center The Black Arts & Cultural Center, headquartered at downtown Kalamazoo's Epic Center, is widely known for its annual Black Arts Festival since founding in 1986. The organization develops the potential and creativity in Blacks in the Kalamazoo area, advances the awareness of Black artistic ability, helps to preserve Black cultural heritage and enhance interactions among diverse groups. For more: blackartskalamazoo.org Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for show updates and auditions!   'Crowns,' award-winning gospel play, opens Face Off Theatre's 2020 Season in Black History Month1/31/2020  By Face Off Theatre Company KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Crowns by Regina Taylor, a moving, award-winning gospel musical that uses hats as a vehicle for women to share their stories of celebration and of triumph over hardship, kicks off the Black Arts & Cultural Center's Face Off Theatre Company's sixth season in February. It is timed to coincide with Black History Month. Showtimes are: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 - Saturday, Feb. 29 and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 1 at the Judy Jolliffe Theatre in the Epic Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall in downtown Kalamazoo. For tickets, visit faceofftheatre.com. "Crowns is a coming-of-age story about a 17-year-old girl,” says Director Marissa Harrington. “Yolanda is on a self-destructive path running the mean Englewood streets of Chicago. Her mother sends her down South to live with her Grandma Shaw after Yolanda’s brother is shot and killed. Grandma Shaw introduces Yolanda to her circle of 'Hat Queens.' Each woman owns at least 100 hats!” And each hat holds a story of a wedding, a funeral, baptism, and so much more. The vocally-delightful cast includes: Denetta Diamond ("Yolanda"), Khadijah Brown ("Jeanette"), Zaynee Hobdy ("Mabel"), Jeannie Jones ("Wanda"), Brenda Earvin ("Mother Shaw"), Shauntrece Stokes ("Velma"), and Chan Pratt ("Man"). Khadijah was in our last gospel show, "Mahalia," staged a year ago this same time. Zaynee was in our November production, "eLLe," about relationships and belonging. Face Off Theatre Company’s entire upcoming 2020 season is devoted to stories like this about African-American youth. Their voices will be illuminated through works by new and established playwrights. It reaches a fever pitch in November when the company closes the season with esteemed playwright Dominique Morisseau’s Pipeline, a poignant piece about the hot-button topic of the school-to-prison pipeline in the black community. 2020 Season At-A-Glance Click here for tickets!
About Face Off Theatre Company Face Off Theatre Company launched in 2015 as the theatrical arm of the Black Arts & Cultural Center in Kalamazoo. It is devoted to thought-provoking Black theater and the development of playwrights of color, drawing audiences from throughout Southwest Michigan to its performances at the Epic Center’s Judy K. Jolliffe Theatre and nearby artistic venues. Tickets may be purchased online about a month before the show, or at the door. For more: faceofftheatre.com About the Black Arts & Cultural Center The Black Arts & Cultural Center, headquartered at downtown Kalamazoo's Epic Center, is widely known for its annual Black Arts Festival since founding in 1986. The organization develops the potential and creativity in Blacks in the Kalamazoo area, advances the awareness of Black artistic ability, helps to preserve Black cultural heritage and enhance interactions among diverse groups. For more: blackartskalamazoo.org Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for show updates and auditions!  By Face Off Theatre Company KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Ever had a big crush on someone only to find there’s a competing admirer? Or a major love relationship end? Or, suffered a huge blow to your sense of community? These very relatable experiences are unpacked in eLLe, a thought-provoking, witty, sexy play opening in November designed to open our eyes about the issues facing queer women of color, a not-often-talked-about segment of the LGBTQ and Black communities. The play is the first-ever collaboration between the Black Arts & Cultural Center's Face Off Theatre Company and Queer Theatre Kalamazoo. Four performances will be offered Nov. 14-17, 2019 in the Judy K. Jolliffe Theatre in the Epic Center in downtown Kalamazoo. Humorous, heart-wrenching Part humorous, part heart-wrenching and set in Kalamazoo, eLLe - This Lane Open is the 10th installment in an episodic series by Western-Michigan-University-educated playwright Shawntai Brown, of Detroit, herself an out African-American queer woman. For six of its 10 years, Queer Theatre Kalamazoo has staged the eLLe series, which was inspired by the popular Showtime “L Word” show. Then it reached a point in the development of Brown’s series where it made sense to partner with Face Off. Six African-American female theater and playwriting WMU grads created Face Off Theatre Company in 2015 to be the theater arm of the Black Arts & Cultural Center; it is housed in the Epic Center. Issues of race, safe spaces “The playwright has begun including more characters of color and more important issues about race, biases and queerness in the Black community,” explains Sarah E. MacLean, resident company director of Queer Theatre Kalamazoo. “We are grateful for the collaboration with Face Off to support and portray these messages successfully.” The production is jointly directed by MacLean and Marissa Harrington, artistic director of Face Off Theatre Company. Both say eLLe has general themes with which all adult audiences should be able to connect. “We hope that audiences will see a little bit of themselves in each character and each story line,“ Face Off’s Harrington says. “But we also hope that this play will spark conversation surrounding safe spaces in the Kalamazoo community not only for queer individuals, but everyone.” The show stars: Elizabeth Field, Shannon Fleckenstein, Laura Kay Henderson, Zaynee Hobdy, Quinn Hornick, Celine Justice, Brooke Lindley and Jayla Smith. PHOTO: The cast of "eLLe" in the dressing room on Preview Night on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019. Credit: Face Off Theatre Company. BONUS!!! Each performance is preceded by “A Ligature for Black Bodies," a short play about police brutality by Kalamazoo playwright Denise Miller, executive director of OutFront Kalamazoo, a LGBTQ advocacy group. The powerful piece debuted at Face Off Theatre Company's New Play Series this past July. About 'eLLe' SHOWTIMES eLLe will be staged 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 14-16; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17 at the Judy K. Jolliffe Theatre, Epic Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, downtown Kalamazoo. BUY TICKETS NOW HERE! SYNOPSIS The lives of queer Kalamazoo women intertwine even more when Izabel and Naya, sworn enemies competing for Lane's attention, begin working at the same Kalamazoo grocery store. Their competition turns outward when their friends start carting their issues of loneliness through the aisles. Devon and Mia are searching for intimate connections while Carrie and Lane are determined to remain solitary. THE PLAYWRIGHT Shawntai Brown is a Detroit writer, literacy coordinator and teaching artist with a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing from Western Michigan University and a Master of Arts in Literacy Learning Education from Marygrove College. She serves as a resident playwright adviser for Queer Theatre Kalamazoo. Her poetry and plays have been performed and published in various venues and publications. (Source: Michigan Council of the Arts and Cultural Affairs) About the Partnering Producers Face Off Theatre Company Face Off Theatre Company became the new face of theater for Kalamazoo’s Black Arts & Cultural Center in 2015. It is devoted to thought-provoking Black theater and the development of playwrights of color, drawing audiences from throughout Southwest Michigan to its performances at the Epic Center’s Judy K. Jolliffe Theatre and nearby artistic venues. Purchase tickets for shows anytime online or, at the door. For more: faceofftheatre.com Queer Theatre Kalamazoo Queer Theatre Kalamazoo formed in 2013 to be an inclusive, welcoming, exploratory theater that regularly produces new works in collaboration with local artists and organizations, and serves as a safe physical space to find community and build friendships. It has a performing space at 315 W. Michigan Ave. in downtown Kalamazoo (inside the First Baptist Church building). For more: queertk.com Black Arts & Cultural Center The Black Arts & Cultural Center, headquartered at downtown Kalamazoo's Epic Center, is widely known for its annual Black Arts Festival since founding in 1986. The organization develops the potential and creativity in Blacks in the Kalamazoo area, advances the awareness of Black artistic ability, helps to preserve Black cultural heritage and enhance interactions among diverse groups. For more: blackartskalamazoo.org   By Face Off Theatre Company KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Here’s a little trivia about the two directors leading the charge for eLLe, a play set in Kalamazoo about relationship struggles, belonging and loneliness facing a group of queer women that opens Thursday, Nov. 14 at the Jolliffe Theatre in the Epic Center. Did you know co-directors Sarah E. MacLean and Marissa Harrington, each experienced actresses and directors, already knew each other and have both performed in multiple past productions of this episodic stage series now in its 10th installment? MacLean is resident company director of Queer Theatre Kalamazoo. Harrington is artistic director and a co-founder of the Black Arts & Cultural Center’s Face Off Theatre Company. The show is being produced through an historic, first-ever collaboration between both theater companies. They say they decided to partner because African-American playwright Shawntai Brown was touching on more racial elements in her eLLe episodes, and Queer Theatre Kalamazoo, which had lovingly staged the series for years, wanted to do justice to the material. Brown’s latest installment intentionally includes more voices of queer women of color. “I love putting black queer women at the center of stories,” says Brown, who describes herself as a “black, queer” literacy advocate. “Perhaps it is because I longed for those examples of women growing up.” The play will be presented 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 through Saturday, Nov. 16; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. Tickets are $8-$20. Check out our Q&A with the co-directors! Tell us about the eLLe series of which this play is a part. Why was it created? And how this 10th installment differs from the others? Is there a central character(s) that return? Need you have seen the earlier plays to follow/appreciate this one? Sarah: Kalamazoo eLLe is an episodic stage series loosely based on Showtime's series The L Word. This is the 10th installment to this thought-provoking, edgy and sexy series. The first episode was adapted for the stage from a short film script. The character of the detective at the end of the HBO series got fired and sent back to her hometown Kalamazoo. At that point, local characters, some resembling the original series characters, were created developing relationships and histories of their own. There is no specific character intended to be the central character. There is no need to have seen the other episodes to understand this episode. But those who have been following will catch all the innuendos. Marissa: There are no "stars" of the show per se. There are recurring characters that we have all come to know and love: Lane, Devon, Naya, Izabel, Mia. Over the years, other characters have been introduced to enhance the story line and add to the richness of the play. You don't need to have seen previous episodes to enjoy the current play. In fact, each eLLe series has a "previously on eLLe" section where we recap what happened in the last episode to catch the audience up to speed. What's the full name of this play? What are its main themes? Sarah: Kalamazoo eLLe episode 10: This Lane Open by Shawntai Brown. This episode put sa lot of focus on the demise of the characters local beloved queer coffee shop. This issue inspires actors to share their stories of relationships failing and losing the queer community. It also motivates characters to share their coming out stories and how they might create a new queer community. Marissa: Main themes include embracing identity, a sense of and belonging/community. What would say is the tone(s) of this play? Sarah: In classic Shawntai fashion, this play covers all emotions. I would probably call it a drama with cleverly written moments of humor and sexy satire. Marissa: My opinion is that it's a dream. Equal parts funny and dramatic. It is heartwarming and heart-wrenching. Very human. Pick three adjectives that best describe this play. Sarah: Provoking, soul searching, community. Marissa: Relatable, authentic, thought-provoking. Why did Face Off Theatre Company and Queer Theatre Kalamazoo choose to partner on this play? Sarah: eLLe has been supported in stage by Queer Theatre Kalamazoo for (six of its) 10 years. The playwright has begun including more characters of color and more important issues about race, biases, and queerness in the Black community. We are grateful for the collaboration with Face Off to support and portray these messages successfully. Marissa: The play involves a lot of intersectional themes including race and sexuality. Both theaters wanted to make sure that the playwright's work was fully fleshed out in every area possible. With collaboration, you get the benefit of multiple voices and multiple life experiences. What motivated Shawntai Brown to do a play about queer women of color? What does she wish society to know? Marissa: I think Shawntai loves to put a voice and story to ideas and themes that may not always be talked about on a grand scale. ESPECIALLY in theater. Unfortunately, talking about LGBTIQA+ issues in the black community is STILL taboo. We (as a community) have a long way to go in regards to progress, education and acceptance around this topic. Shawntai does a beautiful job of discussing what's important in the lives of specifically queer women of color in a relatable way. What significant messages are contained in this work? What do both theater companies hope audiences will get out of the play? Who do you hope will attend? Sarah: Some important messages that we hope will reach our audiences is the idea of community and bringing the awareness of queer owned and queer safe spaces here in Kalamazoo. I hope everyone will attend. People of color and queer community are important, and, even more importantly, I hope allies and those who could use some more awareness will hear of this play and be curious. Marissa: I hope everyone will attend. We hope that audiences will see a little bit of themselves in each character and each story line. We hope that this play will spark conversation surrounding safe spaces in the Kalamazoo community not only for queer individuals, but everyone. Any interesting points you wish to make about the cast that the audience can look forward to? Sarah: I don't think there's any specific points about the cast I wish to share for the audience other than the idea that many of these issues, some being race-based or gender-based, relationship struggles; or that need to feel accepted in community are around us everywhere. Even in the lane at the grocery store. Marissa: It's a great, diverse cast. BONUS!!! Each performance is preceded by “A Ligature for Black Bodies," a short play about police brutality by Kalamazoo playwright Denise Miller. The powerful piece debuted at Face Off Theatre Company's New Play Series this past July. (Photo credit: Marissa Harrington's headshot, Tanisha Pyron Photography)  |
From the Face Off StaffWe love to keep you in the loop. Check here for the latest news about the company. Categories |
RSS Feed