DATES & VENUE
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Thursday, February 12 @ 7:30
Friday, February 13 @ 7:30 Saturday, February 14 @ 7:30 Sunday, February 15 @ 2:00 
WELCOME MESSAGEGood evening, and welcome.
On behalf of Face Off Theatre Company, thank you for being here for Freedom Isn’t Finished: A Black Midwest Voices Project. When we began dreaming about Season 11, we knew we wanted to return to our roots. Face Off was built on new work—on creating space for stories that don’t always get produced, for voices that don’t always get amplified, and for conversations that don’t always feel easy. We wanted to begin this season during Black History Month not only to honor the past, but to actively participate in shaping the present. The question we posed to playwrights across the Midwest was simple, but layered: Is freedom finished? The responses we received were bold, tender, complex, and urgent. These six brand-new plays are not polished monuments—they are living, breathing works in progress. And that is intentional. At Face Off, we believe in what we call our Living Stage Philosophy. Theatre is not a one-way performance—it is a shared experience. Tonight, you are not just audience members. You are collaborators in development. After the reading, we’ll invite your reflections so these playwrights can continue refining their work. Your presence, your listening, and your feedback matter. Because historically, when the world feels uncertain or unkind to marginalized communities, we gather. We tell stories. We process. We imagine. We resist. We heal. This project has been a return home—for our playwrights, for our actors, for our directing cohort, and for me personally. And we’re grateful you’ve chosen to be in the room with us. Freedom is not a finished conversation. It is not a completed project. It is an ongoing practice. Thank you for being part of it tonight. Let’s begin. Marissa Harrington |
The Carver Center @ The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre
419 S. Park Street Kalamazoo, MI 49007 Freedom Isn’t Finished includes presence of a gun, flashing lights, strong language, and themes related to mental health, including suicide.
Audience members are welcome to step out at any time. Support resources are available through Gryphon Place -211 |
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Freedom Isn’t Finished: Black Midwest Voices Project is a dynamic staged reading festival celebrating bold new work by Black playwrights from and connected to the Midwest. Rooted in the belief that stories are not complete until the community experiences them, this festival invites audiences into the creative process to witness, reflect, and engage with powerful new voices. Through a series of six short plays, the festival highlights diverse perspectives on identity, history, resistance, and liberation — honoring the unfinished work of freedom in our lives and communities.
Festival Plays & Playwrights
1. Cut Short by Shawntai Brown
Set against the backdrop of Summer 2020, two former colleagues — and perhaps more — reconnect via Zoom to confront a silence that cost one their career and the other their integrity. Cut Short explores the complexities of friendship, accountability, and fear in a racially divided world.
2. Hattie by Krystle Dellihue
It is Oscar night, 1940. Hattie McDaniel is about to make history as the first Black person to win an Academy Award — but she’s told she cannot sit at the same table as her white co-stars. This poignant piece examines the high cost of breaking barriers and the quiet resilience required to claim space.
3. WWFD (What Would Fannie Do?) by Krystle Dellihue
A cynical young college student who believes his vote doesn’t matter is transported back to Mississippi in 1963 to witness the harsh realities of the fight for the ballot. This play bridges Civil Rights history and modern apathy, reminding us that freedom depends on each generation’s choices.
4. Sad and Low by Brandon Foxworth
In an intense and urgent exploration of mental health and brotherhood, four Black men on the verge of suicide find their separate realities merging into a shared mental space. Faced with a decision between devastation and the courage to stay, this piece challenges narratives around masculinity and survival.
5. Black, White, Gray by Vickie G. Hampton
In a 1950s Alabama laundromat, a Black man uses a simple white shirt to disrupt the local power structure and entrap the law in its own system of segregation. This masterful piece explores the moral and legal ambiguities of protest and resistance.
6. Different by Brooke Lindley
A compelling examination of identity and belonging, Different asks us what it means to be seen, heard, and valued when we don’t fit the norms — and how difference can become strength.
Festival Plays & Playwrights
1. Cut Short by Shawntai Brown
Set against the backdrop of Summer 2020, two former colleagues — and perhaps more — reconnect via Zoom to confront a silence that cost one their career and the other their integrity. Cut Short explores the complexities of friendship, accountability, and fear in a racially divided world.
2. Hattie by Krystle Dellihue
It is Oscar night, 1940. Hattie McDaniel is about to make history as the first Black person to win an Academy Award — but she’s told she cannot sit at the same table as her white co-stars. This poignant piece examines the high cost of breaking barriers and the quiet resilience required to claim space.
3. WWFD (What Would Fannie Do?) by Krystle Dellihue
A cynical young college student who believes his vote doesn’t matter is transported back to Mississippi in 1963 to witness the harsh realities of the fight for the ballot. This play bridges Civil Rights history and modern apathy, reminding us that freedom depends on each generation’s choices.
4. Sad and Low by Brandon Foxworth
In an intense and urgent exploration of mental health and brotherhood, four Black men on the verge of suicide find their separate realities merging into a shared mental space. Faced with a decision between devastation and the courage to stay, this piece challenges narratives around masculinity and survival.
5. Black, White, Gray by Vickie G. Hampton
In a 1950s Alabama laundromat, a Black man uses a simple white shirt to disrupt the local power structure and entrap the law in its own system of segregation. This masterful piece explores the moral and legal ambiguities of protest and resistance.
6. Different by Brooke Lindley
A compelling examination of identity and belonging, Different asks us what it means to be seen, heard, and valued when we don’t fit the norms — and how difference can become strength.
MEET THE CAST
Abigail Doonan
Abigail Doonan is so excited to make her Face Off debut in Freedom Isn’t Finished! As a proud alumni of Hope College, where she studied Theatre and Communication, her favorite credits include Hamlet (Ophelia), Silent Sky (Annie), and The Wolves (#00). After graduating, Abby served as an acting intern at Hope Repertory Theatre, performing in Big Fish, Dragon Pack Snack Attack, and Havurah. She is now happy to be back in her hometown’s vibrant arts community. Most recently, Abby was in How to Succeed… and Our American Assassin at The Barn Theatre School. When she isn’t on stage, she can be found in the office at Farmers Alley Theatre or teaching theatre around the county with Education for the Arts.
Alyssa Laney
Alyssa Laney is excited to return to the stage with Face Off Theatre Company in Freedom Isnt Finished. Her recent stage credits include Colored Museum, Been Lovin' You, California Suite, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Bambiland, and Barbecue. She also made her feature film debut in Exhibiting Forgiveness (2024) currently on Hulu. When she’s not on stage, Alyssa is also behind the scenes as Production Manager for Face Off and is a member of the Elevated Acting Cohort. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her four-legged son, Romeo. Alyssa extends heartfelt thanks to her mom, Anthony J. Hamilton, Titus Kaphar, and her loved ones for their unwavering support and encouragement.
Daniel Whitcomb
Daniel Whitcomb is an actor, writer, musician, and cyclist from Kalamazoo and a member of Face Off’s Elevated Actors Cohort who won our Breakout Artist Award in 2024. Freedom Isn’t Finished marks their fifth Face Off production as an actor and first time as an Assistant Stage Manager. Their roles with the company include Police Chief/Ensemble in Smoldering Fires, Brian White in Smart People, Phil u/s in Bambiland, and Mr. Connell/Jake in North Star. Other recent appearances include various roles in the Queer Shorts Festival and Hector in Taproot: A Play on Justice & Judgment, both with Queer Theatre Kalamazoo. With Freedom Isn’t Finished, Daniel is delighted to help showcase the incredible playwriting talent we have right here in Kalamazoo and to continue building community in the process. Unimaginably beautiful things are possible when we work hard and support each other. Community is the only way forward.
BRANDON FOXWORTH
Brandon Foxworth is a writer, actor, performing arts educator, DJ and minister from Detroit,MI. Proud oldest son of 9 kings and queens and raised by a dynamic King and Queen. His family, blood or not, were his first examples of the responsibility of love and authenticity, which couldn't be farther from his connection to art.
Brandon says that his purpose is to be, exist as, and give love. For his art to make the world a better place than he came in. A safer, stronger, and softer place. He understands that he is here as an artist and light to be a vessel for both his ancestors and fellow humans who haven’t been seen or heard. To pass on the baton!
He obtained his BFA in Theatre Performance at Western Michigan University and his MFA in Acting at UC Irvine!
Catch him on Netflix in Moving On by Paul Weitz.
Brandon says that his purpose is to be, exist as, and give love. For his art to make the world a better place than he came in. A safer, stronger, and softer place. He understands that he is here as an artist and light to be a vessel for both his ancestors and fellow humans who haven’t been seen or heard. To pass on the baton!
He obtained his BFA in Theatre Performance at Western Michigan University and his MFA in Acting at UC Irvine!
Catch him on Netflix in Moving On by Paul Weitz.
JARED JARVIS
Jared (He/Him) is a WMU theatre Performance alumni, Former Executive Producer for The Detroit Music Awards, Event Coordinator, Marketer, and Silly Goose.
He has traveled 47 of 50 states Performing, Directing, Designing, and Managing live and filmed events.
Jared came back to Kalamazoo so that he can give back to the community that gave him so much at the start of his professional entertainment career.Previous and current Face Off Theatre Company affiliation: Bill Turnbull/Smoldering Fires, Face Off Theatre Company Social Media Manager & Marketing.
He has traveled 47 of 50 states Performing, Directing, Designing, and Managing live and filmed events.
Jared came back to Kalamazoo so that he can give back to the community that gave him so much at the start of his professional entertainment career.Previous and current Face Off Theatre Company affiliation: Bill Turnbull/Smoldering Fires, Face Off Theatre Company Social Media Manager & Marketing.
KENNEDI WHEELER
Kennedi Wheeler is a 21 year old actress, poet, stage manager, and creative from Detroit, Michigan finishing their junior year as an Arts Administrator at Western Michigan University’s School of Theatre and Dance. Back home, she is a member of the Nerds Improv Troop with the Detroit Creativity Project. This is Kennedi’s third year working with Face Off as a stage manager and actress.
JULIENNE WINBORNE
Juliene Winborne is an experienced actor with stage and national commercial credits. She has trained with industry professionals in Los Angeles, learning many techniques, including Meisner. After a five-year acting hiatus, Juliene is excited to make her return to the stage with Face Off Theatre and thanks the cast, crew, and creative team for this opportunity.
KHALIID CANALES-KING
My first acting experience was when I was 9 years old. Since then, I've experienced a number of opportunities through stage, film, and voice acting.I had the pleasure of being introduced to Marissa Harrington and Face-Off through work when I returned to Kalamazoo in 2021. After following them for some time, I was given the wonderful invitation to audition for the actors cohort. Smoldering Fires was the previous show and Reclamation and Testimony was the first show I was involved in with Face Off. Impactful stories that gave important insight to a current and ongoing issue. It gave the viewers a new perspective as they were told stories written by those who experienced them. Productions like these are dear to me. As we rehearse the Freedom Isn't Finished scripts, we are constantly reminded that the issues the characters are experiencing are not too different from issues faced today. Without productions like these we are at risk for losing touch with some of our history's most important moments.
JUSTIN JACOBS
Justin C. Jacobs recently played BOBO in Raisin in the Sun and he has done shows all of his life in church. This is Justin’s second FOTC production. It tells the history of America and makes you realize that we have not come that far.
TIM BAKER
Tim Baker (he/him) makes his third appearance with Face Off Theater. Former roles include Godfrey in Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Slim in an all black production of Of Mice and Men, David Keaton in the Exonerated and as Manson in Face Off's production of Northstar. Off the stage, Tim is an avid pool player and a lifelong martial artist. Most nights of the week you can find him either competing on the billiards tables, teaching traditional Okinawan karate and kobudo, where he holds the rank of 5th degree black belt, or rolling in Brazilian jiu-jitsu class. Tim has also been a part of the fundraising department at Kalamazoo College for over 20 years.
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HattieMy approach to this story begins with my interest in Black American entertainment heroes, icons who shaped American culture while carrying the cost of being first. I am drawn not only to their achievements, but to the emotional weight that often accompanies recognition that is conditional.
That weight became personal to me while watching my daughter accept an award for a poetry contest she had won and been published for. Surrounded by a room filled almost entirely with white families, the applause following her acceptance speech was noticeably quieter than that given to her white counterparts. In that moment, I witnessed how success does not always guarantee belonging. Hattie McDaniel’s legacy exists within a similar contradiction. Though she made history as the first Black actor to win an Academy Award, she left no personal account of that night. What remains is silence, an absence that invites us to imagine not the celebration itself, but the emotional cost of standing alone within it. There is a particular burden that comes with being the first, especially at the intersection of race and gender in a country that has long othered both. That burden is shaped by hope, fear, and uncertainty, even in moments meant to signify triumph. American literature has long asked what happens to a dream deferred. Hattie poses a different question. How do you reconcile with a dream fulfilled when its fulfillment is marked by limitation and isolation? This play centers the moment before history is made, capturing Hattie suspended between hope for a changing Hollywood and the reality of its resistance. By focusing on this space, I aim to invite the audience into the complexity of a victory that is both monumental and incomplete. Hattie asks us to sit with that tension and to consider what it truly means to be first and what it costs to be remembered as such. Black White and GrayBlack men are rarely allowed to see themselves reflected as heroes within the laws of this country. Too often, heroism is defined by who the system chooses to forgive, while those who challenge unjust rules are labeled criminals. Bernard is a hero to me because he dares to name his injustice aloud. Always one step ahead of the room, he chooses to face the consequences on his own terms. This play speaks to the small but exhausting battles that marginalized people continue to fight. In workplaces that refuse to value their voices. In school systems that fail to nurture young creative minds. In media spaces that often neglect their responsibility in shaping how marginalized communities are seen and understood. These moments may appear ordinary, but they accumulate into a constant negotiation of dignity. Less than a week before reading this script, I found myself in a laundromat when a white man imposed his political views onto my presence. There was no confrontation and no triumphant response. I simply stood there with my clothes, preparing for the week ahead. What stayed with me was the realization that this ordinary moment was once denied to people who looked like me. Someone had to sit in jail. Someone had to be refused service. Someone had to demand access for me to stand there without fear. That recognition reshaped how I approached this play. My vision for Black White and Gray centers quiet resistance rather than spectacle. Bernard’s power lies not in aggression, but in his refusal to shrink. The play asks us to reconsider where heroism truly lives and to recognize the courage required simply to exist fully in spaces that were never built for us |
XAVIER BOLDEN |
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Freedom isn’t finished because learning is afforded and happening at different rates. With these man-made gaps in the advancement of our lives, parts of the world have been sacrificed. Freedom isn’t finished because we refuse to hear others’ pain when our own pain rings in our ears. Freedom isn’t finished because to be free, we need to have the courage to see who is not free and admit what keeps us from living free. The pieces in this project are weaved together based on their own take on what it means to march for not only one’s life but for everyone else’s. For the audience, I want you to walk away thinking what your own role would be in this world to join the march alongside others.
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MAY TUN |
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Sad and Low by Brandon Foxworth: Sad and Low is a visceral examination of Black masculinity, mental health, and survival in a world that too often teaches Black men to endure pain in silence. In directing this piece, I am most compelled by its insistence that despair is not an individual failure but a collective condition—shaped by loss, isolation, generational trauma, and systems that deny tenderness to Black men.
This work refuses to look away. It asks us to sit inside the mental space where jokes, music, bravado, and numbness coexist with grief and fear. Within Freedom Isn’t Finished, Sad and Low reminds us that our stories are not just about resistance—but about care, interruption, and choosing life in community. We Are The Story here means that survival is not solitary; it is witnessed, spoken aloud, and shared. What Would Fannie Do? by Krystle DellihueWhat Would Fannie Do? collapses time to remind us that the fight for voting rights is not history—it is inheritance. By placing a contemporary young voter face-to-face with Fannie Lou Hamer, this play challenges apathy, fatigue, and the dangerous myth that participation doesn’t matter. In directing this piece, I am drawn to its clarity: freedom has always required courage, action, and sacrifice—and those costs have been disproportionately borne by Black women. This story demands that we remember whose bodies made democracy possible and asks what responsibility we carry now. Within Freedom Isn’t Finished, this play affirms that We Are The Story means our choices today are chapters still being written. The question is not only what Fannie would do—but what we are willing to do with the rights she secured. |
MARISSA HARRINGTON |
CREATIVE TEAM
Artistic Director/Producer: Marissa Harrington
Directors: Xavier Bolden, May Tun, Marissa Harrington
Production Manager: Alyssa Laney
Stage Manager: May Tun
Assistant Stage Managers: Daniel Whitcomb, Kennedi Wheeler
Dramaturg/Artistic Wellness and Community Support Consultant: Dr. Shealin-Shobowale-Benson
Lighting Designer: Eric Batts
Crew: Ruth Butters
Directors: Xavier Bolden, May Tun, Marissa Harrington
Production Manager: Alyssa Laney
Stage Manager: May Tun
Assistant Stage Managers: Daniel Whitcomb, Kennedi Wheeler
Dramaturg/Artistic Wellness and Community Support Consultant: Dr. Shealin-Shobowale-Benson
Lighting Designer: Eric Batts
Crew: Ruth Butters
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
MICKEY MOSES
Black Arts And Cultural Center: Janine Seals
Dr. Quincy Thomas
Anna Cafagna
Nadia Johnson
DR. Michelle Johnson
Denise Miller
Kalamazoo Civic Theatre
Kalamazoo Civic Theatre