ABOUT THE
MICHIGAN PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL
Theatre NOVA focuses on new plays and new playwrights and is dedicated to working with new and local playwrights to help them develop their craft and to offer brand new plays for audiences. We created the Michigan Playwrights Festival to nurture Michigan playwrights and to develop full-length plays for future seasons. Plays that were products of Michigan Playwrights Festivals that have received their world premieres at Theatre NOVA include Mazel Tov, John Lennon by David Wells (Wilde Award for Best New Script), Resisting by David Wells (Wilde Award for Best Original Production), Mrs. Fifty Bakes a Pie by Linda Ramsay Detherage, Clutter by Brian Cox (Wilde Award for Best New Script), Irrational by R. MacKenzie Lewis and David Wells (Wilde Award for Best New Script), Katherine by Kim Carney (Wilde Award Nomination for Best New Script), Spin (aka Swimming While Drowning) by Emilio Rodriguez, and Bird by Kristin Hanratty.
2024 MICHIGAN PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL
August 21-25, 2024
The Crown Forum by Craig Ester
Wednesday, August 21 at 8:00 pm
On the week before his high school graduation Littlejohn Wallace is struck with questions of family, faith, and loyalty as he steps into manhood. Directed by Lynch Travis.
Cast:
Cassius Merriweather- Littlejohn Wallace
Princess Jones- Cheryl Rogers
Darius Franklin- Big John Wallace
Kelli Williams- Zelma Wallace
LaVette Paige Quick- Geraldine Rogers
Damon Curtis Nathan- Willie James
David Moy- Arnold Nelson
Emergency Protocol Camouflage by Erin Osgood
Thursday, August 22 at 8:00 pm
Set in 2190, a widowed mother (Natalie) struggles to raise her neurodivergent son in the new world as the government orders her late husband’s gene editing procedure to be performed on all individuals with disabilities with a goal for a happier, more productive society. Possible death and personality alterations does not deter the government, leaving Natalie struggling to protect her son. Directed by Emily Lange.
Cast:
Alex Meyer- Nicky
Carrie Jay Sayer- Natalie
Jim Moll- Lawson
Jeannine Thompson- Beth
Jenna Kellie Pittman- Devine
Allison Megroet- Tess
Cora Lynn Beauty Can Change Your Life by Maureen Paraventi
Friday, August 23 at 8:00 pm
Two women assigned to be hotel roommates at a multi-level marketing company’s convention make an effort to connect with each other, despite their obvious differences. By the play’s end, both women have lost a great deal – but have also found common ground that will change their lives forever. Directed by Sarah Elisabeth Brown.
Cast:
Lindsey Brown- Harlene
Breon LaDawn- Stacey
Shattered Pieces by Joël Doty
Saturday, August 24 at 2:00 pm
An artist on death row and her correctional officer, develop an unusual friendship through art, when they discover both their lives have been struck by mental health tragedies. Directed by Kez Settle.
Cast:
Maggie Gilkes
Sheila "Mac" Peck
Heather Hudson
Meg Berger
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Eclipsed: The Sun, The Moon, and Gladys Atkinson Sweet by D. L. Patrick
Saturday, August 24 at 8:00 pm
On the night of September 9, 1925, Gladys Atkinson Sweet was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, along with her husband, Dr. Ossian Sweet, and nine other African Americans following the attack on her Detroit home by more than 700 white neighbors. Although much has been written about Dr. Sweet and the two Sweet trials, litigated by Clarence Darrow, this play imagines the perspective of Gladys Sweet and the women who populated her life. It is about what women do, and have always done, in the shadows. Directed by Lynch Travis, dramaturgy by Olivia Kiefer.
Cast:
Princess Jones- Gladys Atkinson Sweet
Diriest Crowell-Buffington- Rosella Mitchell
Shanice Davis- Edna Butler
Emily Wilson-Tobin- Madame Curie/Ruby Darrow
Deborah Carter- Dora Sweet
Darius Franklin- Walter White
Swamp Creatures by Michael Alan Herman
Sunday, August 25 at 2:00 pm
Three estranged siblings reunite in the Amazon Jungle to hunt a mysterious creature that killed their father, but as they delve into the jungle’s secrets and their own familial trauma, their bloody quest for revenge transforms into a deeply personal journey of self-reflection and familial identity. Directed by Josie Eli Herman.
Andy Jones- Alan
Callie Bussell- Susan
Daniel Santilana- Jessie