Now Accepting Submissions for 4th Annual Staged Reading Festival

As part of its mission "to reestablish and expand Detroit's theatre district," Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company is now accepting submissions of plays by Michigan natives or current Michigan residents to stage as part of a festival to take place in spring of 2012. The dates, length and location of the festival are yet to be determined, but playwrights are encouraged to submit any works they would like to see read and workshopped by the deadline of 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 3, 2012. Questions and/or submissions should be sent to frannie@magentagiraffe.org.

Guidelines for submissions:

• Playwright must be either a native of Michigan or currently live in the state and have no plans to relocate during 2012.
  
  
• Playwright must be 18 or older.
  
  
• Play content should fit the criteria outlined in Magenta Giraffe's mission statement (below).
  
  
• Submissions must be e-mailed to frannie@magentagiraffe.org. Microsoft Word or PDF documents only; hard copies will not be accepted.
  
  
• Submission deadline is 5:00 p.m., on Friday, February 3, 2012.
  
  
• Playwrights will be notified in writing of the status of their submission(s) by Friday, February 10, 2012.

Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company acts to eliminate apathy, violence, prejudice and barriers to education through theatre productions, projects and programs; and further acts to reestablish and expand Detroit's theatre district.

{Special Program}

MGT Shakespeare in Prison Program

Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company of Detroit is thrilled to announce its new Shakespeare in Prison program, which will be conducted at Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti, Michigan, beginning in February 2012 and running for nine months. This program, modeled on other successful programs of its kind, will empower inmates through theatre exercises and Shakespearean text to think creatively, re-examine decisions they've made, become more in touch with their emotions, and develop crucial life skills to be used both in and out of prison.

Inmates who volunteer for the Shakespeare in Prison program will work with Shakespearean monologues and scenes, experiencing the empowerment and satisfaction derived from working with this material. There is an idea that only "great actors" can do Shakespeare "right," and that is absolutely false. Anyone can perform Shakespeare, and everyone has the right to create art as part of being a self-aware and individual human being. Participants will also be given the option of staging a full play by Shakespeare.

Similar programs have proven to be extremely effective in empowering inmates to think creatively, re-examine decisions they've made, get more in touch with their emotions, and develop life skills such as confidence in creative thinking and speaking in front of an audience. These programs are also very effective in building self-esteem in the prisoners, and all of these effects have a direct impact on prisoners' ability to become constructive members of society when they are released, or, if they are not released, excellent citizens and role models in the facility. Magenta Giraffe's program is modeled after Shakespeare Behind Bars, the oldest program of its kind in North America. The founder and artistic director of that program, Curt Tofteland, has been advising the project's facilitator, Executive Artistic Director Frannie Shepherd-Bates. Participants in Shakespeare Behind Bars have had only a 7% recidivism rate, as contrasted with the national rate of 67%, and Magenta Giraffe hopes to continue that trend with its own program.

Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, serves as the only prison in Michigan which houses females. The facility provides all reception center processing which includes fourteen housing units for general population prisoners in level I, II, and IV, Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT), Residential Treatment Program (RTP), Acute Care, Infirmary and Detention. The Shakespeare in Prison program will be an addition to the many other programs the facility offers. Adult Basic Education and General Education Development preparation classes are offered, as well as special education services and pre-release classes.. Vocational training is offered in Auto Mechanics, Building Trades, Business Education Technology, Horticulture, and Custodial Maintenance. Prisoners have access to religious services, faith-based programs, substance abuse treatment, mental health services, family preservation programming, twelve step support meetings, and general library and law library services. Prisoners are provided on-site routine medical and dental care. Pregnant prisoners receive counseling, parenting classes, and child care options.

"We're very excited about Shakespeare In Prison coming to our facility," says Deputy Warden of programs Karri Osterhaut. "It is a wonderful opportunity for the female prisoner population to learn about theatre and literature, and about themselves in the process."

Shakespeare in Prison has the potential for real change in the community, helping women achieve a sense of self that can help them with their families, their community, and their personal future.

For more information about Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility, please visit www.michigan.gov/corrections.

{In Production...}

The Altruists
May 4-26, 2012
By Nicky Silver
Directed by: Molly McMahon

This production will take place, not at the company's regular home, but at the Furniture Factory (4126 Third Street, Detroit 48201)

This dark comedy provides an unflinching look at the sometimes-shallow motivations behind people's political actions and relationships with others – while providing lots of laughs along the way. After Sydney, a soap opera actress, is found to have committed murder, her friends, who spend their time attending protests and throwing stinkbombs, must find a way to keep her out of jail to continue using her money to fund their political activities. Meanwhile, Sydney's brother Ronald has struck up a relationship with a young male prostitute who seemingly has the firmest grasp on reality and ethics of anyone. Someone must make a sacrifice to maintain the status quo, and the climax of the play presents a grim perspective on the sometimes-hypocritical stances of many so-called altruists.