Dearborn Area Theatre Association Opens Season Sept. 6

Editor's note: This press release was submitted by the Dearborn Community Fund

Something old; something new. Combine the two, and you have examples of what many of the playwrights whose writings have been selected for “Random Acts of Theatre” have created to delight audiences as the Dearborn Area Theatre Association (DATA) launches its 2014 season.

Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. on Sept. 6 and 7 in the Michael A. Guido Theater at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.

The evening, presented by the DATA in partnership with the Dearborn Community Fund and Dearborn Recreation and Parks, will offer a variety of scenes from the four main genres of theater – comedy, drama, musical and reader’s theater. All seats for this original performance will be on the main stage, giving the audience an intimate experience.

Tickets, on sale now at the theater box office, are $15 for general admission, and $12 for seniors and students, and can be ordered by calling 313-943-2354 or online at www.dearborntheater.com.  

Two different scenes examine the impact of what an author writes on those around himself or herself. In Caught in the Act, written by Bruce Kane, we have, at least on the surface, two people in a relationship who seem to be working on a problem. But as the comedy proceeds, we see that they are really two characters trapped in a script. Director Marc Walentowicz states that his “vision is to give life to characters that we as creators take for granted. What happens if they revolt?”

Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Bates, looks at the impact the publishing of a memoire might have on the destruction of a family. When should secrets remain secret? Director Karen Pritchard feels that this question is very relevant amidst the current feeling in our society that we are entitled to know every single detail of others’ lives, regardless of the consequences. According to Pritchard: “This scene will give the audience much to consider.”

Several offerings in Random Acts of Theatre look at love, and the pursuit of relationships.

Tennessee Williams’ play, The Case of the Crushed Petunias, finds a 20-year-old woman in the midst of a crisis. She guards herself with what she feels is important, her petunias, as an interested young man delivers the message to her “to live.”  Director Nina Young chose this humorous selection because, “The message is cleverly written and is a piece that I believe any audience could relate to and enjoy.”

A similar crisis hits home with the comedy The Ballad of 423 & 424, written by Nicholas Pappas. Based upon Shakespeare’s Sonnet #23, Pappas takes the line “O, learn to read what silent love hath writ: To hear with eyes belongs to love's fine wit,” and plops two strangers together their lives colliding in the hallway of an apartment building. As described by Director Karen Pritchard, “Think Friends meets The Big Bang Theory, where the socially inept male yearns to connect with the attractive young lady who just moved in.”

Writer/Director Collette Cullen draws upon the life of Helen Keller’s teacher, Annie Sullivan, with a scene from her original play, Annie Speaks. Cullen states, “’Annie Speaks’ celebrates and uplifts the profession of teachers, and inspires listeners to focus on children’s emotional and spiritual needs.”

Director Cynthia Frabutt will bookend the evening with scenes from Kirsten Kniesly’s Soul Mates, another original script that examines how the past affects the future.

Rounding out the night will be selections from two musicals, Kismet & Chess, along with a fun look at two Reader’s Theatre pieces directed by Dianne Bernick.

Proceeds from tickets sales benefit the DATA Theater Scholarship Initiative, which provides scholarships for high school seniors who have been involved with community theater.

The Ford Community & Performing Arts Center is located at 15801 Michigan Ave.