RE:ACT presents
5 Plays 5 Days
Staged Readings
August 29 - September 3, 2016 at Z Below
RE:ACT presents 5 evenings of thought-provoking staged readings featuring ACT alums and local artists.
Click on "Reserve Tickets" to ensure seats. Suggested donation of $20 per ticket. Make a cash contribution at the door or click here to donate to RE:ACT. Your donations help us produce plays like our upcoming world premiere of Things Reveal Themselves Passing Away. Plays are babies and it takes a village.
Festival Schedule
Monday, August 29 - Where The I Divides by Heidi Armbruster, directed by Nancy Carlin
Tuesday, August 30 - The Grove by Mfoniso Udofia, directed by Erin Washington
Thursday, September 1 - Wildebeest by Alex Moggridge, directed by David Mendelsohn
Friday, September 2 - The Bottle Tree by Beth Kander, directed by Jackie Apodaca
Saturday, September 3 - Milton and Augusto by Robert Reich, directed by B.W. Gonzalez
Show Descriptions
WHERE THE I DIVIDES
By Heidi Armbruster+
Monday, August 29 at 8 pm
Tomah, Wisconsin is falling apart. All of the aging single mothers are sick or dead. Who’s giving piano lessons? Who’s giving perms? When their adult children return home to problem solve their care or mourn their passing, a chain reaction is set off that involves the whole community. Who will step into the role of matriarch? A dark comedy about aging too soon and growing up too late.
With Jackie Apodaca, Laura Jane Bailey*, Anne Buelteman*, Amy Prosser*, Darek Riley, and Patrick Russell*+. Directed by Nancy Carlin+.
THE GROVE
By Mfoniso Udofia+
Tuesday, August 30 at 8 pm
Nigerian traditions clash with the realities of American life in this chapter from Mfoniso Udofia's sweeping, nine-part saga, The Ufot Cycle, two plays of which, Soujourners and runboyrun, were seen at the Magic Theatre earlier this spring.
Adiagha Ufot, first generation offspring and eldest daughter of a transplanted Nigerian family, is both conduit of her rich culture and fulfiller of the legacy of the American dream. Adiagha struggles to balance, as her Nigerian history and her American present collide and combust.
With Rotimi Agbabiaka*, L. Peter Callender*, Natasha Lagrone, Owala Maima, Kelsey Venter*+, and Omobola Wusu. Other cast members TBA. Directed by Erin Washington+.
WILDEBEEST
By Alex Moggridge+
Thursday, September 1 at 8 pm
In the tradition of Ionesco's Rhinoceros and Albee's The American Dream, Wildebeest is Alex Moggridge’s absurdist take on relationships in the modern world. While Bob binge watches animal documentary mating rituals, Crissy fends off the erotic advances of dictator Pol Pot, who looks a lot like her Nana. Nothing is quite what it seems in Wildebeest.
With Sofia Ahmad*, Michael Barrett Austin*, Rami Margron*, Josiah Polhemus*+ and Michael Shipley*+. Directed by David Mendelsohn+.
THE BOTTLE TREE
By Beth Kander-Dauphin
Friday, September 2 at 8 pm
Years after a tragic shooting at East Maple High, all of Maple County, Mississippi, is still traumatized, perhaps no one more so than shy, sarcastic Alley, the little sister of the infamous shooter. With fragility, tenacity, and a sharp sense of humor, Alley is haunted by past ghosts and jolted into new worlds with few easy answers—and as she gradually realizes, so is everyone else. When everyone around you is also a little bit broken, how can anyone begin to piece one’s self back together?
With Truett Felt, Cynthia Fujikawa*+, Liisa Ivory*+, Galen Molk, Josiah Polhemus*+, Amy Prosser*, Nolan Sanchez, Darek Riley, Emily Serdahl. Directed by Jackie Apodaca.
MILTON AND AUGUSTO
By Robert Reich
Saturday, September 3 at 8 pm
A thrilling debate, as intellectually stimulating as it is emotionally electrifying. Robert Reich has penned Milton and Augusto - a brilliant yet fictionalized account of the historical meeting between American economist, Milton Friedman and Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet. In this terse and intricate encounter of two titans, set in war torn Chile in 1975, Reich has masterfully woven political arguments on Social Darwinism, Trickle Down Economics, The Tragedy of the Commons, and more, in one epic tug of war.
With Diana Gonzalez-Morett+, Julian López-Morillas*, Trish Mulholland, Edward Nattenberg, and Albert Rubio+. Directed by B.W. Gonzalez.
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*Denotes Member of AEA
+Denotes MFA from American Conservatory Theatre
