Obsidian Theatre Festival taking place at 3 Detroit locations
A Detroit festival celebrating the work of Black writers and composers in theater will have in-person audiences for the first time this year.
The 2022 Obsidian Theatre Festival will take place at three different locations in downtown Detroit from June 23-26.
The inaugural festival in 2021 was fully streamed at a time when in-person activities were limited due to the ongoing pandemic. This year’s festival will add in-person offerings at these venues:
Marlene Boll Theatre at Downtown YMCA, 1401 Broadway St.
Chrysler Black Box in the Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway St.
Aretha’s Jazz Cafe in the Music Hall, 350 Madison St.
After a six-week call for new plays and musicals by Black playwrights, composers and lyricists from December to mid-January, Obsidian received over 140 submissions.
Four finalists were selected from a group of 10 semi-finalists and will be produced as part of this year’s festival. They are:
Detroit native Shawntai Brown with “We Own Everything"
Brandy Victoria Durham from Silver Spring, Maryland with “Wild Horses"
Denver-based Mykai Eastman with “Miss Education”
Houston-born and New York-based M.D. Schaffer with “A Rodeo Clown"
Each of the four plays will have two performances at the Boll Family YMCA.
An additional component from last season is the Musical Theatre Showcase, which gives Black composers and lyricist teams an opportunity to workshop pieces in development. The finalists will have their musicals produced as part of the showcase for one-night-only performances at the Chrysler Black Box. “The Chicken Never Crossed,” from playwright/lyricist Ann Eskridge and composer Alton James, will be on June 24 and “Freida or, The Red, Blue, and Black," from playwright/lyricist and composer Jerome A. Parker, will be on June 25. Both are at 5:30 p.m.
The lineup rounds out with two cabaret artists, Broadway actor Lulu Fall performing on June 24 and Detroit native Ben Will on June 25. Each perform at Aretha’s Jazz Cafe at the Music Hall from 9-10 p.m.
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"Last year, the focus was on just getting our first season up, building a new platform where nothing had existed before," said founding artistic producer and Ghostlight Productions CEO John Sloan III. “But this year, our second season is about forward momentum, using the energy from last year to propel us into a new future. One where Black stories are celebrated, and the diversity of Black culture is normalized. Our second season is full of amazing artists – some returning from last year and others just joining our mission. But everyone on the team is excited for our growth. We are receiving amazing support from local Detroit organizations as well as amazing national institutions like the Mellon Foundation. This season promises to be a resounding success, and I am so grateful for all the artists who make it possible.”
As the festival grew this year, a new element was the inclusion of a play review committee. Following the close of the play submission period, Wayne State University assistant chair of theatre and dance Billicia Hines and New York University Gallatin professor of dramatic writing and Michael Dinwiddie, a Detroit native, supported the festival as it narrowed this year’s submissions.
Also new this year: The remaining playwright semi-finalists will go on to have their work virtually supported by Blackboard Plays, a reading series founded in 2008 by Obsidian creative producer Garlia Cornelia Jones, a Detroit native.
Blackboard Plays is devoted to Black playwrights throughout the African diaspora and has given first readings to Black playwrights including Jocelyn Bioh, Aurin Squire and Jordan E. Cooper over the last 14 years.
The six playwright's whose work will be a part of Blackboard Plays in 2022 are:
Preston Crowder, with “Bocking"
LaRaisha Dionne with “The End of a Society"
Suzette Gunn with “Phoenix Play"
Lori Minor with “Out of Rhythm"
Phanesia Pharel with “Black Girl Joy"
LaDarrion Williams with “Coco Queens"
The four musical theatre semi-finalist teams were recognized on social media by Obsidian Fest in May. In addition to the four finalist teams mentioned previously, the two remaining semi-finalist teams are playwright and lyricist Eric Christopher Jones and composer Joshua Servel Davis with “White Man’s Burden” and playwright, lyricist and composer Janelle Lawrence with “Wet."
The four finalists will have their work produced in Detroit for an in-person and virtual audience. Additional panels and special guests will be announced closer to the festival.
Tickets are free and available on Obsidian's website.
The festival encourages all audience members to consider supporting partners which include the Detroit Public Schools Foundation and Black Theatre United, or making a donation to Obsidian.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Obsidian Theatre Festival to showcase the work of Black creators
