Shepherdstown, West Virginia—The Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) launched its 20th anniversary season this past weekend, mounting five new or nearly-new plays in multiple facilities at Shepherd University.
Running through August 1, CATF will be rotating in repertory the following dramatic offerings:
- The Eelwax Jesus 3-D Pop Music Show, a world premiere by Max Baker and Lee Sellers. The first musical at CATF at least since we’ve been reviewing the festival for the Washington Times (circa Y2K), this show promises “toe-tapping” pop songs and a satirical look into our current theater-of-the-absurd era.
- Lidless, a first production by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig. A look into Guantanamo Bay through the eyes of both the interrogator and the interrogated. Will the U.S. be the bad guy again? Stay tuned.
- Inana by Michele Lowe. An unusual treatment of a compelling behind-the-scenes story from the Second Iraq War interweaving heroic attempts to save priceless artworks with an unexpected love story.
- Breadcrumbs, a world premiere by Jennifer Haley. An elderly writer grapples with early-stage Alzheimer’s as she attempts to write what will probably be her last work of fiction—or not.
- White People by J.T. Rogers. Three plays within a play dealing with the third-rail topic of our times—the Decline and Fall of white America.
In a recent press release, Ed Herendeen, CATF Founder and Producing Director promised that audiences “will witness the collision of stories, styles and voices that will lead us to a better understanding of ourselves as we attempt to navigate our future.”
Having caught three of the plays yesterday—Inana, Breadcrumbs, and White People—we’d readily agree that all three are a match with Herendeen’s objectives. In fact, these three plays alone offer some of the best writing and the greatest intellectual challenges we’ve seen in this festival’s last decade. But are they good plays? Stay tuned.
We’ll be viewing Eelwax Jesus and Lidless later today and we’ll be offering individual reviews of all five plays as soon as we can transform the thoughts in our pen-and-ink minds into virtual typescript right here in the Washington Times Communities.
Meanwhile, for those interested in taking a further look at what CATF has to offer, including additional events taking place in connection with the festival, here’s some particulars:
Tickets: Prices begin at $25 per seat depending on package purchase. For single and group ticket sales, call 304-876-3304, or see below.
Information, including directions to Shepherdstown, WV: Visit CATF at their website here or call 304-876-3473 or 800-999-CATF (2283) or follow CATF on twitter at www.twitter.com/thinktheater.
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