The Milwaukee Chamber Theatre stages the work of Milwaukee area’s youngest playwrights again this month as it hosts the 2010-2011 Young Playwrights Festival. Three one-acts have been chosen for production this year. Here’s a quick look:
Misdirected Happiness by Alyssa Cumpton, recent graduate of Homestead High School now a student at Boise State University. Dark humor and classic film noir aesthetics drive a murder/mystery story in which both suspects and investigators have secrets. This one will be directed by Youngblood Theatre co-founder Michael Cotey.
A Rose For Mrs. Kemp by Melody Hardman of Rufus King IB High School who graduates in the spring. It’s a drama set in the 1940’s involving an unsuspecting family in Mississippi discovering things about a mother through her will. This one’s directed by UW-Milwaukee Assistant Professor Michelle Lopez-Rios.
You’ll Never Understand by Montessori IB High School senior Emily Dornemann. It focuses on the lives of five high school students as seen through a sophisticated sense of theatricality. The one-act is directed by Laura Webb, who has served as Assistant Director with the Milwaukee Rep.
The 2010-2011 Young Playwrights Festival runs March 17th through 20th at the Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre. For reservations, call 414-291-7800.
