On November 22, the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater was filled with existentialist romance novels, epic pinky swears, unicorns, samurai ducks, and, of course, oatmeal. Thanks to U of M’s MFA Creative Writing Program and 826michigan, as well as several other sponsors, students from schools all around the area got to see their plays come to life on stage. The evening consisted of four one-act plays, each incorporating a bowl of oatmeal in some way (the last one contained two), and three playwrights’ studios. Joe Morton, a second-year grad student in the MFA program, hosted discussions with several of the authors – the youngest was 8, and the oldest was 15. It was a nice spotlight moment for the kids, and a wonderful insight into their active imaginations for those of us in the audience.
Seven professional actors, directed by Jacqui Robbins, portrayed the various characters in the plays. They were reading scripts (which I thought was a bit odd, since this had been planned for several weeks), but they still did a good job of creating the different personalities on stage. I’m sure it was exciting for the authors to see their work performed by seasoned professionals. Personally, though, I wish the plays had been performed by fellow students – while young kids may not have been as technically good as the trained actors, I think the authors’ peers would’ve been even more charming and energetic in those roles. Even so, the authors’ splendid imaginations and senses of humor were evident in a big way – I was laughing the whole evening.
Much like any other 826michigan fundraiser, this event was creative, off-the-wall, and a lot of fun. If it happens again, make sure you see it!
