WASHINGTON — Broadway-quality actors. Cutting-edge American playwrights. Thought-provoking, original productions.聽We鈥檙e not talking about New York. We’re talking West Virginia.
Every July, tiny Shepherdstown, tucked away in the state’s Eastern Panhandle, becomes a hothouse for some of America鈥檚 most innovative live theatre.
The 27th annual Contemporary American Theatre Festival (CATF) is running now through July 30 at Shepherd University. Six new plays, some of them world premieres, are staged in rotating repertory on the campus stages near the banks of the Potomac.
鈥淲e鈥檙e outside the glare of the urban spotlight,鈥� founder and producing director Ed Herendeen told 草莓传媒. 鈥淪o our artists, playwrights, actors, directors and designers can take the kind of risk in the safe atmosphere of Shepherdstown.聽I鈥檇 like to think we鈥檙e creating dangerous, and sometimes important, disturbing works of art.鈥�
Apparently, it鈥檚 paid off. CATF鈥檚 reputation and reach has grown so much over the decades that the New York Times listed it this year as one of its for summer theatre festivals. Last year, theatre-goers from 37 states took in the festival鈥檚 plays, lectures and post-show discussions, which take on diverse and sometimes difficult subjects.
鈥淟et鈥檚 make America think again,鈥滺erendeen said. 鈥淲e like to say ideas are powerful and essential, but stories are more powerful.鈥�
For example, the world premiere of Chelsea Marcantal’s 鈥淓verything Is Wonderful” explores how an Amish family fights to maintain faith after two sons are killed in a car accident. Evan Linder鈥檚 鈥淏yhalia, Mississippi鈥� follows a white couple in a small town haunted by its racially-charged history.
Herendeen says the goal is to have all six plays create a moment for a debate, dialogue or living conversation.
鈥淭heatre provides that opportunity to really hear, to see and to listen,” Herendeen said. “Maybe we can go home and talk to one another about the issues raised.鈥�
Other plays on this year鈥檚 program include:
- 鈥淲e Will Not Be Silent鈥� by David Meyers. The world premiere tells the real -life story of Sophie Scholl, who lead the only act of civil disobedience in Germany during the Nazi reign.
- 鈥淭he Niceties鈥� by Eleanor Burgess. The story highlights a baby boomer versus millennial ideas clash between a liberal college professor and one of her prized left-wing students.
- 鈥淲elcome to Fear City鈥� by Kara Lee Corthron. This world premiere looks at the start of hip-hop culture in the Bronx during an explosive time in the late ’70s.
- 鈥淲ild Horses鈥� by Allison Gregory. This production is a girl鈥檚 coming of-age story as seen through the eyes of her adult self.
The schedule is spaced out so that patrons can see all six plays in two days if they wish. There are also breakfasts, lunches, lectures and staged readings with the festival鈥檚 participants.
An added benefit is the array of shops, restaurants and bars in the charming downtown. A few years ago, Budget Travel magazine named Shepherdstown as one of 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Coolest Small Towns.鈥� You can also combine the festival with side trips to nearby Harpers Ferry and Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland.
“It’s great that this magical, historical town is home to contemporary stories and contemporary plays,” Herendeen sad.
Click for more information. Listen to the full conversation with founder Ed Herendeen below:
