Wayne State to participate in nationwide staging of plays to promote marriage equality

DETROIT –
On Nov. 7, a group of Wayne State University faculty and students in the College of Fine, Performing & Communication Arts will participate in a nationwide staged performance of "Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays." The event will take place at WSU's Schaver Music Recital Hall at 8 p.m., and will include a live webcast discussion with all participating theaters.
Created by the Tectonic Theater Project, the award-winning company dedicated to developing innovative works that explore artistic dialogue with audiences on social, political and human issues, the evening aims to bring awareness of marriage equality through the presentation of nine new, short plays on the topic of gay marriage.
The evening will be hosted by John Corvino, writer of the column "The Gay Moralist" for Between The Lines.
The cast includes members of the Detroit theater community, Hilberry Theatre Company and WSU's undergraduate theater program, as well as faculty from the department. They include Michael J. Barnes, Jesse Merz, Cheryl Turski, Phillip Barnhart, Kassy Skoretz, Jordan Whalen, Sara Hymes, Topher Payne, Josh Rippy, Vanessa Sawson, Danielle Simonian, Robbie Dwight, Shay Johnson, Sara Kline, Julia Moriarty, Ashley Shamoon, and Alexander Trice. Directors include Michael J. Barnes, Phillip Barnhart, Bilha Birman-Rivlin, Michael Butterworth, Jesse Merz, Andrew Papa, Josh Rippy, Cheryl Turski, and Jordan Whalen.
The event is free and open to the public. Donations made will benefit the College's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Endowed Scholarship Fund and the Kyle Holton Memorial Theatre Scholarship.
For more information, visit http://www.theatre.wayne.edu/PerformanceExchange.php or contact Mary Elizabeth Anderson, assistant professor of theatre, at [email protected] or Michael J. Barnes, associate professor of theatre, at [email protected]