FERNDALE, Mich.–Slipstream Theatre Initiative proudly treads new waters with its sixth season; fusing classic characters and themes with current plays and playwrights. The company’s 6-show season expands on their founding mission of creating classical work for a contemporary minded audience by presenting some Michigan Premieres, a World Premiere by Maxim Vinogradov, and a couple other surprises, all focusing on classic stories or characters.

The first show of the season will be officially announced mid-October, but it will feature Jeannine Thompson and Maggie Gilkes and will run January 3^rd – January 26^th, 2020.

The Gentleman Caller by Philip Dawkins focuses on two intimate nights between emerging playwright Tennessee Williams and struggling reporter William Inge. With The Glass Menagerie about to open in Chicago, Williams is terrified of failure and desperate for publicity. Inge, on the other hand, is stuck in a life he can’t stand and fears he’ll never get out of it. One man embraces his homosexuality and talent, the other hides from both. When the two end up alone in what is supposed to be an interview, their insecurities and animal instincts force an unraveling that neither can come back from. The two-person play features Bailey Boudreau and Jeremy Kucharek. It marks the directorial debut of Slipstream company member Alanna Elling, and is sponsored by Jim Rine of Minute Man Productions, LLC. It runs February 14^th – March 1^st, 2020.

Matea by Maxim Vinogradov is a new adaptation of the Euripides classic, Medea. The setting is early 1940’s Germany; Matea is a Jewish woman whose partner, Jonas, is quickly rising the ranks of the nazi party. To keep herself alive, and ensure their son’s safety, Matea must pose as nanny to their son, Gunther, who must be raised unaware of his Jewish heritage. Jonas keeps Matea in the dark about what’s happening in the camps, just as he starts working with an esteemed doctor within the camp, Irma Gebhardt (nicknamed The Beauty and sometimes The Hyena). When an escaped prisoner confides in Matea the reality of the concentration camps, difficult decisions must be made. The cast features Rachel Biber as Matea and Jonathan Davidson as Jonas. Tiaja Sabrie plays 4712 and Luna Alexander plays Irma. The play runs March 20^th – April 5^th.

You on the Moors Now by Jaclyn Backhaus takes place in the fictitious land of The Moors, and brings together classic literary heroines Jane Eyre, Catherine from Wuthering Heights, Jo March from Little Women, and Elizabeth Bennett from Pride & Prejudice in an ultimate battle of the sexes. After being proposed to, each woman does the opposite of her classic storyline and says “no”. They leave their men and coincidentally meet in The Moors and form a sisterhood. The men, outraged at having their pride wounded, set out to wage war on the women, thus creating The Moors War. The play is brilliantly interwoven with hilarity and heart. The cast features Mandy Logsdon, Luna Alexander, Tiaja Sabrie, Victoria Rose Weatherspoon, and Maya Gangadharan, as well as several brooding men. It is directed by Rachel Biber and runs May 1^st – May 24^th.

Twelfth Night the Musical by William Shakespeare, music & lyrics by Shaina Taub, conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah is not at all what you might expect. First produced at The Public in New York, starring Nikki M. James, the musical is a riotous romp through the land of Illyria – a place where time doesn’t exist and all people are equal. Mixing genres and cultures, the musical version of Shakespeare’s classic spans across space and time, bringing us a world that we’d all like to live in, even if only for a minute. When a shipwreck interrupts a mourning Duchess and her lovesick suitor, surviving twin Viola must walk a mile in her lost brother’s shoes…literally. She disguises herself as a man to work for the Duke, only to be pursued by the Duchess. All the favorite characters of the play are back, including Count Malvolio, the epitome of Greatness (so he sings for himself), Feste the fool (who happens to play instruments and sing the show’s most gut wrenching ballad), drunken Sir Toby, frightened Sir Andrew, and more. The cast features Kim Alley as Viola and Victoria Rose Weatherspoon as Olivia. The production is directed by Bailey Boudreau and runs June 19^th – July 19^th. 

Outrage by Itamar Moses is a whirlwind of a play that features such characters as Bertolt Brecht, Aristotle, Socrates, and Galileo, alongside fictitious characters at a modern-day college. As the school is looking to advance technologically, financially, and politically, a student challenges the school’s leadership to have the courage of their convictions. Mixing philosophy, religion, politics, corruption, greed, and the meaning of storytelling, Outrage masterfully maps a familiar path from Ancient Greece to contemporary America, and asks us to decide how much we will take before enough is enough. At some point, someone must stop history from repeating itself. This play asks if that person might be you. It is directed by Luna Alexander and runs August 14^th – September 6^th.

Show sponsorship is still available, and season tickets can be purchased at www.slipstreamti.com. For more information, or to ask how you can get involved, send an email to Slipstreamti@Slipstreamti.com!