Rotate Theatre Mini Fest

Celebrating entertaining and thought-provoking short plays featuring underrepresented perspectives.

 

Tickets now on sale!

Mainstage Performances
Starlight Theater at the MYArts building
1055 E Mifflin St, Madison, WI
– Saturday, June 10, 4:30pm
– Saturday, June 10, 7:30pm (with post-show talkback)
– Sunday, June 11, 1:30pm (with open captioning)

Special Events:
– Friday, May 5, 6pm – Mini performance at Overture Center‘s Democracy exhibit
– Saturday, June 10 – Talkback directly following the 7:30pm show
– Thursday, June 15, 6pm – Mini playwriting workshop

Rotate Theatre Mini Fest is made possible through partnerships and support from many individuals and organizations.

 

Rotate Theatre Mini Fest celebrates short plays featuring underrepresented perspectives! Mainstage performances on June 10-11, 2023 offer an entertaining and thought-provoking lineup of festival favorites performed alongside brand new works presented as part of World Premiere Wisconsin. In addition to the mainstage performances, Rotate Theatre Company presents a mini performance piece at the Overture Center for the Arts Democracy exhibit on May 5, a talkback directly following the 7:30pm show on June 10, and a mini playwriting workshop on June 15.

Rotate Theatre Mini Fest builds on the Indie Boots Theatre Festival which was produced by the Rotate ensemble for many years in Chicago. Over 200 artists collaborated on the festival to bring new short works to packed houses. Offering an array of genres, the eclectic line-up of plays deftly used humor and heart to grapple with (cis/mono/hetero)sexism, racism, colonialism, ableism, classism, and environmental injustice. Returning directors include Breahan Eve Pautsch and Richard Paro. Returning writers include Wi-Moto Nyoka, Aisha Leveret, and John Weagly. Other returning artists included Cyra K. Polizzi and Ashely Bagot.

Rotate Theatre Company projects are designed to contribute to larger webs of strategies that build more just futures for artists and the general public. To accomplish this, Rotate projects embrace practices that enrich the lives of collaborative artists, engage audiences in laughter and discussion, and incorporate multidirectional education.

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The Plays

– All plays are performed each night. Listing does not reflect running order.
– Running time is approximately 100 minutes, with an intermission.
– Rotate Theatre Mini Fest is designed for adult audiences. Supervised children are welcome if comfortable with mature themes, humor, and language.
* Presented as part of World Premiere Wisconsin

*Out, by Kristin P.
Three friends debate their evening plans… and Queer history, and accessibility, and language, and – well – capes.

Ella’s Children, by Wi-Moto Nyoka
What starts as just another day on the job at a daycare center, turns into an unexpected horror play about second-class citizenship, women’s work, and mobility.

Toadstools & the Mechanical Man, by John Weagly
Determined to make this a special day, Lord Bashum invites Lady Willoughby to the gardens hoping to impress her with his foraging Mechanical Man, but she seems more intrigued by expanding her experiences than romantic overtures.

*Rishi’s Grocery List, by Rini Tarafder
Politics invades the everyday, yet essential, task of grocery shopping, as Rishi is interrupted again and again by news from home, far away on another continent yet ever present.

*Dancing to Intermission, by Kristin P.
A comedy fueled by assumptions about class, race, and cultural divides, Dancing to Intermission invites us to build community and connection outside our comfort zones.

Bleeding Heart, by Rhea Leman
Four scientists prepare to abandon Earth after failing to avert climate crisis in this highly-stylized dystopian play from Denmark.

You Could Come Back Over Here, by Richard Paro with Kristin P.
Shortly after hooking up at a party, Angela discovers Beth was her childhood bully. Is there any way to move forward?

Three Cheers for Ava, by Aisha Leverett
Three chums plot the future of their relationship with their annoyingly perfect friend Ava in this satirical critique of capitalism and colonialism.

Fox in the Snow, by Richard Paro
A bible study meetup takes an unexpected turn when the members’ true motives are revealed.

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Access & Accommodations

Please email [email protected] or call 608-515-8912 with any questions, ideas, or requests regarding access or accommodations. An Audience Access Chart, including COVID protocols, will be available in May. We have various ticket levels available to all, including very low-cost Access Tickets. If an Access Ticket is cost prohibitive for you, please contact us for information on reserving a free ticket.