Frannie Shepherd-Bates
Devoted To Detroit
Co-founder of the Magenta Giraffe aims
to grow the downtown theater scene.
Suzanne Chessler
Special to The Jewish News
F
rannie Shepherd-Bates,
programming assistant for
Jewish Life and Learning at
the Jewish Community Center in West
Bloomfield, devotes off-work time to
a new project that promotes theater in
the heart of Detroit.
Shepherd-Bates, a 2006 Wayne State
graduate with a bachelor of fine arts
in acting, helped develop the Magenta
Giraffe Theatre Company and is prepar-
ing for the troupe's First Annual Staged
Reading Festival with three selections
beginning 2 p.m. Saturday, May 30, at
the Gryphon Theatre in Detroit.
The readings start with Into the D,
a comic one-act written by Jacquelyn
Priskorn and directed by Lisa Melinn
to get suburban kids excited about
what the city has to offer. At 4 p.m.,
Speed Dating! offers a skewed take
on romance through the lens of a
game show as written by Audra Lord
and directed by LoriGoe Nowak. At 6
p.m., To Dog, written by Ed Shaw and
directed by Bates-Shepherd, examines
the relationship of two clowns waiting
for the circus to return.
"We launched in November to help
Detroit grow its theater scene and
encourage people to stay in the area','
says Shepherd-Bates, 24 and the the-
ater's artistic director. "Our first produc-
tion was No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre."
The idea for the company came dur-
ing brainstorming with two friends from
the WSU theater program — Nowak,
Magenta Giraffe's executive director, and
Kevin Beltz, its production director.
The three came up with the com-
pany name by starting with "giraffe,"
an animal that can see above and
beyond the throng. "Magenta" has
been associated with theater by people
into theories about what different col-
ors represent.
Original funding came through a
scholarship awarded to Shepherd-Bates
by BoxFest, an annual theater festival
showcasing the talents of women.
"We really want to promote Michigan
people so our festival of plays includes
works by Michigan natives," explains
Shepherd-Bates, who has performed
with the Jewish Ensemble Theatre,
Hilberry Theatre and Planet Ant
Theatre; served as director for 1515
Broadway, Roeper Theatre Company
and Studio Theatre; and taught the-
ater camp at the JCC and Waterworks
Theatre Company.
"We want to eliminate apathy, vio-
lence, prejudice and barriers to educa-
tion through our programs and expand
Detroit's theater district. We hope to
reach new audiences."
With their goals in mind, the three-
member administrative team already
has chosen works for the 2009-2010
season. The fall production will be
Amiri Baraka's Dutchman, a play
about a black man married to a Jewish
woman before becoming involved with
black nationalism. The winter produc-
tion will be Bert Royal's Dog Sees God,
which explores problems of teens when
adults are not involved in their lives.
"We consider ourselves a professional
company, and we hope our plays will
spark discussions," says Shepherd-Bates,
a resident of Royal Oak who grew up
in Commerce Township and is affili-
ated with Temple Shir Shalom in West
Bloomfield. "We have a very flexible
space with folding seats:'
The First Annual Staged Reading Festival of Magenta Giraffe runs
Saturday, May 30, at the Gryphon Theatre, located above the Park Bar
at 2040 Park Ave., in Detroit. The bar is in the same building as the
Bucharest Grill, which has a sign on Elizabeth. Readings are at 2, 4 and
6 p.m. $4 per play, $8 for all three. www.magentagiraffe.org .
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