The producers of BoxFest Detroit are pleased to announce BoxFest Detroit 2015, an annual theatre festival that showcases and creates opportunities for women directors. The festival runs Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons and evenings, August 21 – 29, at Planet Ant Theatre.

BoxFest Detroit produces festivals that allow women directors the opportunities to direct original shows of their choice and win awards to help further their careers in directing. Proceeds from each festival are given to one or more directors as a scholarship to help further her career. The winning director of the audience vote competition is given the opportunity to direct a show with Planet Ant Theatre’s Late Night Series.

Over the two weekends long festival, BoxFest Detroit 2015 presents the work of 13 local women theatre artists. Directors reshaping the box this year are Dyan Bailey, Shavonne Coleman, Paige Conway, Yolanda Fleischer, Lisa Hodge Kander, Egla Kishta, Michelle LeRoy, Lylanne Musselman, Tara Riedel, Mary Rychlewski, Frannie Shepherd-Bates, Tricia Turek, and Megan Wright. The producing team for BoxFest Detroit 2015 includes Molly McMahon, Kelly Rossi, and Amanda Grace Ewing.

“We have a fantastic group of directors participating in this year’s festival and we couldn’t be more thrilled to share the products of their hard work and talent with our audiences,” said Molly McMahon, Artistic Director. While some women are new to directing or are just beginning professional careers, others are established artists with decades of experience. “We are excited to collaborate with such a capable group of women who have worked together with their creative teams to create some exciting theatre,” continued McMahon.
The plays produced at this year’s festival come from playwrights scattered across North America. “We had over 350 submissions by playwrights from all across the country, Canada, Italy, Brazil, and beyond,” said Kelly Rossi, Executive Director. “We look forward to our audiences enjoying first-rate unpublished plays.”

<b>Schedule for BoxFest Detroit 2015:
Box 1: “Clarity” by Serena Cates, directed by Tara Riedel; “Buck Naked” by Gloria Bond Clunie, directed by Shavonne Coleman<br>Box 2: “Turtle Beach” by Aoise Stratford, directed by Mary Rychlewski; “Broken” by James McLindon, directed by Paige Conway; “Perspective” by James McLindon, directed by Egla Kishta<br>Box 3: “Date 16” by Todd Weston, directed by Megan Wright; “The Stand In” by Brett Hursey, directed by Dyan Bailey; “Forbidden Love” by Laurie Allen, directed by Michelle LeRoy<br>Box 4: “‘Gypsy’ Rhymes with ‘Danger’” by Jonathan Davidson and Frannie Shepherd-Bates, directed by Frannie Shepherd-Bates; “Essential Magick” by Robert Fieldsteel, directed by Lisa Hodge Kander<br>Box 5: “There’s Nothing Wrong with Me” by Maureen Paraventi, directed by Lylanne Musselman; “Cutting It Close” by Kitty Dubin, directed by Yolanda Fleischer; “Raghead” by Tom Coash, directed by Tricia Turek</b>

Friday, 8/21: 7:00 p.m.: Cocktail hour; 8:00 p.m.: Box 1; 9:00 p.m.: Box 3
Saturday, 8/22: 3:00 p.m.: Box 2; 4:00 p.m.: Box 1; 5:00 p.m.: Box 5; 6:00 p.m.: Dinner break; 7:00 p.m.: Cocktail hour; 8:00 p.m.: Box 5; 9:00 p.m.: Box 4; 10:00 p.m.: Box 3
Friday, 8/28: 7:00 pm: Cocktail hour; 8:00 p.m.: Box 4; 9:00 pm.: Box 2
Saturday, 8/29: 3:00 p.m.: Box 1; 4:00 p.m.: Box 2; 5:00 p.m.: Box 5; 6:00 p.m.: Dinner break; 7:00 p.m.: Cocktail hour; 8:00 p.m.: Box 3; 9:00 p.m.: Box 4; 10:00 p.m.: Awards Presentation

Planet Ant Theatre is located at 2357 Caniff, Hamtramck, MI, 48212. Admission is payable by cash only at the door with day passes for $10. A limited number of festival passes are on sale for $30 and may be purchased at the door or reserved online.

For more information, please visit www.boxfestdetroit.com

BoxFest Detroit is an organization that showcases and creates opportunities for women directors. BoxFest Detroit has served and continues to function as a springboard for many women and their directing careers. Directors who have participated in past festivals have gone on to pursue graduate studies at highly competitive universities, become directors at professional theatres, and form their own successful theatre and production companies.

Photo caption: Directors and staff of BoxFest Detroit 2015. Photo credit: Brandy Joe Plambeck.