Playwriting and Theatre

 

UPCOMING 2021 SHOWS

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ALES AWAKE (Lyrics by Alesyn “Al Wu” McCall, directed by Janai Lashon) – Rapper Alis is over virtual school, isolation and fitting into the expectations of Woman of Promise Academy.  When classmate and fellow wordsmith Mable offers a chance to cut class early by getting a free essay, Alis welcomes the shortcut, but the link to the free essay turns out to be anything but a path to freedom. Alis tumbles into an alternate world where the Queen of Hearts threatens to behead students already lost in a broken school system, Mable included. Education cases of the past prove to be ever present in keeping students like Alis small, but figures like Linda Brown of the Brown v. Board case won’t let Alis take on the Queen alone. Books and history come to life as Alis traverses an awakening adventure of self discovery and verbal warfare.  Produced as part of The Vagrancy “Blossoming: A New Play Reading Series” Tuesday, August 24, 5pm EST (virtual).

RESERVE TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/alis-awake-by-shawntai-brown-tickets-161252353129

Links to The Work

eLLe Kalamazoo interview by Laura Kay Henderson (founder of Queer Theatre Kalamazoo) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaWwPUyOJco

Revue – Review of eLLe New Position – https://revuewm.com/arts/theatre/item/4255-review-elle-lovingly-captures-the-modern-experience

WMUK – eLLe 10 announcement – https://www.wmuk.org/post/art-beat-theater-change-society

WMUK interview 2015 – https://www.wmuk.org/post/series-based-l-word-returns-tell-untold-lgbt-stories

WMUK – Theater to change society clip with eLLe mention – https://www.wmuk.org/term/queer-theatre-kalamazoo-0

Ghost Town – The Dirty Blondes – https://www.thedirtyblondes.org/detroit-ny.html

Harlem9 48 Hours in Detroit – https://www.harlem9.org/48hours-in-detroit-2019

Review eLLe installment 10 “This Lane Open” – https://revuewm.com/arts/theatre/item/4640-review-elle-is-a-night-of-high-quality-totally-original-theater?fbclid=IwAR1bprB11n3nFnjjbGI48ZxfR0t1-zIBS7lSigIqbxLh6FjOJR_C9JlQBao

Plays Produced

“Church Hats,” New Play Workshop, Western Michigan University, 2008
“eLLe 1: The L Word continued,” Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative, theatrical series, 2010.
“eLLe 2: The L Word continued,” Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative, theatrical series, 2010.
“eLLe 3:,” PULSE Organic, Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative, theatrical series, 2011.
“eLLe 4: Going the Distance,” Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative, theatrical series, 2011.
“eLLe 5: You’ve Made Your Bed,” Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative, theatrical series, 2011.
“eLLe 6: Shift,” Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative, theatrical series, 2012.
“Breadcrumbs: Journey to Authenticity,” Kalamazoo Black Arts and Cultural Center, 2013
“eLLe 7: Can We Talk,” Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative, 2013
“Ghost Town,” (author) Detroit, NY 10-minute Play Festival, The Dirty Blondes Theatre, New York, NY, 2014.
“eLLe 8: Every Door the Closes,” Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative, theatrical series, 2015.
“A Detroit Carol,” (co-authors, acting) Extra Mile Playwrights Theatre, Light Up Livernois, 2016.
“eLLe 9: New Positions,” Queer Theatre Kalamazoo, theatrical series, 2018.
“We’re Here,” (co-author, acting) Extra Mile Playwrights Theatre, Light Up Livernois, Voices from the Neighborhood, 2018.
“We Own Everything,” 48 Hours Detroit, Alessee Hall, 2019.
“When the Moon Yells,” Detroit Fringe Festival, Jam Handy, 2019.
“eLLe 10: This Lane Open,” Face Off Theatre, Epic Center Kalamazoo, Mi, 2019.
“Don’t Break Up Over Text,” Violet Surprise: Lez Beaus, The Martin, Chicago, Il, Feb. 2020.
“8:46”, (written in collaboration with Sean Paraventi, Angela King) The Breath Project, nationwide virtual screening, October 2020.
“Cut Short”, Gay4Detroit One Act Festival, The Ringwald virtual, Detroit, MI, October 2020.
“Out of Body”, Hear Our Cry, Peppermint Creek Theatre virtual, Lansing, Mi, October 2020.

“HAPPY BORN DAY” – Brandi has a sexy birthday surprise for her girlfriend, Carolyn, but it’s too much for Carolyn’s pet rabbit and past. FEBRUARY 6, The Purple Rose Theatre 10-Minute Play Festival.

Cast
Brandi- Lulu Dahl
Carolyn – Alesyn McCall
Rashida- Reina Mystique

Staged Readings

“Covert: Voices from the Civil Rights Movement,” Douglas Center DYAC, Kalamazoo, 2013.
“Morgue,” staged reading, The Play’s the Thing, Ann Arbor Civic Theater, 2015.
“Hardyman,” Extra Mile Playwrights Theatre, Community Night, 2015.
“Bridge to Canada,” Extra Mile Playwrights Theatre, Community Night, 2015.
“67 Rebellion: A memoir play,” Extra Mile Playwrights Theatre, Northwestern Unitarian Universalist, 2018.
“Her Name Was A’laika,” The Plays The Thing, Ann Arbor Civic Theatre, Ann Arbor, Mi, Jan. 2020.
“Don’t Break Up Over Text,” The Plays The Thing, Ann Arbor Civic Theatre, Ann Arbor, Mi, Jan. 2020.
“Cut Short”, Queer Theatre Kalamazoo virtual, Kalamazoo, Mi June 2020.
“The Aretha Project”, (devised theatre written by EMPT playwrights) Extra Mile Playwrights Theatre, Detroit, Mi, September 2020.
“When The Moon Yells,” Ann Arbor Civic Theater virtual, Ann Arbor, Mi, October 2020.