Theater festival in Ann Arbor to explore contemporary social issues

Belgian theater company BRONKS, will perform "Us/Them" during the first No Safety Net festival in Ann Arbor. Hosted by University Musical Society, No Safety Net will examine a different topic related to contemporary social issues. "Us/Them," is a play based on the hostage drama in a school in Beslan in 2004, where more than 1200 people - mainly children and their mothers or grandmothers - were taken hostage. When the crisis ended several days later, more than 300 people had died, including 186 children.(www.fkph.net)

ANN ARBOR, MI - A new theater festival in Ann Arbor will aim to foster dialogue around issues including slavery, terrorism, transgender identity and radical wellness and healing.

University Musical Society of the University of Michigan (UMS) is presenting a three-week festival called No Safety Net, featuring four productions, including two U.S. premieres, from Jan. 17 to Feb. 3 at locations throughout Ann Arbor.

During No Safety Net, each production will examine a different topic related to contemporary social issues. In addition to the performances, UMS also is presenting a suite of contextual programs, including workshops, lectures and panel discussions, many of which are free and open to the public.

"No Safety Net is an idea, an initiative, and ultimately a new chapter in the way that UMS thinks about presenting theater. We've selected four works by very different theater artists with a goal of bringing our audiences on a journey around some very interesting - and sometimes troubling - areas that are socially relevant," UMS President Matthew VanBesien said in a news release. "We live in interesting times, and we want this work to spark important dialogue and conversations among our audiences and among members of our community."

The festival also includes a keynote event through the Penny Stamps Speaker Series, which is hosting author Claudia Rankine and director P. Carl at 5:10 p.m. on Jan. 18 at the Michigan Theater. The keynote will address whether theater can promote social justice, manifesting a more equitable America, UMS Spokesperson Mallory Shea said.

Rankine, the author of "Citizen: An American Lyric" will sit down with Carl, the director of the online theater commons Howlround and co-artistic director of ArtsEmerson, to discuss the ways contemporary theater and performance can help catalyze and promote social justice issues.

"The keynote really touches on a lot of the overarching themes of the festival itself," Shea said. "The main topics (are about) how theater plays into activism and immigration and whether or not theater can promote social justice.

"We hope that people come into this with an open eye and want to have conversations," she added. "We want people who are excited to talk about these topics to join in on the conversations, but we're also hoping people who are a little reluctant to have these conversations will join in, as well, because we want viewpoints from all over the place."

  • The festival kicks off with six performances of the
  • The following week, the Belgian theater company BRONKS, which produces theater for young audiences,
  • In addition to the public performances, UMS will host two special performances of "Us/Them" on Jan. 25 and 26 for area schools. The production, which recently completed a sellout run at the National Theatre in London, receives its United States premiere as part of No Safety Net and will not be seen anywhere else in the country this year.
  • The festival's next production,
  • Concluding No Safety Net is performance artist

Tickets for the performances are available online.

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