Contemporary America Theater Festival

Start: Friday, July 11, 2025 5:30PM
End: Sunday, August 3, 2025 6:30PM

The Contemporary American Theater Festival presents its 2025 season, featuring five world premiere plays by trailblazing playwrights. CATF is also hosting more than 40 special events led by artists and industry experts, including lectures and post-show conversations that delve into the topics explored in the plays. CATF will run from July 11 through August 3 in three venues on the Shepherd University campus: Frank Center, Marinoff Theater, and Studio 112. In Did My Grandfather Kill My Grandfather?, West Virginia-born playwright Cody LeRoy Wilson tells the unlikely journey of his blended family from Vietnam to Plum Run, W. Va. As the main character, Cody is loving and compassionate when he speaks about his predominantly white family and community, while he also searches for his Vietnamese community. This powerful story proves that who you are is a choice of your own making. Presented this summer in its world premiere, the play had a development production in 2023 at the NuWorks Festival at Pan Asian Repertory Theatre in New York City, where Wilson is currently based. McKowen said, “It’s a privilege to be a national theater but to also be able to present work about and for the West Virginia community, by artists from our community.” Happy Fall: A Queer Stunt Spectacular by Lisa Sanaye Dring follows two queer stuntmen in Hollywood, bringing the intoxication of film trickery and its toll on the body and psyche to life through puppetry, video, cinematic illusions, and live stunts. Based on true stories and direct testimonies, Happy Fall is a tribute to the resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community. “I fell deeply in love with the story of these two men, finding myself moved by their efforts to make their relationship work and saddened by the challenges they faced,” shared McKowen. “It’s an epic, spectacular production, which will be a fun and unique experience for our audience.” Happy Fall is produced in partnership with Los Angeles LGBT Center and Rogue Artists Ensemble. Playwright, storyteller, and frequent NPR commentator Kevin Kling tells his own story of finding his way as a disabled artist in Kevin Kling: Unraveled. Kling’s work is infused with an innate sense of humor and reflects the life challenges he has surmounted, including a congenital birth disorder and partial paralysis from a near-fatal motorcycle accident. McKowen found herself moved by Kling’s generosity in sharing his experiences, and how at peace and joyous he is. This world premiere is produced in partnership with Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Massachusetts. Magdalene is CATF’s fourth fully staged production by Mark St. Germain, following The Happiest Man on Earth (2024), Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah (2013), and Forgiving Typhoid Mary (1994). St. Germain first shared Magdalene with McKowen at the 2024 festival, and now CATF presents its world premiere. The play is set 18 years after the crucifixion, when Peter reconnects with the banished Mary Magdalene. As they recall different versions of Jesus, His miracles, and His vision for the faith, questions emerge. Magdalene breathes life into characters from the Western Christian faith, helping us understand them as human beings. Side Effects May Include… by Lisa Loomer leads us on a nightmarish, Kafkaesque trip into the world of psychiatry as a mother tries to help her son on his journey to wellness. The play explores the side effects of some commonly prescribed pills and questions our trust in the medical system. Loomer’s relationship with CATF started in 1991, when her play Accelerando was programmed as part of the Festival’s very first season. CATF is excited to premiere Lisa’s new play this summer, following the opening of her stage musical, Real Women Have Curves, on Broadway in April 2025. In addition to the five mainstage productions, the 2025 festival includes numerous education and community engagement activities as part of CATF’s talktheater series, which provides opportunities to discuss issues raised in the plays. The vibrant pairing of contemporary works and invigorating discourse fosters a unique and unforgettable experience.