Contemporary American Theatre Festival Inc

THEATER AND OTHER CONTEMPORARY ARTS

CATF RETURNED FROM ITS SHUTTERED STATE AND FULLY PRODUCED A REPERTORY OF SIX NEW PLAYS. THE SEASON INCLUDED THE LARGEST COMPANY OF ACTORS AND PRODUCTION ARTISTS CATF HAS EVER EMPLOYED. THE FESTIVAL PRODUCED PLAYS ABOUT RACISM, POLICE BRUTALITY, MENTAL WELLNESS, CLIMATE EVOLUTION, AND ISSUES OF REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS. WHILE CATF DID NOT EXPERIENCE THE FULL CAPACITY RETURN OF THEIR AUDIENCE, GUESTS DID ATTEND. THE AUDIENCE DID NOT ATTEND THE SIX SHOWS TO FULL CAPACITY AND CATF SAW MORE SINGLE TICKET BUYERS THAN SUBSCRIBERS.THE AUDIENCE WAS INCREDIBLY RECEPTIVE AND CRITICS WERE POSITIVE ABOUT THE PLAYS. AUDIENCE MEMBERS WORE MASKS AND ADHERED TO ALL COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS AS DID THE COMPANY MEMBERS. FORTUNATELY, CATF DID NOT CANCEL ANY PERFORMANCES DUE TO COVID RELATED ILLNESSES. CATF WAS WELL EQUIPPED WITH PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT AND HAD THOUSANDS OF RAPID TESTS TO SHARE WITH THE COMPANY. THE COMPANY TESTED TWO-THREE TIMES A WEEK. FATIQUE AND MANAGING LONG WORK HOURS ADDED TO THE STRESS OF PRODUCING SIX SHOWS IN REPERTORY DURING THIS REBUILDING TIME.CATF DID NOT OFFER THE FULL SERIES OF TALKTHEATER EVENTS DUE TO COVID SAFETY CONCERNS BUT MANY OF THE USUAL EVENTS SURROUNDING THE PLAY REPERTORY DID OCCUR. POST SHOW DISCUSSIONS WERE OFTEN HELD WITHOUT ACTORS. LUNCH AND ART BECAME AN EVENT DURING WHICH GUESTS COULD BRING A BAG LUNCH INSTEAD OF ENJOYING A CATF SERVED BUFFET. AGAIN, THE ADDITIONAL PROGRAM WAS NOT AS FULLY ATTENDED AS THEY HAD BEEN PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC BUT AUDIENCES DID ATTEND.CATF SAW SIGNIFICANT STAFF CHANGE AS WELL. FOUNDER, ED HERENDEEN RETIRED AND PEGGY MCKOWEN BECAME THE NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR. CATF HELD A NATIONAL SEARCH FOR A NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR. JEFF GRIFFIN BEGAN AS MANAGING DIRECTION DURING THE WHIRLWIND OF JULY. STAFF FOCUSED ON A WELLNESS PLAN COMING INTO THE COVID PROTOCOL SEASON AND COMMITTED TO A STAGETIC MISSION OF BECOMING AN ANTI-RACIST AND ANTI-OPPRESSIVE ORGANIZATION.MAJOR CHANGES ARE TAKING PLACE QUICKLY AT CATF AND THE FESTIVAL IS MOVING INTO A TRANFORMATIONAL TIME. SINCE THE FESTIVAL'S FOUNDING IN 1991, CATF HAS GROWN IN NATIONAL REPUTATION AND IS HIGHLY REGARDED AS ONE OF AMERICA'S IMPORTANT NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT CENTERS. EACH YEAR PATRONS COME FROM OVER 38 STATES AND MULTIPLE COUNTRIES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BIRTH OF DARING NEW WORK. NUMEROUS REVIEWS, ARTICLES, AND FEATURE STORIES HAVE APPEARED IN MEDIA VENUES ACROSS THE COUNTRY INCLUDING THE WASHINGTON POST, THE BALTIMORE SUN, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, THE NEW YORK TIMES, AMERICAN THEATRE MAGAZINE, AND THE NEW YORKER.