Rotate Theatre

Two women smile at each other, another looks on with anticipation and another with confusion

Rotate Theatre Mini Fest

Celebrating short plays featuring underrepresented perspectives on whose stories are worth telling, what's funny, and how the world works.

~~Tickets~~ ~~now on sale!~~

Digital Program

Mainstage Performances
Starlight Theater at the MYArts building
1055 E Mifflin St, Madison, WI
- Saturday, June 10, 4:30pm
- Saturday, June 10, 7:30pm (with post-show talkback)
- Sunday, June 11, 1:30pm (with open captioning)

Special Events
- Friday, May 5, 6:00pm - Mini performance at Overture Center's Democracy exhibit
- Saturday, June 10 - Talkback directly following the 7:30pm show
- Thursday, June 15, 6:00pm - Mini playwriting workshop

Tickets
All ticket options are available to everyone. By selecting "Treat-Your-Neighbor" Tickets, you help us provide low-cost options to others.
- $25 Standard Tickets
- $5 Access Tickets
- $50 "Treat-Your-Neighbor" Tickets.

Visit the Collaborator Bios page to learn more about the players!

Postcard with collaborator headshots

About the Festival

Rotate Theatre Mini Fest celebrates short plays featuring underrepresented perspectives on whose stories are worth telling, what's funny, and how the world works! Mainstage performances on June 10-11, 2023 at the beautiful Starlight Theater at the MYArts building feature an entertaining and thought-provoking lineup of festival favorites performed alongside brand new works presented as part of World Premiere Wisconsin.

From hilarious comedies to engaging dramas to shiver-inducing horror, the eclectic plays and characters grapple with relationships, Queer possibilities, colonial entitlement, navigating access, racial capitalism, climate change, and zombie toddlers! At each showing, all nine fully-staged short plays are brought to life by a team of 30 collaborators, some with decades of experience and some beginners! The 100 minute program includes one intermission, during which audience members are invited to visit the allergen-aware vegan-friendly concessions counter or join the performers for a fun mini dance activity.

In addition to the mainstage performances, Rotate Theatre Company presents a mini performance piece at the Overture Center for the Arts' Democracy exhibit on May 5, a talkback directly following the 7:30pm show on June 10, and a mini playwriting workshop on June 15.

Rotate Theatre Company projects are designed to contribute to larger webs of strategies that build more just futures for artists and the general public. To accomplish this, Rotate projects embrace practices that enrich the lives of collaborative artists, engage audiences in laughter and discussion, and incorporate multidirectional learning.

The Plays

- All plays are performed at each showing. Listing does not reflect running order.
- Running time is approximately 100 minutes, with an intermission.
- Rotate Theatre Mini Fest is designed for adult audiences. Supervised children are welcome if comfortable with mature themes, humor, and language.
* Presented as part of World Premiere Wisconsin.

*Out, by Kristin P.
Three friends debate their evening plans... and Queer history, and accessibility, and - well - capes.

Ella's Children, by Wi-Moto Nyoka
What starts as just another day on the job at a daycare center, turns into an unexpected zomedy about second-class citizenship, "women's work," and mobility.

Toadstools & the Mechanical Man, by John Weagly
Determined to make this a special day, Lord Bashum invites Lady Willoughby to the gardens hoping to impress her with his foraging Mechanical Man, but she seems more intrigued by expanding her experiences than romantic overtures.

*Rishi's Grocery List, by Rini Tarafder
In this new multimedia play, the essential everyday task of grocery shopping is invaded by political unrest back home.

*Dancing to Intermission, by Kristin P.
A comedy fueled by assumptions about class, race, and cultural divides, this world premiere invites us to build community and connection outside our comfort zones.

Bleeding Heart, by Rhea Leman
Four scientists prepare to abandon Earth after failing to avert climate crisis in this highly-stylized dystopian play from Denmark.

You Could Come Back Over Here, by Richard Paro with Kristin P.
Shortly after hooking up at a party, Angela discovers Beth was her childhood bully. Is there any way to move forward?

Three Cheers for Ava, by Aisha Leverett
Three chums plot the future of their relationship with their annoyingly perfect friend Ava in this satirical critique of capitalism and colonialism.

Fox in the Snow, by Richard Paro
A bible study meetup takes an unexpected turn when the members' true motives are revealed.

Access & Accommodations

Please email RotateTheatre@gmail.com, call 608-515-8912, or check the Access Chart for information regarding access or accommodations. We have various ticket levels available to all, including very low-cost Access Tickets. If an Access Ticket is cost prohibitive for you, please contact us for information on reserving a free ticket.

Become a Rotate Theatre Company donor!

Like many theatres, we're using alternative ticketing models to offer a significant number of very low-cost and free tickets to our productions, available to all. Donations to arts orgs like ours are essential.

Click Donate to make a one-time or monthly donation in any amount. You will be redirected to a secure page processed by Square.

Your gift may be tax-deductible! Rotate Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Federal ID #84-4229597.

Thank you!

This project is made possible through partnerships and support from many individuals and organizations and is funded in part by a grant from the Madison Arts Commission, with additional funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board.