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Posted on Wed, Nov 14, 2012 : 5:55 a.m.

Third annual Five Bowls of Oatmeal fundraiser to feature original plays by young people

By AnnArbor.com Staff

fivebowls.jpg

A glimpse of 2011's Five Bowls of Oatmeal festival.

Photo provided by Penny Seats Theatre Company

The third annual festival of student-written one act plays, called Five Bowls of Oatmeal, happens on Nov. 18 at 3 p.m. at Rackham Auditorium, 915 E. Washington St. in Ann Arbor. Tickets are $5 for adults, while kids under 18 are free.

Presented by local nonprofit 826michigan and the University of Michigan MFA program in creative writing, the festival will feature members of The Penny Seats Theater Company performing staged readings of one-act plays with the help of foam-core props and a hefty dose of wackiness.

The plays, written by children and youth who participate in 826michigan’s free programs, will each star a bowl of oatmeal as well as a full complement of colorful characters. Proceeds from the festival will benefit 826michigan’s free creative writing and tutoring programs for students age 6-18 in Washtenaw County.

“With this, the third year of Five Bowls of Oatmeal, it’s truly become a tradition,” said 826michigan executive director Amanda Uhle in a press release. “And we couldn’t be happier about it. As 826 National founder, Dave Eggers, said after last year’s festival, it’s very powerful for our students to see their work performed on a ‘real’ stage - the beautiful setting at Rackham Auditorium - by ‘real’ actors - our talented friends at the Penny Seats Theater Company. Five Bowls of Oatmeal has become an important part of our work with nearly 2,500 students aged 6-18 by providing another avenue for us to publish and celebrate these young writers’ impressive work. We’re grateful to our sponsors, Ann Arbor State Bank and Schiff Hardin LLP, for making a third year of Five Bowls of Oatmeal possible and we hope the community will join us in celebrating again!”

For more information about Five Bowls of Oatmeal: The Return of Oatmeal and to purchase tickets, visit fivebowls.brownpapertickets.com. To learn more about 826michigan and its free creative writing and tutoring programs for students 6-18 in Washtenaw County, call 734-761-3463 or visit www.826michigan.org.

Comments

jns131

Wed, Nov 14, 2012 : 6:55 p.m.

This is one terrific program. This is our childs second year with them and we are going again. If you want some fun? Go. It is a great fun raiser and a great time had by all. You never know what you are going to see and hear until you do.