Speak Story Series founder Adam Booth tells a story about his childhood, during the Shepherdstown Sneakpeak 2022 on Friday night. Courtesy photo

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The Contemporary American Theater Festival kicked off its 32nd season on Friday night in the Frank Center Theater, with the Shepherdstown Sneakpeak 2022.

The annual sneakpeak event is an opportunity for the festival to introduce each of the plays slated to be performed in July, the month when the festival is held every year. This year’s sneakpeak drew a large audience from abroad via the event’s livestream on Zoom, along with its audience of in-person attendees.

“We are here and standing here ready to open in July, because of you. Your support and your faith in us has made it possible for us to continue,” said CATF Producing Artistic Director Peggy McKowen.

“I know many of you know this — we actually picked these plays in 2020. We weren’t able to produce them, then, as I’m sure you all know,” McKowen said, referring to the production delays caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic. “So tonight, this final season produced by our founder and producing director, Ed Herendeen, will be shared with you.”

As promised by McKowen, the event was uniquely different from that of previous sneakpeaks, in that it featured different forms of communication and artistic expression, regarding each play in the upcoming season. Three of the plays — “The Fifth Domain,” “Whitelisted” and “Babel” — were introduced via an interview with their directors. The spirits of two of the plays — “Sheepdog” and “The House of the Negro Insane” — were expressed through the performance of songs their playwrights said best resembled them. And the final form of artistic expression, to a recorded monologue from “Ushuaia Blue,” was a contemporary dance by Washington High School student Anna Grace.

In the Frank Center Theater on Friday night, Barbara Burger and the Sam Donato Band perform Nina Simone’s “Fodder on My Wings,” which related to “The House of the Negro Insane,” according to its playwright, Terence Anthony. Courtesy photo

A scene from “Babel” was also performed, with the assistance of Shenandoah University theater professor and CATF honorary board member Kirsten Trump and Natasha Dozier, under the coaching of play director Sharifa Yasmin.

“One of the couples, they’re going to have to decide whether they’re going to get rid of their child, or keep their child and challenge the system,” Yasmin said, mentioning the couple’s unborn baby had tested positive for potentially developing behavioral issues, like sociopathy or extreme anger. “I think that anyone who comes to see this play will see remnants of their own relationships in this.”

The relationship between CATF and Speak Story Series, Inc., was also highlighted in the sneakpeak, with a brief description of the storytelling events being held around the time of the festival and childhood story retelling by Speak Story Series founder Adam Booth, who was recently named the West Virginia Folk Artist of the Year.

McKowen, who was named by CATF’s board as Herendeen’s successor in November, shared information on the few changes she planned to make in July.

“This year, we’re trying to add some new things, including ‘Mornings With Peggy.’ Not every morning, but some mornings, I’m looking forward to having some coffee and tea and sharing some conversation with you, as well,” McKowen said, mentioning there will also be a cabaret-style showcase opportunity for the festival’s understudies in July, along with the return of the “Talk Reading Series,” in which plays of interest for their own content and/or potential as future season contenders are read to an audience.

CATF Producing Artistic Director Peggy McKowen talks with “Babel” director Sharifa Yasmin, in the Frank Center Theater Friday night. Courtesy photo

“We are so privileged to be able to offer all of these artistic opportunities for you all to experience!” McKowen said.

Tickets for Season 32 are on sale now at https://catf.org/.

Shenandoah University theater professor and CATF honorary board member Kirsten Trump and Natasha Dozier perform a scene from “Babel,” in the Frank Center Theater on Friday night. Courtesy photo

Eddie Peters closes Friday evening, singing “My Girl,” backed by the Sam Donato Band, in the Frank Center Theater. Courtesy photo