On March 3-5 and 10-12 Wayne State University\'s Studio Theatre will host productions by the winners of the Louise Heck-Rabi Dramatic Writing Competition. The \"Heck-Rabi\" competition is sponsored through the Departments of English and Theatre with the support of the Louise Heck-Rabi Endowed Scholarship in Dramatic Writing. Louise was an active member of the Poetry Society of Michigan and founder of Downriver Poets and Playwrights. She graduated from Wayne State University in 1976 with a PhD in English. Among her writings were Women Filmmakers: A Critical Reception and Rock the World, a one-act comedy which was performed Off-off-Broadway in 1973. Heck-Rabi was also a librarian and an assistant professor at Wayne State.

For the competition, student playwrights submit new works in late May to be judged by professionals. Five finalists are selected to move forward. At the beginning of the school year, students and playwrights from the Departments of Theatre and English, under the guidance of a guest facilitator, workshop staged readings of the top five plays. This year three plays were chosen.

The Brutelles by Ian Drife, an English student, is a dark comedy that follows the matriarch of the Brutelle family who runs her house with an iron fist. As she ages, she seeks an heir, and her daughters fight for their right to obtain the power of Brutelle. Cast members include: Katherine Swinehart (Ferndale) as Shirella, the residing head of the strange but often hilarious Brutelle household, with Katie Clark (Livonia) as Estella, a teacher whose student body often fails to survive the semester, literally! The cast also includes LoriGoe Perez (Sterling Heights) as Maybella, Whitney Green (Livonia) as Louella, George Wagner (Houghton) as Lenny, and Alex Hill (Royal Oak) as Cuckoo. The Brutelles will be co-directed by senior BFA classmates Jerry Bellanger (Plymouth) and Molly McMahon (Ypsilanti). Belanger was most recently seen on the stage as Matthew Cuthbert in the Bonstelle\'s production of Anne of Green Gables. McMahon was most recently seen in several roles including Eurydice in the Bonstelle\'s production of the Metamorphoses.

Cutting In by Hilberry company member, Andrew Huff, is a story about two brothers visiting their childhood home. They repaint the walls of their past and attempt to cover the blemishes that have tainted their relationship. The brothers will be played by Sam Brilhart (Linden) as Allen, and Mike Targus (Livonia) as Eddie. Director Danielle Anne Cochrane (Garden City) is a senior BFA. actor who was recently seen on the Bonstelle stage in the title role of Anne of Green Gables.

Just Enough Time, is written by Hilberry company member, Tony Bozzuto a 2004 Wilde Award Winner for his perfomance in Lovers and Executioners. Just Enough Time is an intense drama that involves two men locked in a bathroom stall as they uncover secrets and explore the psyche of what it is like to live on the road. The production features Mike Targus (Livonia) as Kay, George Wagner (Houghton) as Vee, and Peter Jurich (Dearborn) as the Janitor. Director Matios Simonian (Dearborn) is a senior BFA actor most recently seen as Carlos Homendes De Histangua in A Flea in Her Ear at the Bonstelle Theatre.

Designers for all three shows are: Scenic and Properties design by Cory Johnson (Grosse Pointe Park), Costume design by Corey O\'Sullivan (Canton), and Sound and Lighting design by Andrew Amis (Farmington Hills).

The Studio Theatre is located downstairs from the Hilberry Theatre at 4743 Cass Avenue, at the corner of Cass and Hancock. All three productions will be playing each night Thursday through Saturday, March 3 - 5, 10 - 12. Admission to the Louis Heck-Rabi Scholarship Finalists is FREE for everyone. For more information on the Louise Heck-Rabi Scholarship Playwriting Finalists, call the Wayne State University Box Office at (313) 577-2972.