2026 Plays in Progress Salon Series

The Polaroid

written by Nikita Anderson

directed by Aviona Rodriguez Brown

The Story:

An 80-year-old woman moves in with her daughter and grandson in Detroit after decades away. While cleaning, she finds a Polaroid that sparks memories of a 1950s jazz musician who once captured her heart. Their romance was disrupted by the urban renewal that erased Detroit’s Black Bottom. The play explores her bond with the two men who loved her and how a long-ago decision continues to reverberate through generations of her family.

Performances:

Friday, May 22, 2026 at 7:30 PM

Content information:

Themes of racial prejudice, redlining, displacement of Black families.

Please select a performance

Welcome to The Shattered Glass Project and our Radical Hospitality* ticketing model.

You are encouraged to choose the ticket price that fits your needs.

$5 Inclusion
$25 General Admission
$50 Patron
$75 Benefactor

Ticketing for the 2026 Plays in Progress offers the same pricing level as other shows. If you need a comp, please contact us at info@shatteredglassproject.org and we will send you a code for a free ticket.

*Our gratitude to Sound Theatre and Teresa Thuman for the creation of the Radical Hospitality ticketing model!

Venue Information and Accessibility:

The MLK FAME Center is a retired elementary school built between 1916-1957. The parking lot is currently unstriped - the most accessible spots are near the fence bordering Republican St. The front door does not have an automated opener - there will be an usher in the main lobby to assist with opening the door on the day of show. There is a ramp leading from the lobby to the main level of the building. An accessible restroom is located to the left of the ramp in the lobby. We will not have captioning available, but please let us know if it might be useful to have a copy of the script to support hearing needs.

What is the 2026 Plays in Progress Salon Series?

A series of staged readings, bringing audiences together with emerging local playwrights to share new plays, build connections and engage in conversation. This salon series specifically brings in plays from participants in our Incubator/Mentor programming. Features five new works of theatre which have never been presented to an audience before! Each play has one rehearsal and one performance, giving playwrights and directors an opportunity to work on a script-development project with a new creative partner in a casual environment.

Show run-times vary, but if the performance is longer than 90 minutes there will be one 10 minute intermission. There will be a post-show discussion after each staged reading, following a short break.