FIRST STAGE'S 2026 AMPLIFY FESTIVAL

New Play Readings of
BIG CITY HARMONY & THE BARREN GROUNDS

Thursday, July 2, 2026
at Indian Community School
FREE EVENT!

First Stage's Amplify Festival invites artists and audiences from all different backgrounds to share with our community in the creation of new work, fostering a place of creation where all voices are heard and the work developed is an authentic reflection of our community.

Following each reading, there will be a talkback where audience members are encouraged to engage in dialogue with the playwrights, helping shape the development of potential future productions at First Stage.

Audiences are welcome to attend one or both readings. Light refreshments will be provided in between readings.

JULY 2 AT 5:30 PM | INDIAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL BIG CITY HARMONY

By Ty Defoe 
Directed by Sharon McCune
For Ages 7+

Harmony, a young Anishinaabe girl, moves from the reservation to the big city with her family, learning valuable lessons in her own culture as she navigates adventures while trying to make friends at a new school. Taking place in the future, Harmony shares the ability to shapeshift with her Grandmother Hazel and learns to speak the language of wolves aiming to release her own voice into the wild!

FREE EVENT! Reserve seats starting June 18.

 This reading is part of World Premiere Wisconsin, a statewide festival celebrating new plays and musicals running throughout 2026. To learn more, visit www.worldpremierewisconsin.com.

JULY 2 AT 7 PM | INDIAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL THE BARREN GROUNDS

By Sharon McCune & Jeff Frank
Adapted from the book by David A. Robertson
For Ages 8+

Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Canada. Though their backgrounds are different, their struggles to adjust in their new home and school are similar. In an old attic under renovation, they discover a portal to another world where it is perpetual winter. Together with the help of their new friend Ocheck and a sassy squirrel, they embark on an adventure to retrieve the birds of spring and save Askí.

 FREE EVENT! Reserve seats starting June 18.

This reading is part of World Premiere Wisconsin, a statewide festival celebrating new plays and musicals running throughout 2026. To learn more, visit www.worldpremierewisconsin.com.