The Purple Rose Theatre has opened its new season with the debut of a play by a playwright who is well-known to Detroiters, but not in this context. “Bastard” is the first play written by Devin Scillian, retired WDIV television journalist, musician, and author. It tells the story of two brothers with clashing personalities. One is a formerly successful country musician and the other is a straightlaced financial professional. When their mother dies, they’re thrown back together. It is a dramedy about navigating the difficulties of family and the old and new wounds that exist between them and the idea that “everyone is entitled to know their own story.”
One Detroit’s Chris Jordan attended a rehearsal for “Bastard” at The Purple Rose Theatre in mid-September. He spoke to Devin Scillian about the play, his theater roots, and how everything he has done – from journalism to music, children’s books, and now playwrighting – all comes back to storytelling. He also spoke to the play’s director, Rhiannon Ragland, and actor Mark Colson about The Purple Rose’s unique process of fostering original plays and developing them collaboratively.