Tag Archives: Feminist Theatre

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Ladies First September 2017

LADIES FIRST is a list of new productions, workshops, readings, and publications by female playwrights. Our goal is to create greater gender parity in theatre by highlighting the works of female writers and the organizations that promote and produce their works.

PRODUCTIONS:

Seven Sins

On September 10th and 11th, see the Seven Sins short play festival at the Cockpit Theatre in London. The lineup includes She Has Seen the Wolf written by Allie Costa. Presented by Doughnut Productions, the swivel seats put the audience right the middle of the space so you can watch the fascinating narratives unravel around you.
http://thecockpit.org.uk/show/seven_sins

http://doughnutproductions.co.uk/whats-on/ 

Plays and Pizza

In NYC we don’t stay home just because it’s Monday night! Come enjoy a evening of short plays, some rockin’ piano, AND some darn good free pizza! $7 at the link below, $8 at the door. http://www.PayPal.Me/PlaysandPizza. Monday September 18th, 7:30pm, Lucky Jack’s Bar and Lounge, 129 Orchard Street, NYC

100 Minutes of New Works Festival

The 100 Minutes of New Works Festival will be produced in Hollywood on September 22nd and 23rd. 10 ten-minute plays ranging from comedy to drama and everything in-between will take the stage at The Ruby Theatre. Stay tuned for the full lineup and ticket info…
http://uaplayclubwest.wordpress.com/

Leela Tours the Boroughs: Dixon Place 

We will be presenting four plays, under 10 minutes, written, directed, memorized in a short amount of time based on a specific theme with specific directions. Free admission. Estimated runtime 45 minutes. Tickets here: http://dixonplace.org/performances/leela-tours-the-boroughs-dixon-place/

READINGS

Staged Readings of New Works  

On September 24th, the Infinite Jest Theatre Company will present staged readings of six short comedies written by Allie Costa and directed by Collette Rutherford. Make your reservations now!
http://www.infinitejesttheatrecompany.org/on-stage.html

To submit to the October issue of LADIES FIRST, email natalie.noplays@gmail.com before the end of the month. Send us your name, the name of your play, the name of the theatre producing your work, a sentence or two about the play, the where and when, and an image. Thank you to everyone who participated in this month’s LADIES FIRST newsletter.

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LADIES FIRST ISSUE #10, AUGUST 2016 UPDATED!

LADIES FIRST is a list of new productions, workshops, readings, and publications by female playwrights. Our goal is to create greater gender parity in theatre by highlighting the works of female writers and the organizations that promote and produce their works.

PRODUCTIONS:

THE ROAD THEATRE SUMMER PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

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Currently running in Los Angeles, features 36 plays, 18 of which were written by women – 50/50 representation! One of the selected plays is Two Girls – staged reading August 2nd at the Road Theatre.

In this haunting duologue, two women emerge from a violent attack. Written by Allie Costa, directed by Chelsey Maus, featuring Amber Marie Bollinger and Erica Matlin.

For more information:
http://www.roadtheatre.org/two-girls-by-allie-costa/

HERSTORY produced by TheatreN16

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Over 50 years ago Gloria Steinem began to change the world by speaking about women’s rights, fighting for equality and speaking her mind. But despite Steinem impacting the feminist movement and accomplishing so much the fight is still present. What are the issues that women of the XXI century face on a day to day basis? Why is abortion still a taboo subject? Why are we taken aback when we hear a woman saying “I don’t want to have children”? Why are women so constantly objectified? And finally, have things really changed since Miss Steinem led the women’s liberation movement back in the 60’s and 70s? Those are just few of the hundreds of questions that come to mind when one talks about equality and contemporary feminism. HERSTORY, a feminist festival, aims to bring those questions to the stage by creating a platform for political discussion and giving a voice to women. Join us at THEATRE N16 on the 6&7 of August for two evenings full of new writing, performance art and plenty of discussion about feminism.

Featuring Two (August 6th) and She Has Seen the Wolf (August 7th) by Allie Costa.

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Check out the tag #WhyHerStoryMatters on twitter!

For more information:
http://www.theatren16.co.uk/#%21herstory-1/klfh9

Margaret of Anjou by Lauren Jansen-Parkes

Produced by Those Women Productions

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An “undiscovered” feminist Shakespeare play by Lauren Jansen-Parkes and William Shakespeare: Margaret of Anjou is a high-stakes drama of betrayal, intrigue, and medieval power politics – eerily relevant to the present moment in American politics.

August 25-September 11, 2016 at Live Oak Theater, Berkeley, California.

For tickets, click here:
http://margaretofanjou.brownpapertickets.com/

To submit to the September issue of LADIES FIRST, email natalie.noplays@gmail.com before the end of the month. Send us your name, the name of your play, the name of the theatre producing your work, a sentence or two about the play, the where and when, and an image. Thank you to everyone who participated in this month’s LADIES FIRST newsletter.

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Thank you!

A big thank you to everyone involved in the In Her Name Festival for your bold, courageous, and inspiring work. It was an honor to be a part of this project!

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If you missed this incredible, moving event, you still have the chance to be a part of changing the story on women’s representation in theatre. Go see HERSTORY April 29th and 30th at 8pm, at the Silk Road Art Gallery in New Haven CT. Learn more.

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A Year in NOplays

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2015 was a huge year for NOplays!

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365 Women a Year at Bennington College, our first production, happened this March. We had an excellent turnout both locally with audience members who attended the event live, and an international audience who tuned into the live-stream. We introduced four new works by female playwrights Shellen Lubin, Maia Villa, Catherine Weingarten, and Natalie Osborne. Their plays celebrate the achievements of extraordinary women such as Mary Shelley, Elizabeth Bishop, Stella Adler, Slyvia Gassel, and Gloria Anzaldua.

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LADIES FIRST, a newsletter for new productions, workshops, readings, and publications by female playwrights, launched it’s first two issues this November and December. The goals of LADIES FIRST are to create greater gender parity in theatre by highlighting the works of female writers and the organizations that promote and produce their works.

None of this would be possible without support from our communities, from the many theatre-makers who have given their time and talents to our projects, and from our followers. Thank you for an amazing year, and we hope 2016 will be an even bigger one!

So What’s Next for 2016?

365 Woman a Year is Back!

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NOplays, in collaboration with Hubbard Hall, will be presenting another production of the 365 Women a Year, Bennington plays. The production will be part of Hubbard Hall’s Winter Carnival this January.

Featuring three returning plays; Making Frankenstein by Natalie Osborne, Feelin’ Lonely by Catherine Weingarten, and After the Thin Man by Shellen Lubin.

The production will also feature one world premiere, Pina by Emma Plotkin.

En El Medio, by Maia Villa, one of the four original 365 Women a Year plays, is currently being workshopped by Chicanas Cholas y Chisme in Los Angeles, and will have a production in March 2016.

The 365 Women a Year performances will take place the evenings of Friday, January 29th and Saturday, January 30th.

Hope to see you there, and have a safe and happy New Year!

 

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Wellness Week Open Mic Night

As part of Wellness Week, BeWell and the Bennington Drama Collective will be hosting “Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby!” an open mic night on consent, safe sex, and sex positivity. There will be new student works ranging from music to poetry to drama, including Me, Myself, and I, a new play by yours truly! Tonight at 10pm in Bennington College’s Downcafe. Hope to see you there!

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See You Later Athena

As rehearsals for HARM’S WAY are gearing up in Denver, I’m getting cozy in Vermont, preparing for NOplays’ first production in collaboration with 365 Women a Year. This March is going to be an amazing month for women in theatre; from the 2015 Athena Project Festival in Colorado, to 365 Women a Year in Vermont and around the world.

No matter where you are, make sure you see some of the incredible new works by female artists!

Thank you Athena Project for an amazing seven weeks, and here’s to future collaboration between us!

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The Athena Project Festival

Where in the world is Natalie Osborne? She’s in the Mile High City (Denver, Colorado) working with the fantastic group of ladies at the Athena Project! If you don’t know about the Athena Project, YOU SHOULD! Their mission is to embrace, encourage, and empower female artist across the disciplines. Including; dance, music, visual arts, and of course, theatre. I’ve had an amazing few weeks working with The Athena Project, helping them to prepare for their third annual arts festival in March, and I can’t believe my time here is already coming to an end! Unfortunately, I won’t be able to see the festival, but if any of you are around Denver, attend one of their many amazing events. And for you female playwrights, here’s a great place to submit to!

Read more about the Athena Project here!

And check out their website:

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=athena%20project%20festival

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NOplays FIRST PRODUCTION

NOplays is pleased to announce that we will be organizing our first production in collaboration with 365 Women a Year!

The event will take place on March 27th at 7:40pm in the Bennington College Student Center. The evening will feature staged-readings of five original one acts written by Bennington College students and alumni. The evening will also be live-streamed on HowlRound and Nitenews, as part of the 365 Women a Year 24 Hour Broadcast.

We are very pleased to announce the plays that have been selected for the event.

MAKING FRANKENSTEIN by Natalie Osborne

EN EL MEDIO by Maia Villa

FEELIN’ LONELY by Catherine Weingarten

AFTER THE THIN MAN by Shellen Lubin

WHITE COTTON by Shellen Lubin

For more information on the readings, please email natalie.noplays@gmail.com. For more information about 365 Women a Year, please visit the website.

Stay tuned for more information on the playwrights and the historical women featured in their plays, and for the link to the live-stream.