International Centre for Women Playwrights Events 2010

ICWP proposal writing workshop

Meg Barker — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 23:00:00 GMT

A proposal writing workshop on behalf of ICWP and readings of members' plays will take place in the Ottawa-Gatineau region in Canada (spanning the provinces of Ontario and Québec) for the weekend Oct 15-17. For more information, contact Board member Meg Barker at megzbarker@gmail.com

Here, There, and Everywhere Delights Audiences and Raises Money

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 18:58:21 GMT

Here, There, and Everywhere Delights Audiences and Raises Money
Final Report by Mara Lathrop, Co-Producer
Photos © by Mark Saran

Key City Public Theatre produced Here, There & Everywhere for two performances on March 7 & 8, 2010. A salute to International Women’s Day, this was the second year that Key City presented the program of ten minute monologues by women playwrights from around the world. The event was a fund-raiser for Dove House, the agency which provides support services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Jefferson County, WA. The event was supported by a generous grant from the International Centre for Women Playwrights.

Denise Fleener in Heather Blue Fate

Following an open call for monologues, the theatre received 232 monologues from 163 writers from 14 countries. After a selection process in which each piece was read twice, the following monologues were chosen:

Turnham Bloody Green by Rachel Barnett, Egham, Surrey, UK. A woman waits at her tube station for her train ...and for her life to begin.

Heather Blue Fate by Diane Rao Harmon, New Concord, OH, USA. A teacher looks to the story of Oedipus for answers about her own future.

Looking For Juana by Berta Hiriart, Mexico City, Mexico. A political demonstration in Mexico City changes many lives.

She Went A’Whaling by Marjorie Conn, Ocean Grove, NJ, USA. A girl disguises herself as a cabin boy and sails the seven seas.

Made Of Glass by Judith Glass Collins, Nordland, WA, USA. A glassblower forgets to breathe.

Shi’a Law by Tahmina Popol, Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghani women speak out against their government.

Bury Your Goldfish by Michelle Wallace, Melbourne, Australia. The responsibilities of pet ownership and the thankless job that is motherhood.

Lexy’s Warning by Ellen West, Portland, OR, USA. A woman is repeatedly saved from disaster by a talking bird.

Amanda Struerer in Lexy's Warning

Turnham Bloody Green, Looking For Juana and Lexy’s Warning were directed by Judith Glass Collins. Heather Blue Fate, She Went A’Whaling, Made of Glass, Shi’a Law and Bury Your Goldfish were directed by Mara Lathrop.

Denise Winter in Bury Your Goldfish

The Sunday performance attracted a small but enthusiastic audience (lesson
learned – never schedule an event opposite the Academy Awards) and the Monday evening performance was a sell out! Each performance was followed by a post play discussion and a reception featuring desserts from eight local women-owned businesses.

Denise Fleener in She Went A'Whaling

Here, There & Everywhere raised $976.27 for Dove House. We are very grateful to our audiences, our sponsors, the ICWP, our fabulous performers (Amanda Stuerer, Denise Fleener, Denise Winter and Cheryl Bozarth) and most especially to the eight women playwrights whose work graced our stage.

Denise Fleener, Cheryl Bozarth, and Amanda Stuerer

Audiences especially appreciated the variety of the work, the many points of view expressed, and the distances from which it came. As one audience member remarked during a post play discussion, “We may be tucked away in our small corner of the great, big world, but events like Here, There & Everywhere remind us that we are all part of something greater and that people everywhere have so much in common.” Plans for next year’s Here, There & Everywhere are already in the works.

Cheryl Bozarth in Looking for Juana

Communicate Sober - SWAN readings New York

Sun, 30 May 2010 05:29:56 GMT

SWAN DAY EVENT

“Communicate Sober”

Celebrating Women’s Voices

(pictures by Kim T. Sharp)

Our Swan Day Event, “Communicate Sober,” a reading of monologues, plays and short fiction written by voiceless women recovering from drug addiction in a writing workshop co-led by Jan Buttram and Bara Swain at Women-in-Need was a wonderful success!

Back row: Paige (social work intern, WIN), Gus (actor), Maayan (actor), Gina (social worker, WIN), Cynthia (actor), Candace (actor), Candace (actor), Amanda (actor), Qiesha (intake social worker, WIN)

Front row: Jan (teaching artist), Jenny (actor), Rita (writer/actor, WIN), Bara (teaching artist), Lisa (graphic designer)

Nine multi-ethnic actors and one workshop participant gave energetic and heart-felt readings of 70 pieces of writing from a publication designed by Lisa Feldman for this occasion, including photos and illustrations of the participants and staff at Women-in-Need, a center for wellness and drug abuse.

We had approximately 25 attendees – playwrights, directors, artists and friends of Abingdon – who joined our cast for the celebration at Abingdon’s Dorothy Strelsin Theatre. They were all focused and attentive as they “experienced” the words and stories shared by more than 35 workshop participants.

Maayan, Jenny, and Gus

During the Q&A, an intake worker and a social worker who attend our writing sessions spoke sincerely and eloquently about the Women-in-Need Program and the impact that our writing workshop has had on their clients. Jan Buttram, Artistic Director of Abingdon Theatre Company, urged the artists present to consider volunteering their time and talent as well. “The workshop has changed my approach to writing,” said Ms. Buttram. “Now I try to make my dialogue as honest as possible.” Another playwright was so moved by the discussion and the courage of these women in recovery that she wept.

Maayan

I’d also like to express my gratitude to Jan Buttram and Kim T. Sharp for being ICWP’s partner for this event. We all thank ICWP for your generous grant in order to make our SWAN Day Reading a success in support of ALL women artists – now.

Below are the rest of the pictures (click to see the full-sized picture):

Jenny and Lina	Maayan and Jenny
Rita and Cynthia	Gus
Jenny	Candace, Maayan, Jenny, Lina, Gus and Rita
Lina	Cynthia and Amanda
Cynthia	Rita
Rita	Paige, Gina, Rita, Bara and Quiesha
Jan, Paige, Gina, Rita and Bara

SWAN Day - Georgetown, Washington D.C. (USA) 28 March

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:38:10 GMT

Report by Catherine Aselford

The Georgetown Theatre Company, in collaboration with Women In Film & Video, presented 29 different arts events at 5 different venues, featuring the work of more than 80 artists over a period of 9 hours on Saturday, March 28, 2010. Events included:

•    sketch comedy, a fiction reading and a composer/musician at MOCA DC Gallery;
•    staged readings of 14 plays at Grace Church and MOCA DC Gallery;
•    screening of 6 films at CDIA Boston at the Foundry;
•    Storytelling, poetry and a monologuist at Hickcok Cole and Barnes & Noble;
•    discussions with women artists, a one-woman play and performance art at Barnes & Noble Booksellers.

All the plays, poetry, stories, music, films, and sketch comedy was written and directed by women artists and the entire event was presented free of charge. Participating artists included 4 poets, 18 playwrights, 13 stage directors, 42 actors, 2 storytellers, one composer, various film makers and a psychotherapist.

Because the event is free, and audience comes and goes between readings and performances, we can only estimate the number of people who came (at different times and to different venues) to enjoy DC SWAN Day 2010. We believe that approximately 600 people attended the various DC SWAN Day programs.

SWAN Day received press coverage in the “Style” Section of The Washington Post, on “Voice Box” an Arlington Independent Media (cable television) program, on “Metro Connection” on National Public Radio (WAMU), and may be featured after-the-fact on Current TV.

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SHE SPEAKS Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, 6 March

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:24:01 GMT

Download the report on She Speaks here.

Here is a compilation video of She Speaks events from 2008 and 2009. Click the READ MORE link to see it all.