International Centre for Women Playwrights IWD & SWAN Day 2014

Navigating through Stoneland

Sun, 30 Mar 2014 19:00:00 GMT

Navigating through Stoneland is a story about a woman on a path of self determination. She experiences abandonment, betrayal, imprisonment and hardhearted resistance by 'mankind' and institution to her very right to be - who she is and choose her own way! Her experiences intersect on the 15th as she journeys through the Arabian peninsula, West Africa and America through words, song and dance as 'the woman' navigates her way through these lands of stone.

Sunday - March 30,2014

Sleep Inn & Suites Hotel

5042 Beckwith Ave.

San Antonio, TX

$5 suggested donation

Thaqafah Islamiyyah

info@islamictheatre.com

http://www.islamictheatre.com

Artistic Director: Mahasin D. Shamsid-Deen

SWAN Day at PYRO Gallery - Louisville, KY - Sat., Mar. 29, 1-2 pm

Nancy Gall-Clayton — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 17:00:00 GMT

Free showcase of Louisville, KY-area women artists of all ages and genres, including music, fiction, drama, storytelling, dance, visual art, and more, all in a beautiful art gallery in the "NuLu" neighborhood which is full of fun restaurants and shops. Presented by Women Work/Women's Work, a collaboration between Kathi E.B. Ellis and Nancy Gall-Clayton at 909 East Market St. Contact nancygallclayton@earthlink.net for more information.

Los Angeles FPI, Little Black Dress INK - Swan Day at Samuel French

Sat, 29 Mar 2014 14:30:00 GMT

SWAN Day Action Fest Saturday, March 29th

A Free Festival Celebrating Support Women Artists Now Day

LOS ANGELES -The LA Female Playwrights Initiative and Little Black Dress INK present a day of playreadings and connections to celebrate Support Women Artists Now Day at Samuel French Bookshop in Hollywood. The SWAN Day Action Fest takes place on Saturday, March 29 from 10:30 am - 4:30 pm. Admission is Free.

The day’s events include readings of plays written and directed by women, as well as two sessions of Micro-Reads (open to women writers in attendance) and opportunities for all theater artists to network and find future collaborators: women artists working in Los Angeles.

The SWAN Day Action Fest plays are Civilization by Velina Hasu Houston, directed by Laura Steinroeder; Douds, Iowa by Debbie Bolsky, directed by Katherine Murphy; The Stiff by Kathryn Graf, directed by McKerrin Kelly; Over Ripe by Becca Anderson, directed by Gloria Iseli; and Awesome Big Somebody by Sarah Tuft, directed by Holly L. Derr.

In addition to the playreadings, the day's events include impromptu Micro-Reads: 1 page of writing performed on-the-spot (directed by Lynne Moses and Laurel Wetzork). To have work included as a Micro-Read, women writers should visit guidelines at lafpi.com/events.

March 29, 2014 marks the Seventh Int'l Swan Day a holiday designed to showcase the power and diversity of women’s creativity. Sponsored by the Bay Area organization WomenArts, SWAN Day has been celebrated with over 1,000 events in 23 countries. This is the first public arts event in Los Angeles created for the holiday.

Samuel French Theatre & Film Bookshop has partnered with the Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative (LA FPI) since January, 2013, opening its doors for quarterly Gatherings and Micro-Reads. The SWAN Day Action Fest will inaugurate the Bookshop's new Green Room performance space.

"We love having the LA FPI here," says Joyce Mehess, Hollywood Bookshop Manager. "It's always inspiring and fun and spontaneous--no stuffiness about anything. And with the festival it will be great to see fresh ideas come alive on our own stage. It's exciting to have live theater under the bookshop's roof."
Performers for playreadings and Micro-Reads will include actors from The Vagrancy, a female-helmed LA theater company that partners with LA FPI in producing monthly "Tactical Reads": plays written and directed by women. Plays to be read were selected through an open submission process, curated by Little Black Dress INK.

The SWAN Day Action Fest is produced by Little Black Dress INK, an organization dedicated to creating production opportunities for women and to strengthen the female playwright network. Now in its third year, Little Black Dress INK's Female Playwrights ONSTAGE Project will present readings of short plays by women in Sedona, AZ; Ithaca, NY; and Santa Barbara, CA beginning in April. ONSTAGE Finalists will also receive a staged reading at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in May, and a full production in Prescott, AZ in September. More information can be found at www.LittleBlackDressINK.org

Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative is a an LA-based movement working to ensure that women playwrights are fairly represented on local stages, and beyond. Formed in 2010, LA FPI's efforts support and promote female playwrights and their projects. The results of the LA FPI Study posted in 2011 were the first attempt ever to look at gender numbers in LA: self-reporting by playwrights and data from LA STAGE Alliance revealed a figure of 20% as reflective of the overall percentage of plays written by women in Los Angeles-area theaters.

For more information on the LA Female Playwrights Initiative and the SWAN Day Action Fest, visit lafpi.com. The site is set up as a hub for theater artists as well as theatergoers, with a popular Persons of Interest Blog, highlights of Women at Work Onstage in Los Angeles, the "What She Said" Podcast and more.

SCHEDULE:

10:30 am - Refreshments + Connections / Deadline to Submit Micro-Reads Pages
11:00 am: Playreadings - Civilization by Velina Hasu Houston, Directed by Laura Steinroeder / Douds, Iowa by Debbie Bolsky, Directed by Katherine Murphy / The Stiff by Kathryn Graf, Directed by McKerrin Kelly
12:00 pm: Micro-Reads - Directed by Lynne Moses
1:00 pm: Refreshments + Connections / Deadline to Submit Micro-Reads Pages
1:30 pm: Playreadings - Over Ripe by Becca Anderson, Directed by Gloria Iseli / Awesome Big Somebody by Sarah Tuft, Directed by Holly L. Derr
3:00 pm: Micro-Reads - Directed by Laurel Wetzork

WHERE:

Samuel French Theatre & Film Bookshop

623 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90046

(at Stanley, east of Fairfax in Hollywood)

HOW:

For more information, visit lafpi.com/events

Connect with us on Facebook/LAFPI

TICKETS:

FREE; donations graciously accepted.

PARKING:

Limited parking in back of the bookstore (off of Stanley) or street parking.

ICWP & Playscripts Funny Women Playwriting Winner Announced - SWAN Day

Sat, 29 Mar 2014 10:10:52 GMT

WOMEN ARE FUNNY! The facts are in…

An international playwriting competition has delivered the verdict⎯Women are Funny.

Jacqueline Goldfinger & Jennifer MacMillan proved the point as the inaugural winners of a collaborative project between The International Centre for Women Playwrights (ICWP) and Playscripts Inc. Their one-act play for High School students, Enter Bogart, attracts a $1,000 prize, a year membership of ICWP, and publication of the playscript.

The competition was for women playwrights, a move that both organisations are making as one way to redress the gender balance in the world of theatre. Playscripts received all the entries and ICWP judged the finalists with an international panel of judges.

Enter Bogart out-tickled two plays that received ‘honourable mentions’ by funny women, Samara Siskind and ICWP member Shirley King, who were the runners up in this years competition. Winner, Jacqueline, is a co-founder of The Foundry, which is an organization that supports the development of emerging playwrights. Jennifer is a professional actor, director, and theater educator. Enter Bogart is the first play that she's written.

The competition forges a positive relationship between Playscripts, Inc and ICWP as both have a mission to make available new plays with diverse voices.

Press release

IWD in Rome with a recipient of the 50/50 award

Elana Gartner — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 18:20:16 GMT

COMING SOON

Saturday March 8^th

Saturday and Sunday March 15^th & 16^th

@ 5pm & 8pm

IN CELEBRATION OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

and our recent reception of

The International Centre for Women Playwrights 50/50 Applause Award

for producing plays by female writers at least 50% of the time,

THE ENGLISH THEATRE OF ROME presents

A NIGHT OF WOMEN WHO WRITE

New works by contemporary female authors

FEATURING

Patricia Gaborik’s Down the Aisle

Directed by William O'Neill

With Joanna Kohorst, Jim Schiebler, Gabrielle Chiararo & Andrew Park.

"Everything's better when you're around." A wedding day trip down memory lane. A play about love, family, and hot dogs.

Erin Breznitsky’s The Kitchen Table Plays

Directed by Eve Atkinson and Don Carroll

With Natalie Accornero, Lee Archer, Angelo Carotenuto, Bill Guion, Anna Madden & Aman Sidhu.

"It is not just a kitchen table. A kitchen table is a monument. A kitchen table is a bloodline. Don't you know anything?"

PLUS AN EXCERPT FROM

Elizabeth Geoghegan’s The Marco Chronicles: To Rome, without Love

recently launched through Shebooks

Get ready to have all your illusions of the glamorous Italian expat life shattered in this hilarious, irreverent memoir of a young American woman's romantic (or rather, unromantic) misadventures in the eternal city.

Costume and Lighting Assistance by Chelsea Smith

Production and Promotional design by Chelsea Smith

Executive Production by Molly Zimmelman

TEATRO ARCILIUTO, Piazza Montevecchio, 5 (near Piazza Navona)

TICKETS: Standard: 15 euro

Reduced (students, teachers, golden agers): 12 euro

Large groups: 10 euro

For reservations, email usrometheatre@yahoo.com

or call: 066879419, sms 3489355626

www.rometheatre.com

Cabaret of Monologues

Hope McIntyre — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 04:05:44 GMT

Rise Up! - International Women's Week Cabaret of Monologues is running in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada) produced by Sarasvàti Productions and under the direction of Hope McIntyre. Community performances hosted by women's groups take place from March 4-7 and there are two public shows of the full line-up on March 7 & 8 at 8pm at the Colin Jackson Studio Theatre. This year's theme focuses on young women's voices and features a diverse selection of ten monologues. Details at www.sarasvati.ca .

Women Artists' Salon celebrates International Women's Day on March 8th

Sat, 01 Mar 2014 15:09:35 GMT

Saturday, March 8th signifies International Women's Day and the Women Artists' Salon is excited to confirm the continued development of the Salon sYmphoNY in an effort to unite and celebrate women artists from across the world and throughout time.

This year Heidi Russell, the founder of the Salon, is delighted to announce an inspiring collaboration with the International Committee of the League of Professional Theatre Woman, where I serve as Co-Chair, along with the Theatrelab space on 36th Street, owned and operated by fellow Salonista, Orietta Crispino.

The International Committee of The League of Professional Theater Women is thrilled to be partnering with Salon sYmphoNY, this year. Salon sYmphoNY shall be presenting the “Womanspeak” Project, a collection of international female voices, evoking their sentiments pertaining to deep-rooted engagements in the shadowy abyss of the theatrical world.

Thus far, the Salon’s line-up consists of representing the following female voices, from various countries, who are well-deserving of international recognition:
Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, England, Germany, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Russia, St. Kitts & Nevis, Venezuela, and the United States.

This year Nicola Murphy of Ireland will be steering the event. I will be honoring the exiled Russian Poetess, Marina Tsvetaeva, by presenting one of her most beloved poems. Marina Tsvetaeva was driven to her death by the brutal hands of the Soviet Secret Police, who had hounded her for her unorthodox poetry and sexuality.

Heidi Russell’s mission is to establish Salon sYmphoNY as a United Nations for the Arts on International Women's Day! Naturally, I support her vision, and as Vice-President of the ICWP, cordially invite you to join us in this celebration.

To obtain further information regarding this event, including the exact time and venue, please contact, Heidi Russell: heidi.womenartsalon@gmail.com

Julia Pascal Playwright and Theatre Director Interviewed by Coni Koepfinger

Thu, 27 Feb 2014 00:24:12 GMT

DETERMINED WOMEN OF THE 21^st CENTURY

AN INTERVIEW WITH JULIA PASCAL

PLAYWRIGHT / THEATRE DIRECTOR

by Coni Ciongoli Koepfinger / ICWP Board

On behalf of ICWP, I recently spoke with one of the most brilliant writers of our world today, Julia Pascal. In addition, she is one of the most charming, poetic voices of the theatre and has had quite an interesting career path. As a fellow playwright, I was most interested in her process and understanding the way she interprets the world. When I first read her work, I knew that her unique vision was at the root of this brilliance, and after speaking to her for this interview, I caught a glimpse of the world through her eyes.

Julia Pascal is the foremost British Jewish playwright of her generation. Her texts are published by Oberon Books and Faber and have been staged in London, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany and the US. She was the first woman to direct at the National Theatre in London. Pascal has written on Jewish culture, dance, theatre, France and Germany for The Jewish Chronicle,

The Jewish Quarterly, The Times, The Guardian, The Observer, City Limits, The Independent, and New Statesman. She has spoken about Israel on BBC Television and has twice been a judge for The Jewish Quarterly Book Prize. Her childhood memoirs are published in Memoirs of a Jewish Childhood (Boxtree{USA}). Her stage appearances were at The Royal Court Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and The National Theatre. Her two major Jewish Archives were produced for Pascal Theatre Company where she is Artistic Director.

ABOUT JULIA PASCAL : UPCLOSE AND PERSONAL

ICWP : Why did you choose to create a path in the theatre?

JULIA PASCAL: I was a child who studied ballet and my love of theatre started with this work. It then moved to text and to acting. I was an actor for four years from age 20-24; then became a director at 27; and then wrote my first play at age 34.

ICWP: What are the most significant events in your childhood that helped to develop your imagination?

JULIA PASCAL: Ballet, films, foreign films… Specifically, my grandparents brought me into the world of Eastern European Culture. They were from Romania and spoke nine languages; they took me to the ballet, and to concert halls to hear classical music, and to films like The Blue Angel-- This seemed to counter balance the working class culture of Manchester and Blackpool, the Northern English towns where I grew up.

Otherwise, I could have become quite alienated and insecure with only my parental influence. My father, an Irish Jew, wanted to be a Jewish cantor but his mother said that was not a good job for a nice Jewish boy! She forced him to become a doctor. This medical world gave me a sense of the body and broke any taboo about discussing the way it functions.

He was brought up orthodox but lost his faith after learning about the Holocaust. He then became a much more secular Jew and his love was mainly for the Hebrew language and for Israel. My mother was a professional invalid. She was a frustrated person who decided to live an unhappy life. She hated women and therefore this has made me encourage others and write women's roles as a way of defying this victim mentality. Yes, I believe it was my Romanian grandparents who gave me a larger world vision even if this was by their presence rather than anything they said. Though my grandmother did tell me, 'education is never to heavy to carry around'. I have never forgotten her words.

ICWP: When did you first realize that you were passionately involved with a life in the theatre / when did you first realize you could write plays?

JULIA PASCAL: I worked as a freelance journalist interviewing many survivors. I understood that I could write plays that were sourced by living testimony and that I had an ear for it. Perhaps this was also because of the childhood bonding with my foreign grandparents. I did not train as a journalist but, as I am rather obsessed by listening to personal history, and am a skilled listener, I decided to translate what I heard for the page. I then developed the interview skills as research as material for stage drama. Perhaps it is the sense of music in language; I heard so many as a small child; that also helps me here.

I am somewhat like a human sponge. After dancing, performing, directing and writing I became aware of how to use parts of this early learning as a way of writing plays.

I believe that the synthesis of all these elements, plus a knowledge of the human psyche, is vital for me.

My dance experience made me write in an experimental way at first, that is, playing with language / using multiple languages, incorporating the use of movement / dance / cabaret / comedic absurdity. Now I also challenge myself to write more naturalistic and realistic works.

ICWP : What is your mission in the theatre and why?

JULIA PASCAL: To write the plays I want to see, like Woman on the Bridge… To capture stories about lost women which explore taboo areas such as female sexuality and personal & universal identity.

ICWP: Could you call yourself a political playwright?

JULIA PASCAL: Yes I am fascinated by politics on all levels. I write political plays. My influences are Brecht, Dorothy Parker. Martha Gellhorn, Kantor, Grotowski.

ABOUT THE PROCESS OF COLLABORATION

ICWP: What do you feel, if any, are the main differences between an actor? a director? and a playwright?

JULIA PASCAL: I realize that actors and playwrights are similar, as they need to access the child within. Both are vulnerable processes whereas the director needs to have a far more intellectual AND instinctive energy. The director also needs to be aware of how to handle the psyches in the room. She has multiple roles. She must see the minute details and also be aware of the big picture at the same time.

The writer must too. The actor need only think of their own role and how to interact with the ensemble. But an instinctive actor, who has intelligence too, can contribute massively and the director must be humble and open to good ideas that come from others in the team.

ICWP: How do you see the relationships between them in order to procure the playwright’s vision?

JULIA PASCAL: A writer must choose a director who is a contributor and on the same wavelength otherwise it won’t work.

ICWP: Who are some of your favorite authors, who are the artists that inspire you?

JULIA PASCAL: Playwrights I love are Brecht, some of Howard Brenton, early Pinter. Virginia Woolf and Gellhorn have influenced me a lot though they are not stage writers. Also Charlotte Bronte. Phyllida Lloyd is a fine director that I admire. Joan Littlewood. The Coen Brothers have done dangerous work that pleases me. Ernst Lubtisch's To Be Or Not To Be. As for actors, Chaplin was a strong influence too. I enjoyed Laurence Olivier and saw him live when I was a teenager.

ABOUT THEATRE & THE ACADEMY

ICWP: Tell us about your academic life, how did it begin?

JULIA PASCAL: When I was younger, I went to E15 Acting School, which was run by those who had worked with Joan Littlewood. I began my formal studies at London University for my Bachelors in English Literature and Language.

I have a Masters in Philosophy and I am now doing a PhD at the University of York. Theatre by Creative Practice. This means writing three new plays and a 20,000 word thesis on my practice.

In closing, I asked Julia to help me compose an extemporaneous quote that would offer advice as well as inspire our ICWP readers. She generously pondered and composed these words that are not only practical and poetic but are brilliantly deep just like the artist herself.

“IN ORDER TO GROW AS AN ARTIST, YOU NEED HUMILITY AND THE ABILITY TO CONSTRUCT AND DECONSTRUCT YOUR OWN WORK AND TO CONTINUALLY RESEARCH AND INVESTIGATE AS PART OF THE ENDLESS JOURNEY WE CALL EDUCATION IN THE ARTS.” (Julia Pascal 2014)

Key City Public Theatre - Here There and Everywhere - March 8, 14 & 15

Wed, 26 Feb 2014 21:10:21 GMT

For the 6th year, Key City Public Theatre in Port Townsend, WA celebrates International Women's Day by presenting Here, There & Everywhere, a program of monologues by an international slate of women playwrights, with performances on March 8, 14 & 15, as part of PlayFest 18.

The theme for this year's HT&E is 'Mothers & Daughters' and presented works come primarily from the International Centre for Women Playwrights four volume series "Mother/Daughter Monolouges". KCPT is especially pleased that all the featured works this year are by members of the International Centre for Women Playwrights.

Congratulations to:

A MOTHER TO TIE RIBBONS IN MY HAIR by Rachel Barnett
THE CUTTING OF THE CORD by Claire Braz-Valentine
REQUIEM FOR A PAIR OF MANICURE SCISSORS by Nancy Gall-Clayton
THE LETTER by Maggie Gallant
A MOST MISERABLE MENOPAUSE by Karen Kinch
MURLOCK, USA by Shirley King
MATERNITY by Barbara Lindsay
HONEYPOT by Julia Pascal
COFFEE WITH PEARL by Rachel Rubin Ladutke
RECYCLING by Molly Best Tinsley
REAL TIME by Elizabeth Whitney

Here, There & Everywhere is directed by KCPT's Literary Manager, Mara Lathrop. The selection committee this year was Mara Lathrop, Marcia Pearlstein and Denise Winter.

Here, There & Everywhere is an annual fundraising event to benefit Jefferson County, WA charities that support women and girls, including Dove House, The Fund for Women and Girls, Working Wardrobe and the local chapter of the AAUW's Scholarship Fund. This year, KCPT is raising money for our own scholarship fund, which provides tuition assistance and cash awards for the further study of Theater Arts. All monies raised by HT&E will be earmarked for scholarships for women and girls.

Says KCPT's Artistic Director, Denise Winter, "This is one of KCPT's most popular annual events and our audiences truly enjoy the wide variety of stories, writing styles, and points of view represented. As always, it is an honor and a pleasure to present so much fine writing by so many talented writers and to support organizations in our community that do so much for local women.. As for our title 'Here, There & Everywhere' -- it is the answer to the question, "Where are all the women playwrights?"

In addition to Here, There & Everywhere, KCPT's PlayFest 18 features productions and readings of 6 new one act plays by local playwrights, sponsored by the Port Townsend Arts Commission, workshops of new full lengths by Kim Hinton, Jeni Mahoney and Richard Dresser, writing workshops by Richard Dresser, the InstaPlay writing/performing challenge, post play discussions after every performance event and more.

For more information about Here, There & Everywhere and KCPT's PlayFest 18, including playwright biographies - please visit this link:

www.keycitypublictheatre.org

Buy the Mother Daughter Monologues Here