DG National Report: North Carolina by Kim Stinson
The Women’s Theatre Festival (WTF) has been feminizing the stages of North Carolina theatres over this past summer. A new venture started by a faculty member at Shaw University in Raleigh, Ashley Popio, with the help of 179 other women, this project included seven plays written and directed by women which were presented in August and September at various locations in Burlington, Carrboro, and Raleigh. According to their website, their mission is, “To create, produce, and promote extraordinary theatre by women.”
In addition to the seven scheduled runs, the WTF also held a twenty-four hour event to raise awareness of the lack of gender equity in theatre. “Occupy the Theatre” took place from 8:30 a.m. on July 30th and held the stage until 8:30 a.m. on July 31st. Over the twenty-four hours, the event included performances of eleven plays, two plays workshopped with teen actors, and the double presentation of ten ten-minute plays.
Dramatists Guild member June Guralnick was one of the playwrights involved in the “Occupy the Theatre” event. Guralnick feels that the, “WTF will be a game-changer in North Carolina, and I’m thrilled I could be a part of this fabulous festival.”
Guralnick’s play, Finding Clara, was presented during the “Occupy the Theatre” event in addition to one of her ten-minute plays, On the Dreamhouse Sea. More Than Anything by fellow Dramatists Guild member, Adrienne Pender, was also presented during the event.
“From the initial meeting with more than a hundred women in attendance,” noted Guralnick, “I knew it [WTF] was going to be exciting as well as impactful for our region. Based on my experience as the former Executive Director of the City of Raleigh Arts Commission and past North Carolina Arts Council Theatre Director, I was well aware that nothing like this had happened in our state.”
After participating in the WTF event, Pender and Guralnick joined a few other female playwrights on the ninth of August to present their works during an evening at So & So Books in Raleigh in order to benefit Partners Against Trafficking in Humans in North Carolina (PATH-NC).
“PATH is thrilled that some of North Carolina’s most exciting dramatists have come together to support us,” stated Martha Keravuori, PATH Board member.
Guralnick said of the evening that, “the range of material and extraordinary diversity and strength of the voices made for a provocative, memorable night.”
Putting works on the stage is not the only activity of the WTF. They are also offering classes and discussions in various theatrical subjects such as the “Cross Gender Casting Panel,” “Fight Like a Girl: Basics of Stage Combat,” and “Women’s Forms: Experiential Writing.” All classes are free with a suggested donation of five dollars at the door—for those who can afford it. Those who cannot are still encouraged to attend.
For more details about The Women’s Theatre Festival, visit their website at http://www.womenstheatrefestival.com/ where you can find information on future productions and classes, as well as, links to multiple sources of research on gender parity in the theatre.
