Project Y Theatre presents

the 2nd annual Women in Theatre festival

Great Again

Great Again is an evening of plays in two parts: Test by Crystal Skillman (directed by Jessi Hill) and In the Line by Chiori Miyagawa (directed by Kristin Horton and choreographed by Sonoko Kawahara). Both plays were commissioned by Project Y Theatre Company and written as a response to the November 2016 election. Together they will receive full productions as part of the Women in Theatre Festival, June 1-24th 2017 at The A.R.T./New York Theatres.

Tickets are $35. Donor Tickets are $55 and include a tax-deductible donation to support the Women in Theatre Festival.

Performance Dates

Thursday, June 1 @ 8pm

Friday, June 2 @ 8pm

Saturday, June 3 @ 8pm

Sunday, June 4 @ 3pm

Tuesday, June 6 @ 7pm

Thursday, June 8 @ 8pm

Saturday, June 10 @ 3pm

Thursday, June 15 @ 8pm

Saturday, June 17 @ 8pm

Thursday, June 22 @ 8pm

Friday, June 23 @ 8pm

Saturday, June 24 @ 8pm

"GREAT AGAIN" Production and Design Team

Produced by Michole Biancosino and Andrew W. Smith

Set Design by Hallie Zieselman

Lighting Design by Christina Watanabe

Sound Design by Mark Bruckner

Costume Design by Becky Bodurtha

Graphic Design by Christopher Ulloth

Marketing by Joe Basile

Festival Producing Team: Chris Ulloth, Charlie O'Leary, Lia Romeo, Tasha Gordon Solman

In The Test, by Crystal Skillman, an English teacher in a struggling high school readies her junior students for the most important test of their lives. But when a symbol of hate appears in her classroom, she and two students on either side of the recent election, find their lives forever changed.

Directed by Jessi D. Hill

Featuring: Mary E. Hodges,* Taylor Shurte,* Angel Moore,* and Eric Wiegand

Production Stage Manager is Sarah Machiko Haber

Playwright Assistant is Erica Magrin

In the Line, by Chiori Miyagawa, revolves around a woman who drops something while standing in a long line of people. She looks for the lost object as the line transforms into other lines - people waiting to vote, to buy the newest Nintendo, to get into the hottest restaurant - as she struggles to keep her original place. When she finally arrives at the front of this line that has shifted time and space, what she finds is a surprise. It is a magical exploration of loss, long lines, and letting go.

Directed by Kristin Horton

Choreography by Sonoko Kawahara

Featuring: Sol Marina Crespo,* Christina Liang,* Sade Namei,* Kristen Kittel,* Ashley Jones, Vichet Chum,* Daniel Petzold,* Madalyn Pedone, Monica Rounds, Tomoko Tokugaki, Norihiro Maruta, Kaho Furuta, and Patricia Cancio

Production Stage Manager is Kaitlin Nemeth

The Hrosthvitha Project

Over the next 5 years, Project Y Theatre Company will commission new adaptations of all the plays of Hrosthvitha of Gandersham, the 10th century nun who was the first modern female playwright and the first German language playwright. The Hrosthvitha Project is an effort to broaden an reclaim a piece of women's history and women's theatre history, as well as to make relevant and resonant the work of the first female playwright for a contemporary audience.

Buy a ticket to join us for staged readings of our first 7 Commissioned Adaptations of Hrostvitha of Gandersham's play "Dulcitius."

Directed by Estefania Fadul and Rachel Dart

Plays include:

Cathedral, by Caridad Svich

Good People, by Pia Wilson

What Jesus Wants, by Lia Romeo

Uncovering, by Erin Mallon,

Lump, by Stacie Lents

Really Doing Something, by Michole Biancosino

Faith Warriors, by Julienne Hairston

Performance Dates

Saturday, June 10 @ 8pm

Sunday, June 11 @ 3pm

Act Like A Feminist Artist: A Guerrilla Girl Unmasks

About the Play                  Press About the Playwright

About the Play                 

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a feminist masked avenger? Donna Kaz aka Aphra Behn, shares her experiences as a feminist activist for gender parity in the performing art world for 20 years as a member of the Guerrilla Girls. Her journey to feminist artist began when she moved to New York City to pursue a career in theatre and got sidetracked in a three year violent relationship with a famous actor. Always an outsider, she took one step further into invisibility and became a Guerrilla Girl, a feminist activist who never appears in public without wearing a rubber gorilla mask and who uses the name of a dead woman artist to provoke change. As the Guerrilla Girl, Aphra Behn, she created comedic art and theater that blasted the blatant sexism of the theater world while proving feminists are funny at the same time. “Act Like A Feminist Artist” discusses the posters, protests, fax blitzes, speak outs and street theatre actions created by the Girls, coupled with readings from passages of Aphra’s new memoir, “UN/MASKED, Memoirs of a Guerrilla Girl On Tour,” (Skyhorse, November 1, 2016). Get the inside scoop from a woman-turned-survivor-turned-radical-feminist who takes off her mask and, by merging her identities, reveals all.

Press

UN/MASKED: A vivid memoir of an eager, energetic woman of the theatre confronting sexism in love and art. It’s also a rare first-hand account of life inside the famed Guerrilla Girls, those gorilla-masked artists and performers who made feminist protest daring, original and fun.” - Katha Pollitt, The Nation Columnist, poet, essayist and author

UN/MASKED, reinforces the need for more female artists to put their voices out there through their writing, singing, acting, creating, producing and composing, for it’s our time to let the world know that our voices, our art, matters. No one has the right to silence us, and our art gives us the courage to take back our power. – Ms. Magazine

About the Playwright

Donna Kaz is a multi-genre writer and the author of “UN/MASKED, Memoirs of a Guerrilla Girl On Tour.” Along with her alter ego, Guerrilla Girl Aphra Behn, she creates visual art and performance to attack sexism and prove feminists are funny at the same time. donnakaz.com ggontour.com @donnakaz

Performance Date

Saturday, June 3rd, 3PM

 presented with "What Happened" by Lia Romeo (reading)

What Happened

About the Play About the Playwright

About the Play

Jenna and Kate are best friends . . . until one drunken night, Kate ends up in the bathroom with Derek, the guy Jenna has a crush on.  Afterwards, Kate says she was raped, while Derek claims it was consensual.  What Happened examines sexual violence, rape culture, and the unclear boundaries that come with being a teenager . . . or just with being a human being.

About the Playwright

Lia Romeo’s plays have been produced at 59E59, Project Y Theatre Company, Unicorn Theatre, HotCity Theatre, Stillwater Theatre, Renegade Theatre Experiment, Forward Flux Productions, New Origins Theatre Company, Jersey City Theater Center, and Xpressions Performing Arts Network, and have been developed at the Lark Theatre, the Kennedy Center, Abingdon Theatre, Writers Theatre of New Jersey, Orlando Shakes, New Jersey Repertory Theatre, Kitchen Dog Theatre, and elsewhere. She has been nominated for the American Theatre Critics’ Assocation’s Steinberg Award for best new play, the L. Arnold Weissberger Award, and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. She has been a finalist for the O’Neill and the Heideman Award. She was the National New Play Network Emerging Playwright-in-Residence at Writers Theatre of New Jersey, and she is currently a member of the Project Y Playwrights Group, the Athena Theatre Playwrights Group, and the BMI Librettists Workshop. She earned her B.A. from Princeton University and her M.F.A. in playwriting from Rutgers. She is also the author of a novel, Dating the Devil (BelleBooks), and a humor book, 11,002 Things to Be Miserable About (Abrams Image), which has sold over 35,000 copies worldwide.

Performance Date

Saturday, June 3rd, 3PM

 presented with "Act Like A Feminist Artist: A Guerrilla Girl Unmasks"

ABSOLUTELY

About the Play About the Playwright

About the Play

Four high schoolers go away for a weekend, and run into some trouble when things get intimate. Absolutely deals with the contemporary expectations we set for ourselves and each other, and the danger that those pressures create. The show is directed by Liam Lonegan.

About the Playwright

Kathleen Kennedy graduated from Syracuse University with a BFA in Acting. She is the proud recipient of the Stephen Sondheim's Young Playwrights Award, and the Women's Work's Festival's Best Script and Best Production award for Absolutely last year.

Performance Dates

Wednesday, June 7th, 8PM

presented with "The Prodigal Vegan" by Lisa Huberman

Friday, June 9th, 8PM

presented with a movie and a reading by Tracy Heller and her company, Mason Holdings

THE PRODIGAL VEGAN

About the Play        About the Playwright/Performer

About the Play       

For most people, salads don’t carry a lot of emotional baggage. They provide nutrition. Weight-loss. And maybe a couple of artful Instagram hashtags......But Lisa does not have a normal relationship to salads.

In The Prodigal Vegan: A Culinary Solo Show, playwright and storyteller Lisa Huberman takes her audience on a colorful, comic, interactive culinary journey through her relationship with food. Growing up as a third-generation vegetarian in suburban Ohio, for her family healthy eating wasn’t just about following trends—it was an integral part of their identity. And crafting a salad was a process that carried with it ritual, performance, and a generous helping of vegan guilt. Though her own food choices as an adult do not always conform to her parents’ nutritional expectations, Lisa maintains a messianic belief in the power of plant-based eating to create a sense of community and transcendence. Directed by Michole Biancosino.

About the Playwright/Performer

Lisa Huberman’s work has been developed and presented by a number of theatres throughout New York. Her full-length play, Sex and Charitable Giving, was presented as part of inaugural F*ck Fest at the Brick Theatre. Most recently, Lisa performed The Prodigal Vegan as part of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club's Poetry Electric Series. She also performed a workshop of her solo show, The Worst Zionist in the Room, in the lounge at Dixon Place. Lisa is an Artist-in-Residence with the Queens-based theatre collective Mission to (dit)Mars. She received an MFA in Playwriting from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.

Performance Date

Wednesday, June 7th, 8PM

 presented with "ABSOLUTELY" by Kathleen Kennedy

 

New Works from Mason Holdings

About the Event                 About the Company

About the Event                

Mason Holdings presents "Jarring" a short film and a reading of part of their newest work-in-progress, "Most Sincerely, Edward Albee." Both works are directed by Kris Thor. The reading will be performed by Tracy Weller and Devin Burnam.

About the Company

Mason Holdings creates intimate, experiential theatre inspired by outsiders. We are the creators of Jarring, a play (and now a short film) inspired by the lives of the patients of Willard State Asylum, as well as Holiday House: Christmas Bends, a time traveling encounter with childhood ghosts. We are also the producers of Unseen & Unheard, a monthly play reading series for innovative writers working outside the bounds of commercial theatre. Upcoming: Hart Island, a theatrical journey to New York City’s potter’s field, and Consumption, a gothic tale inspired by the story of Count Carl Von Cosel. Mason Holdings is honored to present both our film Jarring and, our latest work in progress, "Most Sincerely, Edward Albee", at Project Y’s Women in Theatre Festival. Mason Holdings was founded by actress/writer Tracy Weller.

Performance Date

Friday, June 9th, 8PM

 presented with "ABSOLUTELY" by Kathleen Kennedy

Breathe In Some of That

About the Play        About the Playwright       

About the Play       

Yoga, Sexual Misconduct and Farts... How can you keep doing Downward Dog with a straight face when your guru has been slapped with a harassment lawsuit?

​In a world where yoga gurus are revered like gods it can be hard to maintain perspective on right and wrong, especially when it's 100 degrees and everyone is sweating, shaking, and losing control of their body functions. Rachael put everything on the line for her dream of owning a yoga studio, but she's barely able to pay the rent. Now, her guru has been unmasked as a predator, but if she abandon's the One Way Yoga brand, they'll sue her. If she stays with One Way Yoga she'll lose her best friend, her self-respect, and maybe her studio too. In the end, Rachael has to follow her heart, even if it means turning everything upside down.

Directed by Michele Travis

About the Playwright       

Cecilia Copeland is a Member of New York Women in Film and Television, inductee into the Indie Theater Hall of Fame, winner Lennis J. Holm Scholarship Writers Workshop, recipient Special Effects Grant from Metro Screen Australia. She is a Semifinalist for MADE IN NY WRITERS ROOM Fellowship, quarterfinalist ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship, Finalist LA INDIE FILM FEST, a Kilroy’s List Nominee and Honorable mention for her plays, Light of Night and “R Culture.” Copeland is the Founding Artistic Director of New York Madness, which has produced over two hundred short plays in over thirty “madness” festivals all over NYC from 2010-2017.

Performance Date

Tuesday, June 13th, 7PM

 

Measuring in Cartwheels

About the Show           Bios      About the Company

About the Show          

Do you have it all? Do you know someone who does? Really, like you actually know them? Not Beyoncé. Dinah and Julia do not have it all. But they feel like they should, so they made a show about it. Measuring in Cartwheels: a clowny exploration of having it all.

Created and Performed by Dinah Berkeley and Julia Proctor

Directed by Michael Bauer

A Clown Gym Production

Bios     

Michael Bauer (Director) graduated from NYU Tisch school of the Arts and has performed in regional theaters around the country ever since. He is a co founding member of Loom Ensemble Theater company with whom he has toured Italy and Dubai with original works. Michael is also a founding member of Svindelic Circus Troupe where he performs cyr wheel in various circus shows. www.MichaelChristopherBauer.com

Dinah Berkeley (Performer) is a NYC based actor originally from Evanston IL. She has collaborated on new works at St Ann’s Warehouse, Ars Nova, HERE Arts Center and The PIT (People’s Improv Theatre) amongst others. She is an active member of Broken Box Mime Theater, a proud alum of The Actor’s Theatre of Louisville's Apprenticeship Program and holds a BFA from Ohio University. It is Dinah’s first time performing in the WIT Fest, and she is so thrilled to be collaborating with two of her favorite artists on this piece. More info at www.dinahberkeley.com

Julia Proctor (Performer) is an actor, clown, teacher, and community builder. In 2014 she founded Clown Gym as well as "An Unapologetic Mess: a clown show!", a monthly mess at the People’s Improv Theatre. She has studied with some of the most prestigious clown teachers in the world including Philippe Gaulier and Chris Bayes, with whom she completed a pedagogical apprenticeship. Julia is an improvisor, and trained at the People's Improv Theater’s. She's an adjunct faculty member at Pace University, and a proud member of Actor’s Equity. BA Middlebury College. MFA Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy for Classical Acting. Huge thanks to Dinah and Mike for saying yes! More info at www.juliaproctor.com

About the Company

Clown Gym, founded in 2014 by Julia Proctor, is an affordable weekly lab to study theatrical clown and games. A powerful training tool for actors, clown helps connect you to the more spontaneous and generous impulses of your work. It's funny. And not funny. But that’s funny, too. Classes are led by Julia, who's work is inspired by her training with Chris Bayes, Philippe Gaulier, Aitor Basauri, Dody DiSanto, Jim Calder, and The PIT improv program. Classes also feature exciting guest teachers. Guided exercises explore the spirit of the red nose (the smallest mask in the world) through games, songs, improvisation, and development opportunities. No experience necessary. Drop-in, come every week- whatever works for you! All are welcome when you bring your sense of curiosity and play! The fourth season kicks off in September. More info at clowngym.com. Follow us at facebook.com/clowngym for news and updates!

Performance Date

Wednesday, June 14th, 8PM

presented with "Sand Beneath the City" by Abbey Fenbert

SAND BENEATH THE CITY

About the Play        About the Playwright

About the Play       

Leya Jahin is an Egyptian-American woman from a Muslim family who believes nothing and belongs nowhere. But when violence simmers and revolution erupts, she’s the one who gets the news that Detroit is one hour from apocalyptic destruction. In this one-woman play, LJ must confronts her (lack of) beliefs before a Voice goes full-on Sodom and Gomorrah over the city.

Directed by Tim Gleason and performed by Amoreena Wade.

This piece was originally produced at KNOW Theatre in Binghamton, NY, as part of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region 1 Finalists show in 2014.

About the Playwright

Abbey Fenbert is a writer from Detroit, MI, whose work celebrates empathy, living in truth and women getting lots of lines. Her plays have been produced and developed by Matrix Theatre Company, the Boston Playwrights Theatre, Red Theatre Chicago, the Berkshire Playwrights Lab and the Vagrancy Theatre Company. She received the 2013 KCACTF Mark Twain Prize for Comic Playwriting and was twice named a Finalist for the National Playwrights Conference. She is currently based in Los Angeles, where she is Literary Manager for the Vagrancy.

Performance Dates

Wednesday, June 14th, 8PM

Sunday, June 18th, 3PM

Sand Beneath the City will be performed with a companion piece each performance. On the 18th, the show wil be followed by a panel discussion.

Addie Walsh's Immersive Experience

About the Play        About the Playwright

About the Play       

Join Emmy-awarding-winning writer and performer extraordinaire, Addie Walsh, as she leads you through an immersive theatre experience as a supportive member of the Board of a small not for profit, in this very "meta" very "Addie" show.

About the Playwright

Addie Walsh has had a successful career as a television writer, writing for a number of daytime dramas including All My Children, Days of Our Lives, One Life to Live, Guiding Light, As the World Turns, Loving, Search for Tomorrow, and Riviera, which was set in Monaco and shown across Europe. She has been awarded an Emmy and 4 Writers Guild Awards. Her plays COUNTERS and APRIL FOOLING were produced Off Broadway.

As an actor, Addie has performed often with the Kitchen Theater in Ithaca, NY, and as a member of the acting ensemble and playwright-in-residence at St. Louis Repertory Theater for 4 seasons. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Writers Guild. She received her BA in psychology/theatre from Smith College, an MA in playwriting, a Masters in Counseling, and a Masters in Education.

Performance Date

Friday, June 16th, 8PM 

OUTLOOK

About the Play       

About the Play       

There’s no such thing as a magic wand…or is there? Susan Kelly is a corporate trainer, with a daughter about to graduate from college, a girlfriend who’s afraid of commitment, and a pressing need to know if there’s still room for joy in her life. When the UPS delivery person brings her a training CD—and a magic wand—Susan finds out that you must be careful what you wish for, because a wish can come true in a completely unexpected way.  
 
This reading is directed by Kelly O'Donnell.
Performance Date

Saturday, June 17th, 3PM 

New Works from InViolet Theatre

About the Company       

About the Company       

InViolet Theater Company was founded in 2007 by an assembly of actors committed to diversifying our talents into writing, directing, and producing. We choose to empower the actor and emerging writer by providing an artistic haven that will allow us to play, to grow, to learn, and to teach. In 10 years, we have produced 7 world premieres (favorable reviewed by The New York Times, The New Yorker & Variety), 15 developmental workshops and currently support a company of 33 artists. www.InVioletTheater.com

Performance Date

Tuesday, June 20th, 7PM

 

New Works from Athena Theatre

About the Event         About the Company       

About the Event        

Athena Theatre presents 3 new short plays by Nora Sorena Casey, Lia Romeo, and Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich.

About the Company       

Athena Theatre Company is dedicated to developing and producing contemporary, off-beat and irreverent psychological dramas and dark comedies that challenge traditional stereotypes. We strive for theatre that entertains, informs, enlightens, questions and deepens audience awareness to vital modern issues. We endeavor to actively and responsibly invest in new voices for the stage by nurturing writers and promoting original works; especially in regards to gender, politics, race and religion. We aim to become an important and necessary force in both our community and our country. The Athena Theatre Company has productions in both New York and Los Angeles and is a 501(c)(3) Organization.

Performance Date

Wednesday, June 21st, 8PM

 

This festival is being staged at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres.

 

Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre

A.R.T./New York Theatres

502 West 53rd Street

New York, NY 10019

 

For directions to the theatre and accessibility information visit: http://www.art-newyork.org/your-visit

Support

We want to create #GenderParity in theatre by going #BeyondParity and flooding NYC with new plays by women, directed by women, supported by women-led companies, and featuring lots and lots of... yes, women actors.

Please consider supporting this unique NYC festival that includes support for ALL Projects in the Festival. We want to give these new plays a chance to be seen in NYC and receive more life at theatres across the country.

Instagram

[instagram-feed]