Our Voices is an annual festival of Boston area women playwrights, now in its sixth year. This day long event, culminating in an evening of staged readings of pre-selected plays, takes place on a Saturday in February or March near International Women's Day. A call for plays is usually sent out in early December. If you would like to be on the mailing list to receive notice, please e-mail me at redpailpress@aol.com
The Our Voices Festival has always been free and open to the public, thanks to the generosity of our hosts, including: The Wellesley College Ruth Nagel Jones Theatre, Turtle Lane Playhouse in Newton, and Regis College Fine Arts Center Black Box where we have found a home for the past two years. We are currently in the process of establishing a date for the 2012 sixth annual festival to be held once again at Regis College in Weston, MA.
My vision for Our Voices is to create a celebration each year that nourishes women playwrights by providing a safe, supportive, inspirational environment for developing our unique voices and sharing our vision by staging our plays in development with talented actors and directors. What began as an evening of staged readings of new plays has become a whole day event that includes a morning of workshop readings with actors and feedback for the playwright, as well as an afternoon creative arts workshop for all participating playwrights to engage their creativity, get to know each other on a deeper level, and explore the creative process while fine-tuning their Artist Statements.
Sharing the Artist Statement
I established the practice of having each participating playwright write her Artist Statement by creating a template two years ago, and I invite each playwright to present this when she introduces the staged reading of her play in the evening. The audience values being introduced personally to each playwright - sharing in her inspiration and vision for the play - which deepens the experience of the reading for both playwright and audience, inspiring incisive questions and discussion in the post-show talk-back.
Co-Producers
Our Voices has been co-produced for the past two years with Ann Garvin of Image Theater in Lowell, MA, who is on the play reading committee and overseas the entire technical aspect of the festival, and Wendy Lement, Chair of the Theatre Dept. of Regis College, host and participating playwright, who eagerly said YES! when I approached her with this collaboration.
There is no fee to the playwright to submit or participate in Our Voices, and it's produced each year by the shared generosity of the creative artists who participate, including the talented actors, directors and technicians who volunteer their time.
There is always a reception for the audience - provided by the participating playwrights, encouraging a warm, inviting atmosphere of inspirational theatre.
Please contact me for more information about Our Voices!
~ Kelly DuMar
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