What 11 years was like for me - Michelle Knight

Michelle Knight, one of Ariel Castro's victims, showed up in person at his sentencing hearing yesterday shared her story of what she said happened to her and the other women held hostage by Castro for years.  This poem was created from the words in her statement.  

What 11 years was like for me
 I missed my son every day
I cried every night
I wondered
what would happen to me

Gina was my teammate
dying from his abuse
she nursed me back to health
we said we would
make it out alive
someday
we did.

I will overcome
I will not let you define me
I will live
on I will prevail
help others
be a stronger woman
know there's more good
than evil
you will die
a little every day.

after 11 years, I am
finally being heard
your hell is just beginning
my name is Michelle Knight

Complete transcript: http://www.twincities.com/national/ci_23777116/testimony-excerpts-from-ohio-kidnapper-sentencing?source=rss

SCREAM INTO A BUCKET ALERT!

Get out your buckets, feminists!  Another New York City Theatre announces 2013/2014 season of sexism.

Q: What theatre has this mission: “We operate on the strongly held belief that the future of American theater relies on nurturing playwrights and giving them the artistic support needed to create new work”.

A: Primary Stages

Q: What theatre will produce 4 plays in their 2013/14 season – 3 by men, 1 “conceived” by a woman, and ALL directed by men?

A: Primary Stages

Primary Stages joins Lincoln Center Theatre and The Alley Theatre in Houston in announcing all male seasons (we do acknowledge that Primary Stages Production of “Bronx Bomber” has been conceived by Fran Kirmser).

On June 17 Casey Childs posted an entry on his facebook page saying that he thought that “shaming” artistic directors who refused to select plays by women and hire female directors amounted to “screaming into a bucket”.  He has since removed his post.

Letter writing is not screaming into a bucket.  It is a direct communication. The people who buy tickets to theatres have every right to express their distain at theatres that don’t support, produce, or hire women theatre artists.

So let’s “scream into a bucket” (aka fe-mail) Primary Stages and let them know what we think about their next sexist season.

Tell Casey Child, Andrew Leynse and Primary Stages that you will not purchase a ticket to any of their 2013/14 productions until they hire a female director and include another play written by a woman on their main stage.

Fe-mail Casey Childs: casey@primarystages.org

Andrew Leynse: andrew@primarystages.org

CC: info@primarystages.org and info@ggontour.com

SNAIL MAIL:

Primary Stages

307 West 38th Street

Suite 1510

New York, NY 10018

Here are some of the kick ass letters sent to Andre Bishop and Lincoln Center Theatre last week.  Thanks to all who wrote.  Keep them coming! – 

Guerrilla Girls On Tour!

Dear Andre Bishop,

I'm writing because I just saw the schedule for the 2013-2014 theater, and I was both surprised and disappointed. Not a single one of the plays is written by a female playwright. In 2013, the gender disparities in theater are absolutely shameful. Decisions like those that led to next season's lineup contribute to the ongoing devaluing of work by female playwrights, and I can't bring myself to support them. As long as no play written by a woman is featured on your mainstage, I won't be purchasing tickets to any of your productions, and I'll be encouraging my friends and colleagues to do the same.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Harper

š

Dear Mr. Bishop,

I am writing to express my disappointment that not a single play by a female playwright has been chosen for your main-stage season.  I am urging all of my friends to join me in the boycott of your theatre this season.

And please know that including women playwrights in your "development" small theatre season is not an acceptable response.

Sincerely,

Susan McCully

š

Dear Mr. Bishop,

I should start by saying that I admire the work you do in and for the theatre community. However, I was incredibly off-put when I saw your season lineup for next year. As someone who worked so closely with Wendy Wasserstein, I'm surprised to see that you programmed a season of all-male playwrights. It's programming like this that pushes theatre back to the 1950s, so to speak, and though this sounds like a childish way of putting it, it's not okay. 

With so many young audience members and theatre practitioners pushing for more female voices in the theatre, it would behoove Lincoln Center to program a play by a woman on their main stages in the 2013-14 season. I know that many -- myself included -- are sick of this tradition and will refuse to purchase a ticket at Lincoln Center until this is done. I wish you the best in these coming weeks, as I anticipate you'll be receiving a flood of emails, phone calls, and letters on this subject. 

Best,

Danielle Mohlman

Artistic Director

Field Trip Theatre

@fieldtriptc

fieldtriptheatre.tumblr.com

facebook.com/fieldtriptheatre

instagram.com/fieldtriptc

š

Dear Mr. Bishop,

I attended the wonderful performance of “Ann” this past weekend and it was so refreshing to see a performance written by a woman at Lincoln Center.  However, after seeing your announcement for an ALL MALE SEASON, I was really disappointed.  Why is it so difficult for LCT to produce plays not only by women but people of color? It would be even nice to see an African American female director or designer on one of your stages for a change. (I am an African American theatre educator and USAA lighting designer).  So it's back to the classroom this semester for me sharing with my students the continual sexism in the American Theatre, even though women dominate in terms of audience members.  Guess, I won't be coming to Lincoln Center next season, even with Ann Shapiro directing.

KP

š

Dear Andre,

It's extremely disappointing that an esteemed theatre production company as Lincoln Center does not choose to include the work of a woman playwright in next year's productions.  If you have read the news lately, you will know that men are denouncing the gender inequity in theatre, as well as women.

www.mikelew.com/3/post/2013/06/on-gender-parity.html 

and Jonathan Franzen's response to "Sexism's Puzzling Stamina," "The world most glaringly dominated by male sexism is one that Mr. Bruni neglects to mention: New York City theater."

It's up to you to provide leadership in combating this insidious bias by promoting the plays of women in equal number to those  of men.

Yours truly,

Barbara Masry,

The Women's Initiative (members of the Dramatist Guild)

The League of Professional Theatre Women 

UPDATE ON LINCOLN CENTER THEATRE

And on the ACTING front, regarding their production of MACBETH: here are the stats, from the casting call on Actors' Equity's website:

MACBETH, Lincoln Center Theater

Principal Auditions

The notice calls for 21 male actors, and 4 female actors.  (That's 84% male)

Specifically, the breakdown for the 3 witches is as follows:

"The Three Witches may all be played by men or possibly 2 men and 1 woman. Three very powerful, otherworldly and androgynous creatures ...."

So power and androgyny are clearly qualities they are expecting only male actors to be able to play!

(Thanks to Gael Schaefer for these stats!)

We Came! We Saw! We Threw Bananas! WE WERE THEATRE!

Check out Aphra Behn's guest blog post on the Women and Hollywood blog:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/womenandhollywood/guest-post-we-came-we-saw-we-threw-bananas-we-were-theatre

PHOTOS of WE ARE THEATRE by Miriam Berkley

Dana Berger performs "Who’s The Man" by Mary Steelsmith 

 

Alysia Reiner performs "Chopping Cabbage" by Sophia Romma  

Yvette X performs her own "Bridge to Baraka" 

Drae Campbell in "A Rejection in Full" by Mila Golubuv

Gael Schaefer performs "She" by Caridad Svich

Honor Molloy performs her own work "Not Published, Not Produced" 

Annie-Sage Whitehurst performs "I Am Estonia" by Jyl Lynn Felman 

 

Sarah M. Duncan performs her own "PSA"

Taifa Harris performs Theresa Rebeck's "Why Can't We Do That In The Theatre?"

Guerrilla Girl On Tour Anne Sexton as Machoswine in "Oh, the joys of being a woman playwright"

WE ARE THEATRE CURTAIN CALL 

The F Factor: Female artists of The Bahamas

Wanted to share this article from The Nassau Gardian by Sonia Farmer about the F Factor exhibit:

"...the dynamic exhibition “The F Factor: Female Artists of The Bahamas” opened at The D’Aguilar Art Foundation, showcasing work in a wide range of media from 24 established and practicing female artists based in The Bahamas.

For curator Holly Parotti, the show is a culmination of experiences that she and her contemporaries have faced over the years — from exclusion to outward sexism — both as artists and simply just as women.

The show itself is even drawn from extensive Bahamian collections in the care of two women, Dawn Davis and Saskia D’Aguilar. Viewers may even be pleasantly surprised to find a piece each by both of these powerful women alongside the work by female artists they supported and promoted through their collecting.

Parotti was inspired by the spirit of the Guerrilla Girls, a group of anonymous female artists, formed in New York City, that addresses sexism through powerful — and some may say antagonist — artwork, especially sexism in the art world itself.

“Collecting the work from this group, I asked myself, what were these women thinking when they decided to become an artist and to really put that into their perspective in life?” Parotti says.

“I think it’s a conversation to have with the male and female artists in this community, to ask when did you decide to become an artist? What was going on in your life? Were you raising a family? Were you getting married? It’s that whole part of Bahamian culture of what happens in a young woman’s life that she makes those decisions that could take her one way or another, based on the pressures that may be put on her from whatever sources.”

Read more here: http://www.thenassauguardian.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11995&Itemid=59

Dramatists Guild Says ‘No’ to Women

ALL WHITE MALE THEATRE REPORT: The Dramatists Guild is not allowing its members’ Women’s Initiative to become an official part of the Dramatists Guild. Or, as the Guild’s president, Stephen Schwartz, put it in a March 27 e-mail for the Conveners of the Women’s Initiative,

“While we have several small committees directly formed and overseen by members of the Council, there are no separate groups of members from the organization that have Council committee status. I hope you can appreciate that were we to make an exception in the case of the Women’s Initiative, we would have to do so for groups wishing to address other valid issues such as bias based on ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, etc. The Guild is a grouping of many different voices, and while we greatly appreciate the fine work you’re doing, we have to be sure to balance the needs and concerns of our entire membership.”

Read the entire article here: http://worksbywomen.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/dga-says-no-to-women/

ANNUAL GOOD NEWS LIST please do buy tickets to shows at these theatres GUERRILLA GIRLS ON TOUR PRESENT THE 2010/2011 GOOD NEWS LIST These theatres are producing more than 50% plays written by women on their main stages during the 2010/11 season. Actors Theatre of Louisville, Louisville, KY Arena Stage, Washington, DC New Georges, New York, NY Wilma Theater, Philadelphia, PA Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Montgomery, AL South Coast Repertory Theater, Costa Mesa, CA Rattlestick Theatre, New York, NY Soho Rep, New York, NY AirMid Theatre Company, Long Island, NY Women’s Project, New York, NY Central Square Theatre, Cambridge, MA Arizona Women’s Theater Company, Scottsdale, AZ Brava! For Women in the Arts, San Francisco, CA Looking For Lillith, Louisville, KY Playwright’s Theater, Madison, NJ Voices and Vision, New York, NY Detroit Repertory Theater, Detroit, MI Orlanda Repertory Theater, Orlando, FL Acadia Repertory Theater, Mt. Desert, ME Acrosstown Repertory Theater, Gainesville, FL Panasian Repertory Theater, New York, NY Gertrude Stein Repertory Theater, New York, NY Alley Repertory Theater, Garden City, ID Actors’ Repertory Theater of Idaho, Idaho Falls, ID 13th St Repertory Company, New York, NY Geffen Playhouse, Los AngelesNew Jersey Repertory Theater, Long Branch, New Jersey Anchorage Community Theatre, Anchorage, AL Spirit of Broadway Theater, Norwich, CT Hawaii Repertory Theater, Honolulu, HI Manoa Valley Theater, Honolulu, HI Goodman Theater, Chicago, IL Apollinaire Theatre Company, Chelsea, MA George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick, NJ Electric City Playhouse, Anderson, SC Tennessee Women’s Theater Project, Nashville, TN Broadhollow Theatre Company, Bethpage, NY Star Playhouse, Commack, NY Cortland Repertory Theater, Cortland, NY Kitchen Theatre Company, Ithaca, NY Astoria Performing Arts Center, Long Island City, NY Theatre Arlington, Arlington, TX Zach Theatre, Austin, TX Rover Dramawerks, Piano, TX Echo Theatre, Dallas, TX Harbour Playhouse, Dickinson, TX Amphibian Productions, Fort Worth, TX Main Street Theater, Houston, TX The Parish Players, Thetford, VT Bloomington Playwrights Project, Bloomington, IN Carmel Players, Carmel, IN Phoenix Theater, Indianapolis, IN Theatre on the Square, Indianapolis, IN Kokomo Civic Theatre, Kokomo, IN Tipton Community Theatre, Tipton, IN The Heritage Players, Bethel Park, PA Little Lake Theatre, Canonsburg, PA Enchantment Theatre Company, Glenside, PA Native Voices at the Autry, Los Angeles, CA Halcyon Theater, Chicago, IL Lifeline Theatre, Chicago, IL Red Tape Theater, Chicago, IL Rivendell Theater, Chicago, IL Sideshow Theater, Chicago, IL Teatro Vista, Chicago, IL Prologue Theatre Co, Chicago, IL Factory Theater, Chicago, IL The Strangetree Group, Chicago, IL MORE GOOD NEWS CHICAGO: Check out Chicago Storefront Summit's Gender Equity Task Force’s report of gender equity in Chicago Theatre here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/28807513/CSfS-Gender-Task-Force-Analysis-March-2010 LOS ANGELES Check out the Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative here: http://lafpi.com/

ANNUAL GOOD NEWS LIST

please do buy tickets to shows at these theatres

GUERRILLA GIRLS ON TOUR PRESENT

THE 2010/2011 GOOD NEWS LIST

These theatres are producing more than 50% plays written by women

on their main stages during the 2010/11 season.

Actors Theatre of Louisville, Louisville, KY

Arena Stage, Washington, DC

New Georges, New York, NY

Wilma Theater, Philadelphia, PA

Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Montgomery, AL

South Coast Repertory Theater, Costa Mesa, CA

Rattlestick Theatre, New York, NY

Soho Rep, New York, NY

AirMid Theatre Company, Long Island, NY

Women’s Project, New York, NY

Central Square Theatre, Cambridge, MA

Arizona Women’s Theater Company, Scottsdale, AZ

Brava! For Women in the Arts, San Francisco, CA

Looking For Lillith, Louisville, KY

Playwright’s Theater, Madison, NJ

Voices and Vision, New York, NY

Detroit Repertory Theater, Detroit, MI

Orlanda Repertory Theater, Orlando, FL

Acadia Repertory Theater, Mt. Desert, ME

Acrosstown Repertory Theater, Gainesville, FL

Panasian Repertory Theater, New York, NY

Gertrude Stein Repertory Theater, New York, NY

Alley Repertory Theater, Garden City, ID

Actors’ Repertory Theater of Idaho, Idaho Falls, ID

13th St Repertory Company, New York, NY

Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles

New Jersey Repertory Theater, Long Branch, New Jersey

Anchorage Community Theatre, Anchorage, AL

Spirit of Broadway Theater, Norwich, CT

Hawaii Repertory Theater, Honolulu, HI

Manoa Valley Theater, Honolulu, HI

Goodman Theater, Chicago, IL

Apollinaire Theatre Company, Chelsea, MA

George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick, NJ

Electric City Playhouse, Anderson, SC

Tennessee Women’s Theater Project, Nashville, TN

Broadhollow Theatre Company, Bethpage, NY

Star Playhouse, Commack, NY

Cortland Repertory Theater, Cortland, NY

Kitchen Theatre Company, Ithaca, NY

Astoria Performing Arts Center, Long Island City, NY

Theatre Arlington, Arlington, TX

Zach Theatre, Austin, TX

Rover Dramawerks, Piano, TX

Echo Theatre, Dallas, TX

Harbour Playhouse, Dickinson, TX

Amphibian Productions, Fort Worth, TX

Main Street Theater, Houston, TX

The Parish Players, Thetford, VT

Bloomington Playwrights Project, Bloomington, IN

Carmel Players, Carmel, IN

Phoenix Theater, Indianapolis, IN

Theatre on the Square, Indianapolis, IN

Kokomo Civic Theatre, Kokomo, IN

Tipton Community Theatre, Tipton, IN

The Heritage Players, Bethel Park, PA

Little Lake Theatre, Canonsburg, PA

Enchantment Theatre Company, Glenside, PA

Native Voices at the Autry, Los Angeles, CA

Halcyon Theater, Chicago, IL

Lifeline Theatre, Chicago, IL

Red Tape Theater, Chicago, IL

Rivendell Theater, Chicago, IL

Sideshow Theater, Chicago, IL

Teatro Vista, Chicago, IL

Prologue Theatre Co, Chicago, IL

Factory Theater, Chicago, IL

The Strangetree Group, Chicago, IL

MORE GOOD NEWS

CHICAGO:

Check out Chicago Storefront Summit's Gender Equity Task Force’s report of gender equity in Chicago Theatre here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/28807513/CSfS-Gender-Task-Force-Analysis-March-2010

LOS ANGELES

Check out the Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative here:

http://lafpi.com/

ANNUAL GIRLCOTT LIST - Do not buy a ticket to these theatres

GUERRILLA GIRLS ON TOUR PRESENT

THE 2010/2011 GIRLCOTT LIST

These theatres will not be producing a single play by a woman

on their main stages for the 2010/11 season.

The New Group, New York, NY**

American Folklore Theatre, Fish Creek, WI**

Full Circle Theatre Company, Jersey City, NJ**

Park Players, Birmingham, AL**

Profile Theater Project, Portland, OR**

New Stage Theatre, Jackson, MS**

Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago, IL**

A Noise Within Glendale, CA**

Seattle Shakespeare Company, Seattle, WA**

Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Cleveland, OH**

Theater for a New Audience, New York, NY**

American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco, CA**

Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington, DE

Florida Studio Theatre, Sarasota, FL

Ford’s Theatre, Washington, DC*

Hartford Stage Company, Hartford, CT

Laguna Playhouse, Laguna Beach, CA*

Lincoln Center Theater, New York, NY*

Manhattan Theatre Club, New York, NY

TheaterWorks, Hartford, CT

Ivoryton Playhouse, Ivoryton, CT

Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, RI

Signature Theatre Company, New York, NY

American Repertory Theater, Cambridge, MA

Connecticut Repertory Theater, Storrs, CT

The Repertory Theater of New Britain, New Britain, CT

Book-It Repertory Theater, Seattle, WA

Sierra Repertory Theater, Sonora, CA

Seaside Repertory Theater, Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Telluride Repertory Theater Company, Telluride, CO

Jewish Repertory Theater of Western New York, Buffalo, NY

Coastal Repertory Theater, Half Moon Bay, CA

Rocky Mountain Repertory Theater, Grand Lake, CO

Castaways Repertory Theater, Woodbridge, VA

Jonesborough Repertory Theater, Jonesborough, TN

Texas Repertory Theater, Houston, TX

Stageloft Theater, Sturbridge, MA

SecondStory Repertory, Redmond, WA

Third Rail Repertory Theater, Portland, OR

Repertory Theater of Iowa, Des Moines, IA

California Repertory Company, Long Beach, CA

McKinney Repertory Theater, McKinney, TX

Penguin Rep Theater, Stony Point, NY

Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington, DE

City Theater Company, Wilmington, DE

University Theater of Georgia, Athens, GA

Diamond Head Theater, Honolulu, HI

Boise Contemporary Theater, Boise, ID

Boise Little Theater, Boise, ID

Illusion Theater, Minneapolis, MD

Theater in the Round Playhouse, Minneapolis, MD

Rosedale Community Players, Southfield, MI

11:11 Theatre Company, Boston, MA

Whistler in the Dark, Everett, MA

Lofte Community Theater, Manley, NE

The Attic Ensemble, Jersey City, NJ

Dreamcatcher Repertory Theater, South Orange, NJ

Theaterwork, Santa Fe, NM

Adobe Theater, Albuquerque, NM

North Carolina Theater, Raleigh, NC

The Clemson Little Theater, Pendleton, SC

Centre Stage, Greenville, SC

Mariemont Players, Cincinnati, OH

Showboat Majestic Theater, Cincinnati, OH

CATCO, Columbus, OH

Licking County Players, Newark, OH

Artist’s Cooperative Theater, Nashville, TN

Community Playhouse, Tullahoma, TN

American Heartland Theater, Kansas City, MO

Hangar Theater, Ithaca, NY

Lucille Ball Theatre, Jamestown, NY

San Angelo Civic Theatre, San Angelo, TX

Vortex Theater, Austin, TX

Beaumont Community Players, Beaumont, TX

Unity Theatre, Brenham, TX

Theatre Three, Dallas, TX

Ennis Public Theatre, Ennis, TX

Kaufman Civic County Theatre, Terrell, TX

Vermont Stage Company, Burlington, VT

Essex Community Players, Essex, VT

Northern Stage Company, White River Junction

Gala Hispanic Theater, Washington, DC*

Jackson County Community Theatre, Brownstown, IN

Sugar Creek Players, Crawford, IN

American Theatre Company, Chicago, IL

Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago, IL

Oracle Productions, Chicago, IL **

Organic Theatre, Chicago, IL

Raven Theatre, Chicago, IL **

Remy Bumppo, Chicago, IL **

Signal Ensemble Theater, Chicago, IL

Steep Theatre Company, Chicago, IL

Strawdog Theater, Chicago, IL

The Gift Theater Company, Chicago, IL

The House Theatre, Chicago, IL **

Hypocrites, Chicago, IL **

The Mammals, Chicago, IL

Timeline Theater, Chicago, IL

TUTA Theater, Chicago, IL **

Writers Theatre, Chicago, IL

Clinton County Civic Theatre, Frankfort, IN

Red Barn Theatre, Frankfort, IN

Fort Wayne Civic Theatre, Ft. Wayne, IN

Footlite Musicals, Indianapolis, IN

Mud Creek Players, Indianapolis, IN

Munster Theatre Company, Munster, IN

Richmond Civic Theatre, Richmond, IN

Community Theatre of Terra Haute, Terra Haute, IN

Colonial Playhouse, Aldan, PA

Act II Playhouse, Ambler, PA

The Actors’ Net, Bucks County, PA

Totem Pole Playhouse, Fayetteville, PA

Fulton Opera House, Lancaster, PA

Fulton Theatre, Lancaster, PA

Hedgerow Theatre, Media, PA

Bickford Theatre, Morristown, NJ

* indicates no women directors have been hired either

** indicates multiple years on the Girlcott List

Complied by Sabina Friedman-Seitz