Newsletter (May 30, 2024)
"JUNE IS BUSTIN' OUT ALL OVER" EDITION
NEW PERSPECTIVES THEATRE COMPANY NEWSLETTER
Join Us for the Next On Her Shoulders Reading!
We are delighted to welcome Adrienne Williams as director of the second reading in this year's OHS program. Adrienne worked with us many years ago as an actor, and has since developed an impressive directing career. Resident Dramaturg Arminda Thomas will put the "Play in Context" for us.
Beah Richards, was best known as an award-winning actor. Among other accolades, she received a Theater World Award, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and a Tony Nomination in 1965 for her role in James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner. Most notably, she played the mother of Sidney Poitier’s character in the 1967 film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. This performance earned her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress.
In addition to her impressive acting career, Richards was a profound poet, director, playwright. and social activist. Born in July 1920, she wrote three plays during her lifetime, all of which explored the topics of segregation and individuality. She published a poetry collection titled A Black Woman Speaks in 1974, a collection of 14 poems that discuss her views on the impact of segregation and the blatant prejudice against women. Beah Richards died in 2000 and, at her request, her ashes were scattered across a Confederate cemetery.
Three years after her death, she was the subject of the award-winning documentary Beah: A Black Woman Speaks, inspired by her poetry collection of the same title. The documentary was created using over 70 hours of conversation between Richards and actor Lisa Gay Hamilton. The film went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Film Festival.
HOT SPOT!
On June 9th, the Women's Work Short Play Lab is having table readings of the 6 new scripts developed this spring to the theme of Hot Spot. From 11am to 6pm, we will hear these new works and provide final group feedback before the plays start rehearsals in July.
Make sure to SAVE THE DATES for the Meganne George Short Play Festival, happening August 5-10th!
Scripts by Morgan Barnes-Whitehead, Christine Benvenuto, Anel Carmona, Chelyn Cousar, Stephanie Kline and Taylor Steele will be directed by Melody Brooks, Jenny Greeman, Jennie Litzky, Bianca Lopez, Malini Singh McDonald and Dani Ortiz.
sweet noise wrap up
On June 16th the Women's Work Full-length LAB wraps up it's work for the Spring with a review of feedback from the Sweet Noise Festival and looks ahead to November, when we are adding a second reading festival for the LAB.
More than 125 people attended the readings, with 33 actors bringing these works to life. Kudos to Program Manager Uzunma Udeh, whose vision for a revitalized LAB is reflected in the success of this festival, and to Kate Devaney, Program Assistant, for keeping track of all the moving parts. Teresa Fischer, Bianca Lopez and Malini Singh McDonald joined Melody Brooks as directors.
Stay tuned for more information about the November Festival, and for news about our Celebation of 30 Years of Women's Work happening in late September or October.