WBW: Weekly Newletter October 27th, 2015

An exclusive interview with playwright Cecelia Copeland Supporting theatrical work written, directed, and designed by women. In This Newsletter: October 27, 2015 INTERVIEW WITH CECILIA COPELAND NEWS DISCOUNT CODES MEMBER CORNER EVENTS Shows Closing Catch the Butcher An interview with playright Cecilia Copeland Recently, Works By Women interviewed Cecilia Copeland to discuss her recent play, R Culture, challenges she has faced as a female writer, and the stories she is interested in telling. ***************************************************************** As a female writer, what is the most difficult part about getting your work produced? I think the biggest hurdle female writers have is subject matter. I think if you're an "issue" writer taking on an event in history or historical figure, or if you're writing about something that is a big headline it's easier to get your work produced. For centuries the providence of women has not been the public sphere of historical events but the private one. Given that the private sphere was assigned to women it was historically devalued, which is ridiculous. What is more important than how we experience our intimate daily lives and the socioeconomics of that system? What is more valuable that the matters pertaining to our hearts and souls? Yet, a woman playwright who is writing about those matters from a female perspective is somehow not seen as a universal story, but yet Hamlet is a universal story? I feel what happened to Ophelia being used by her father as a pawn, put between a man she loves and her honor, being cast aside by a wealthier man who had more power than she did is a story resonates very deeply and ought to be considered universally important, but because the crown doesn't rest on it somehow it's marked as not important. Even Rosencrantz and Guildenstern got a spinoff instead of Ophelia! The biggest challenge is to change the perspective that a story about a woman, told by a woman, that isn't about a big social movement or historical event, is nevertheless political and important, universally important, to the consciousness of our humanity. READ MORE NEWS TORONTO EQUITY IN THEATRE SYMPOSIUM AND INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT ON GENDER PARITY IN THEATRE Shellen Lubin, correspondent for HowlRound, recently posted about her experience at the 2015 Equity in Theatre Symposiom in Toronto. Here's what she had to say. "The April 2015 Toronto Equity in Theatre Symposium and International Summit on Gender Parity in Theatre assessed the state of gender equity in theatre and then brainstormed what can be done to move equity forward quickly and effectively. For me, as a participant in Day One and a coordinator of Day Two, it became very clear that although we do not all mean the same things by equity or parity—either in theory or in practice—the threads that string our experiences together have many resonant colors and patterns. We also know that by whatever criteria we determine gender parity in theatre, we don't have it yet." To read the entire post, click here. DISCOUNTS MEMBER CORNER In MEMBER CORNER, members of Works by Women can share productions they are working on which feature many women artists, but either have a run of less than 2 weeks or do not meet the 50/50 writer, director, design team Works by Women requires. If you would like your project to be included, please email  info@worksbywomen.org with the subject "Member Corner and Title of Your Show" by Monday at noon. ROUST THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS WORLD PREMIERE "HOMELESS AND HOW WE GOT THAT WAY"  By Dan McCormick Access Theater 380 Broadway, 4th Floor New York, NY 10013 Previews October 22 Opening date October 25 The author of the award-winning play THE MORONS at the 1st Irish Play Festival, Mr. McCormick takes on one of the most enduring social taboos with HOMELESS AND HOW WE GOT THAT WAY, a full-length, two-character one-act play about what happens when two veterans of homelessness – Eloise and Sidney – have their fragile world rocked by a vicious murder in their community. This launches them on a journey to seek safe haven in each other, not only from the ravages of street life, but to reveal the dark truth about how they came to be where they are, and the freedom those revelations ultimately provide. TICKETS HERE Do you have a service to offer, are you a business owner interested in supporting Works by Women in exchange for publicity? To get in touch please email info@worksbywomen.org