[Capdist-announce] PRESS RELEASE: WAM Theatre’s New Girls Ensemble Performs December 11

[Gail Burns]

December 1, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Gail Burns, Marketing and Publicity Associate

www.wamtheatre.com

pr at wamtheatre.com; 518.243.9627

Press Photos can be found at:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wamtheatre
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/wamtheatre/sets/72157660649304062>

WAM Theatre’s New Girls Ensemble Performs Original Work December 11

LENOX, MA (November 30, 2015) –  The public is invited to a free
performance by WAM Theatre’s new Girls Ensemble on Friday, December 11,
2015 at 7pm in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre at Shakespeare & Company in
Lenox.

Six young women ages 14-20 have been meeting on Saturday afternoons since
September to create a new piece of devised theatre under the leadership of
WAM teaching artists Amy Brentano and Barby Cardillo. Current participants
are from Lenox, Lee, Dalton, North Adams, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
The Girls Ensemble performance on December 11 runs about an hour and is
suitable for ages 10 and up.

“WAM has expanded its education program this year with the launch of  the
Girls Ensemble,” Brentano explained. “Our participants are dancers,
writers, actors, and visual artists with an interest in creating theatre
from scratch. This year’s pilot program has focused on investigating the gender
stereotypes and labels that surround teenage girls, and asking questions
around empowerment and self image.”

“The girls have engaged in impassioned discussions as they improvised
scenes and wrote monologues,” Cardillo said.  “Amy and I have had the
pleasure to guide and direct these girls as they created an exciting
theatre piece that includes music, dance, and text.”

Cardillo also shared her excitement over the WAM education program that she
leads at Girls Inc in Pittsfield, which concluded its third fall semester
with a private process sharing for family and friends on November 24.  “I
worked with eight girls ages 8-11 and this past semester we focused on
creating characters. Since they all chose fairy tale characters, they named
our sharing A Girls Inc Fairy Tale and it included movement-based character
improvisations, vocal warm-ups, improvised and scripted scenes, theatre
games, music, and improvised dance.”

Next semester Cardillo and the Girls Inc participants will work on creating
a linear narrative using these characters, in whom they have invested so
much time and energy.

Seed funding for this program has been provided by multi-year grants from
the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Greylock Federal Credit Union, the
Dylandale Foundation, the International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA)
and Petricca Industries as well as a grant from the Feigenbaum Foundation,
Interprint and various local cultural councils.

Additionally, this is an ISTA (International Schools Theatre Association)
endorsed project. Based in the United Kingdom, ISTA brings together young
people, artists and teachers from different countries in different settings
to experience, create and learn about theatre. ISTA produces over 50
international arts events each year. WAM Theatre is one of two projects
ISTA endorses as part of their ISTA Connect program. The other program is
in Kolkata, India.  WAM aims to bring the Girls Ensemble participants to an
ISTA event within five years www.ISTA.co.uk

About WAM Theatre

Based in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, WAM Theatre was co-founded in
2010 by Canadian director, actor, educator, and producer Kristen van
Ginhoven to create professional theatrical events for everyone, with a
focus on women theatre artists and/or stories of women and girls.

WAM Theatre also has a philanthropic mission, inspired by the book Half the
Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas
Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, and donates a portion of the proceeds from its
theatrical events to organizations that benefit women and girls.

Over the past five years, WAM Theatre has donated more than $15,000 to
seven nonprofit organizations and provided paid work to more than 100
theatre artists. In addition to the main stage productions and special
events, WAM Theatre’s activities include a comprehensive educational
outreach program and the Fresh Takes Play Reading Series. For more
information, visit www.WAMTheatre.com <http://www.wamtheatre.com>

###

-- 
Gail M. Burns

*Marketing + Publicity Associate*
www.WAMTheatre.com <http://www.wamtheatre.com/>
413-458-4246

Our 6th Season:
Emilie <http://www.wamtheatre.com/emilie-staged-reading-special-event/> | Fresh
Takes Reading Series
<http://www.wamtheatre.com/fresh-takes-play-reading-series-2015/> |  Stars
in the Orchard Benefit <http://www.wamtheatre.com/stars-in-the-orchard/> | Holy
Laughter <http://www.wamtheatre.com/holy-laughter/>

Make a donation now
<https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/WAMTheatreInc/donate.html> to WAM
Theatre!

*Thank you for your support!*
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