[Capdist-announce] PRESS RELEASE: Jayne Atkinson to Direct WAM Theatre's "Noms de Guerre"

Tue May 26 11:01:28 EDT 2015

*WAM is delighted to partner with the 2015 Lift Ev'ry Voice Festival for
this third Fresh Takes reading. We have an enlightening interview with
playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton on our Web site, and I have attached photos
of Jacqueline and director Jayne Atkinson for your use. Please contact me
if you're interested **in doing a feature. *
http://www.wamtheatre.com/jacqueline-e-lawton-blog-interview/

May 26, 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/

*JAYNE ATKINSON TO DIRECT WAM THEATRE’S NEXT PLAY READING *
* Jacqueline E. Lawton’s Noms de Guerre Opens Pre-Season for Lift Ev’ry
Voice Festival*

LENOX, MA (May 26, 2015)— WAM Theatre is pleased to announce that Jayne
Atkinson will be directing the next play in their 2015 Fresh Takes Play
Reading Series, *Noms de Guerre* by Jacqueline E. Lawton.

The reading will be the inaugural event in this year’s Lift Ev’ry Voice
Festival, which celebrates African-American Culture and Heritage in the
Berkshires. This year the Festival is celebrating the 150th anniversary of
the passage of the 13th Amendment, which ended slavery in the United
States. For more information on the Festival visit  http://liftevryvoice.org
.

“We are so pleased that WAM Theatre has partnered with us this year and are
confident that *Noms de Guerre* will provide a strong start to the
Festival,” said Don Quinn Kelley, Co-Chair of Lift Ev’ry Voice 2015. “Since
2010 we have believed that people can, and will, partner to celebrate all
Americans being free. Partnering is our way of connecting across
communities in the Berkshires and contributing to local economies at the
same time.”

WAM Theatre will present the reading on Sunday, June 14 at 3:00 p.m. at No.
Six Depot Roastery and Café, 6 Depot Street in West Stockbridge, MA. The
first two Fresh Takes reading of 2015 have sold out, as did all five of the
readings in 2014 inaugural season, confirming Berkshire audiences embrace
contemporary plays written by women and focusing on the unique stories of
women and girls.

*Noms de Guerre* is a haunting, lyrical and passionate story of friendship,
love and politics. Mira is a rising star in the Republican Party, but her
campaign against women’s reproductive rights puts her at odds with her best
friend, Jude, an award-winning journalist. At home, Mira struggles to run a
campaign for Governor and help her war hero husband, Douglas, adjust to
civilian life. When Jude discovers that Douglas is linked to a massacre of
Afghan civilians, Mira is thrown into a whirlwind of political intrigue and
must decide whether to hold on to her career or save her husband. Noms de
Guerre is a socio-political drama that addresses the damaging impact of
PTSD on veterans and their family.

The cast of *Noms de Guerre* features Shanae Burch (WAM Theatre’s *Waxworks*),
James Gaudreau (Confetti Stage’s *A Street Car Named Desire*), Christina
Gordon* (WAM’s *In Darfur*, The Public Theatre’s *Good People*), Concetta
Russo (Shakespeare & Company’s Northeast Tour of *Hamlet*), Erica Tryon*
(WAM Theatre’s *Everywoman*, Capital Repertory Theatre’s *To Kill a
Mockingbird*) Kevin Craig West (Capital Repertory Theatre’s *Metamorphoses*,
Williamstown Theatre Festival’s *Cousin Bette*). Acclaimed actor Jayne
Atkinson will direct the reading, and  Jessica Sovronsky (Shakespeare &
Company’s *Romeo & Juliet*) will be the Stage Manager.

Director Jayne Atkinson is a Berkshire favorite and an internationally
acclaimed film, theatre and television actress. She is a WAM advisory board
member and was the host of the our 2013 Benefit Claiming Her Place. She is
perhaps best known for her roles on *House of Cards*, *Criminal Minds* and
*24* as well as her Tony Award-nominated roles in *The Rainmaker* and
*Enchanted
April*.

Jacqueline E. Lawton was named one of the top 30 national leading black
playwrights by Arena Stage’s American Voices New Play Institute. She
received her MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin,
where she was a James A. Michener Fellow. She participated in the Kennedy
Center’s Playwrights’ Intensive (2002) and World Interplay (2003).  Her
plays include:* Anna K*;  and *Blood-bound and Tongue-tied*; *Deep Belly
Beautiful*;*The Devil’s Sweet Water*; *The Hampton Years*;* Ira Aldridge:
the African Roscius*; *Lions of Industry, Mothers of Invention*; *Love
Brothers Serenade*; *Mad Breed*; *Noms de Guerre*; and *Our Man Beverly
Snow*.   Website: http://www.jacquelinelawton.com/

*Noms de Guerre* is the third presentation in the 2015 Fresh Takes Play
Reading Series, which gives a stage to ground-breaking works – which have
been successfully presented elsewhere but are new to our Berkshire
audiences – that tell women’s stories. Featuring local established and
emerging actors and directors, the series explores the work of provocative
contemporary voices. The series includes a post-reading discussion and will
encourage feedback on which plays audience members would like to see WAM
Theatre produce.

There are only 25 tickets available for this reading. Tickets are $20 and
can be purchased by calling 1-800-838-3006 or going online to
http://www.wamtheatre.com/fresh-takes-play-reading-series-2015. Due to the
limited availability, advance booking is highly recommended. Food and drink
will be available for purchase at the café prior to the reading, which will
begin in the gallery at 3:00 p.m.

The 2015 Fresh Takes Play Reading series is curated by WAM Theatre’s
Artistic Associate Molly Clancy. Future readings include:

   - *Noms de Guerre* by Jacqueline Lawton, directed by Jayne Atkinson
   (June 14, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. – a part of the Lift Ev’ry Voice Festival)
   - The Pulitzer Prize-winning *Water by the Spoonful* by Quiara Alegría
   Hudes, directed by Molly Clancy (August 16, 2015 at 3:00 p.m.)
   - *The Effect* by Lucy Prebble, directed by WAM Artistic Director
   Kristen van Ginhoven (September 13, 2015 at 3:00 p.m.)

Find out more about the series at
http://www.wamtheatre.com/fresh-takes-play-reading-series-2015

*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

###

-- 
Gail M. Burns

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

Click here <http://www.wamtheatre.com/donate/> to make a secure donation to
WAM Theatre

*Thank you for your support!*
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