[Capdist-announce] PRESS RELEASE: "Honor Killing" Up Next in WAM Theatre’s 2018 Fresh Takes Play Reading Series

[Gail Burns]

*May 24, 2018Contact: Gail Burns, Marketing and Publicity
Associatewww.wamtheatre.com
<http://www.wamtheatre.com/#_blank>pr at wamtheatre.com <pr at wamtheatre.com>;
518.243.9627Press Photos can be found
at:https://www.flickr.com/photos/wamtheatre/albums/72157693556536062
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/wamtheatre/albums/72157693556536062> Honor
Killing by Sarah Bierstock Up Next in WAM Theatre’s 2018 Fresh Takes Play
Reading Series LENOX, MA (May 24, 2018) -  The WAM Theatre 2018 Fresh Takes
Play Reading Series continues with Honor Killing by Sarah Bierstock at
3:30pm on Sunday, June 10, at No. Six Depot Roastery and Café in West
Stockbridge. Former Fresh Takes curator Molly Merrihew will direct this
hard-hitting political play that  recently completed its premiere
production at Florida Studio Theatre.In Honor Killing, Allisyn Davis, an
American reporter for The New York Times, heads to Pakistan to cover the
honor killing of a young woman. Denied entrance, she conducts her
investigation remotely from Dubai. Through a series of cultural collisions,
candid interviews, and dangerous encounters, she learns the horrifying
details of this murder. These circumstances cause Allisyn to re-examine
troubling details of her own past. One culture mirrors the other, asking
questions about forgiveness, self-worth, and justice.   “When I first read
Honor Killing, I was drawn to the play’s inventive storytelling and
cross-cultural exploration of violence against women in the United States
and Pakistan,” Merrihew explained. “I was also inspired by Sarah
Bierstock’s integration of technology. Revisiting the play this spring has
been illuminating. I find the writing timely, relevant, and in line with
WAM Theatre’s inspiration, Half The Sky: Turning Oppression into
Opportunity for Women Worldwide.” Honor Killing is a play about the media
coverage of an atrocity that happened in another country, as playwright
Sarah Bierstock explains: "What I am exploring is the idea that we
Americans often judge our culture as superior because we don’t openly
participate in some of those activities we deem horrific. But in reality,
egregious, violent, and misogynistic activities occur right here in the
United States every day."Honor Killing brings together a stellar company of
regional and New York-based actors, including Berkshire native, Caitlin
Davies (Hudson Warehouse’s Pericles), who assays the lead role of Allisyn;
local favorites Ron Komora (Lloyd/Victor in WAM’s Holy Laughter) and Amber
Chand (WAM’s Motherhood Out Loud); and Abuzar Farrukh (appearing as Abe in
Chester Theatre’s upcoming production of Disgraced, directed by Kristen van
Ginhoven), Shawn Jain (American Repertory Theater’s Charlotte’s Web), Jay
Sefton (Majestic Theater’s Outside Mullingar), and Katie Zaffrann
(Shakespeare & Company’s The Merry Wives of Windsor) making their WAM
Theatre debuts.Seating is very limited and Fresh Takes readings often sell
out. In that case, we encourage patrons to add their names to the waiting
list. Tickets are $25 (general admission), which includes a post-show
conversation and the opportunity to meet the cast and director.
Refreshments will be available for purchase at the Café. The 2018 Fresh
Takes Series is sponsored in part by No. Six Depot.The 2018 Fresh Takes
Series continues on Sunday, August 12, at 2pm for a reading of Pipeline by
Dominique Morisseau, directed by Dawn M. Simmons, presented in the
auditorium at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. Inspired by Michelle
Alexander’s best-seller, The New Jim Crow, Pipeline is the beautiful and
deeply moving story of a mother’s fight to give her son a future without
turning her back on the community that made him who he is. AT A GLANCEJune
10 Fresh Takes Play ReadingHonor Killingby Sarah Bierstockdirected by Molly
MerrihewSunday, June 10 at 3:30pm - talkback followingat No. 6 Depot
Roastery & Café, 6 Depot Street, West Stockbridge, MATickets: $25featuring
Amber Chand, Caitlin Davies, Abuzar Farrukh, Shawn Jain, Ron Komora, Jay
Sefton, and Katie Zaffmanhttp://www.wamtheatre.com/honor-killing/
<http://www.wamtheatre.com/honor-killing/>Fresh Takes Play Reading
SeriesNow in its fifth season, the Fresh Takes Play Reading Series is
curated by WAM Associate Artistic Director Talya Kingston. The Fresh Takes
Series is sponsored in part by No. 6 Depot Roastery and Café in West
Stockbridge where our readings of Honor Killing, and Escaped Alone will be
presented at 3:30pm on select Sundays. Due to popular demand, and to allow
more audience members from across Berkshire County to attend, the reading
of Pipeline will be presented in the auditorium at the Clark Art Institute
in Williamstown on Sunday, August 12, at 2:00pm.Tickets are $25, which
includes a post-show conversation and the opportunity to meet the cast and
director. At No. Six Depot Roastery and Cafe refreshments will be available
for purchase at the Café before the performance.Please note all sales are
final. No refunds available. Patrons may exchange tickets up to 48 hours
before curtain– not including special event one-night performances. No
refunds or exchanges for already discounted tickets.For tickets and more
information visit: http://www.wamtheatre.com/fresh-takes-2018/
<http://www.wamtheatre.com/fresh-takes-2017/>ABOUT THE CASTAmber Chand
(Mehreen) WAM Theatre: Motherhood Out Loud. Elsewhere: extensive
storytelling work, including her one woman show, Searching For The Moon
performed to audiences both in the United States and internationally
(Unicorn Theatre, Stockbridge;  Octagon Theatre, Kent, England; Global
Leadership Summit, Palm Springs, California; Mt. Holyoke Weissman Center,
Massachusetts.)  Et Cetera: Born in Uganda of Indian parentage, Amber
brings a rich global perspective to her work.  On-line: amberchand.com
<http://amberchand.com/>Caitlin Davies (Allisyn): WAM Theatre: Debut.
Elsewhere: Ocean State Theatre Company (Doubt: A Parable), Trinity
Repertory Company (A Christmas Carol, Boing! A Musical Adventure), Capital
Repertory Theatre (The Crucible), Peterborough Players (Little Women, The
Secret Garden, The Winter’s Tale, Inherit the Wind, The Heiress), The
Hanover Theatre (A Christmas Carol, The Here &amp), Now Theater (Cymbeline,
A Midsummer Night’s Dream). NYC Theater (selected): Hudson Warehouse
(Pericles), Barefoot Theater Company (A Christmas Carol), Vox Theater
Company (The Next War), The Workshop Theater Company (Thalassa), readings
and workshops at Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Lark Theatre, The Workshop
Theater Company, The Barrow Group, and Wyrd Sisters Productions.
Recordings: Caitlin is an award-winning audiobook narrator and the voice of
a number of popular audiobook series including House of Night, Penryn & The
End of Days, Dragon Blood, and The Talon Saga. Training: BA from Vassar
College and an MFA in Acting from Brown/Trinity Rep. Et. Cetera: Caitlin is
a founding member of Wyrd Sisters Productions, a NYC-based theater
collective that produces workshops and readings with an emphasis on
supporting female theater artists. Online: www.caitlindavies.com
<http://www.caitlindavies.com> Abuzar Farrukh (Muzaffar Khan, Raja Mahmood)
WAM Theatre: Debut. Elsewhere: UMass Amherst: The Lily’s Revenge (Pansy),
Runaways (Ensemble), Ta’zieh (Yazid),Snowflakes or Rare White People
(Hassan), The Happiest Song Plays Last (Ali), I Am Ulysses (Farrukh), The
Misanthrope (Guard & Gaffer) Pakistan: The Accidental Death Of An Anarchist
(The Maniac), Life Of Galileo (Andre), The Unseen Hand (The Kid), Blood
Wedding (Beggar) Training: BA Theater, UMass Amherst. Awards: Ed Golden
Acting Award Upcoming: Chester Theatre Disgraced (Abe) Shawn Jain (Mohammad
Ijaaz, Abbas, Shahreyar Zasar) WAM Theatre: Debut  Elsewhere: American
Repertory Theater (Charlotte’s Web, Assistance, Our Town), Moscow Art
Theater (Fear and Misery in the Third Reich), Constellation Theatre (The
Fire and The Rain), Prince George’s County Shakespeare (Twelfth Night),
Source Festival in Washington, D.C. Training: MFA in Acting from A.R.T.
Institute at Harvard University/Moscow Art Theater School Online:
@shawnjain on twitter and www.shawnkjain.com
<http://www.shawnkjain.com/>Ron Komora (Edward Evans) WAM Theatre:
Lloyd/Victor in Holy Laughter. Elsewhere: Tony Reilly in Outside Mullingar
at The Majestic Theatre, Barry in The Empaths at Wellfleet Harbor Actors
Theatre, Gus in Southern Comforts at The Lake Theatre, Mayor Meekly in
Unnecessary Farce at Chenango River Theatre, Parris in The Crucible at
Hubbard Hall, plus 15 seasons at New York State Theatre Institute. Film/TV:
Sheriff Andy Godbout in Deep in the Darkness (Chiller Network), Harold
Gilman in The Thing on the Doorstep, the Plastic Surgeon in The Fountain of
Death. Training: Masters in Dramatic Arts, The University of Maryland.
Awards: 2004 Audie Award for Excellence in Audiobook Narration.Jay Sefton
(Ben) WAM Theatre: Debut. Elsewhere: Majestic Theater: Outside Mullingar
(Anthony Reilly), Million Dollar Quartet (Sam Phillips). Academy of Music
Northampton: Sweet, Sweet, Spirit. Silverthorne Theater: Two Rooms.  TV:
The Wire, Grey’s Anatomy, Summerland, Providence, The Shield.  Awards: LA
WEEKLY Award for best solo performance of The Most Mediocre Story Never
Told.Katie Zaffrann (Melissa) WAM Theatre: Debut. Elsewhere: The Merry
Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare & Co), Disgraced (Cape May Stage),  john &
jen, Grey Gardens(Free Fall Theatre), and the world premieres of Flying
(Chenango River Theatre), Between the Tigris and the Euphrates (Poetic
Theater), In My Body (Prince Music Theatre), and A Cappella Humana
(Delaware Theatre Company). Katie wrote/curated and stars in Marry Me… a
Little: a wedding/anxiety cabaret, which has played NYC and San Francisco.
Film/TV:  Her award-winning musical short film NAKED, a whimsical romp
about living life to the fullest, played at festivals worldwide and is now
streaming on IndieFlix. Radio/Recordings: Katie has narrated a number of
books available on Audible.com. Training: BFA Musical Theatre, Syracuse
University. Online: http://katiezaffrann.com <http://katiezaffrann.com/>
 Et Cetera: She leads the informal group Reading the Kilroys NYC, a
gathering of theatre-makers and -lovers at the intersection of great new
work and gender parity. Proud member of Actors Equity Association.ABOUT THE
PLAYWRIGHT: SARAH BIERSTOCKSarah Bierstock (playwright):  Honor Killing is
actress Sarah Bierstock’s first play.  It will receive its world premiere
this Spring at Florida Studio Theater (FST). It was one of three plays
featured in the New Works Reading Series at the Athena Theater in Denver,
CO (April, 2017), the New Play Festival at FST (Florida Studio Theatre) in
May, 2017, and the PROJECT W Festival at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New
York City (InProximity Theater) in June 2017. HONOR KILLING was the 2nd
Runner up for The Woodward International Playwriting Prize at the
University of New Hampshire, received Honorable Mention for the Bridge
Initiative Playwriting Contest: Playwright of the Year Award, a Finalist
for the 2017 Ashland New Play Festival, a Semi-Finalist for the Bay Area
Playwrights Festival (2017), a Semi- Finalist for the Premier Stages 2017
Play Festival, a Semi-Finalist for the Id Theaters 2017 Playwriting
Conference, 1 of 29 in final consideration for the PlayPenn New Play
Development Conference (2017), a Semi-Finalist for 2016 Eugene O’Neill’s
National Playwrights Conference, and a Semi-Finalist for Stage Left
Theatre’s Playwriting Residency (Chicago, 2017). Sarah was honored to be
commissioned by Center Stage (Baltimore) to participate in the “My America:
She” project, which will be produced later in 2017. She is currently
working on her second play, Grandma’s Room.  Training: BFA New York
University and Bard College.ABOUT THE DIRECTOR: MOLLY MERRIHEWMolly
Merrihew (Director) is a theatre maker and arts administrator living and
working full-time in the Berkshires. WAM Theatre: Strategic Plan Committee
Member, Artistic Associate 2014-2018, Fresh Takes Play Reading Series
Curator & Producer 2014-2018, Director for The Flora and Fauna, The Last
Wife, Water by the Spoonful, Assistant Director for In Darfur, How The
World Began and Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England. Regional
Theatre: Molly currently works at Shakespeare & Company as the Publicity
Director and previously worked at Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota, FL) and
Home Made Theatre (Saratoga Springs, NY).  Additional Directing credits
include; 24 Hour Theatre Project (University at Albany), In Motion (10x10
Upstreet Arts Festival for the City of Pittsfield),  Shakespeare & Company:
Second Beam (Joan Ackermann Weekend), Marcus is Walking (Joan Ackermann
Weekend), The Red and The White (Assistant Director for Jenna Ware), Or,
(Assistant Director for Alice Reagan), The Comedy of Errors (Assistant
Director for Taibi Magar) Regional: SDC Foundation Observership Class 2015
– 2016, Charlotte’s Web and The Wizard of Oz (Forest Lake Theatre) and The
Rwandans’ Visit (Lougheed Festival of the Arts at SUNY Potsdam).  Training:
Boston University (MS Arts Administration), SUNY Potsdam (BA in Theatre and
English). Online: Connect with Molly on Twitter:@Molly_Merrihew
<http://molly_merrihew>OUR SEASON SPONSORSOur 2018 sponsors include Adams
Community Bank, Annie Selke, Baystate Financial, Berkshire Bank Foundation,
Berkshire Magazine, Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing, Blue Q, Brabson
Library & Educational Foundation, Canyon Ranch, The Charles H. Hall
Foundation, CWM Retirement Plan Services LLC, Custom Business Solutions,
Dr. Jay Wise, DDS and Dr. Casey Jones, DMD, The Dylandale Foundation, The
Feigenbaum Foundation, Frankie's Ristorante Italiano, the Garden Gables
Inn, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Guido’s Fresh Marketplace,
International Schools Theatre Association, Interprint, Lee Bank, Maggie
Barry, Massachusetts Cultural Council, J.H. Maxymillian, Inc., Methuselah
Bar and Lounge, Natracare, No. Six Depot Roastery and Café, Onyx Specialty
Papers, RB Design Co., The Rogovoy Report, The Rookwood Inn, The Dr. Robert
C. and Tina Sohn Foundation, Rouge Restaurant & Bistro, Salisbury Bank, T
Square Design Studio, Toole Insurance, a. von schlegell & co.WAM Theatre is
also supported in part by grants from the Alford-Egremont Cultural Council,
Lenox Cultural Council, New Marlborough Cultural Council, Pittsfield
Cultural Council, Cultural Council of Northern Berkshires, Otis Cultural
Council, and Richmond Cultural Council – local agencies that are supported
by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. ABOUT WAM
THEATREBased in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, WAM Theatre is Where Arts
and Activism Meet. The company was co-founded in 2010 by Canadian director,
actor, educator, and producer Kristen van Ginhoven. WAM’s vision is to
create opportunity for women and girls through the mission of theatre as
philanthropy. Inspired by the book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into
Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, WAM
donates a portion of the proceeds from its theatrical events to
organizations that benefit women and girls. Since 2010, WAM Theatre has
donated more than $41,500 to thirteen nonprofit organizations and provided
paid work to more than 200 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/>
413-274-8122

My gender pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Our 9th Season:
Fresh Takes <http://www.wamtheatre.com/fresh-takes-2018/> | Alison Larkin
LIVE! <http://www.wamtheatre.com/alison-larkin-live/> | WAM Gala 2018
<http://www.wamtheatre.com/wam-gala-2018/> | ANN
<http://www.wamtheatre.com/ann/>


Make a donation now <https://www.wamtheatre.com/donateonline/> to WAM
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