[Capdist-announce] PRESS RELEASE: WAM Theatre Announces Reimagined Fall 2020 Season

[Gail Burns]

August 18, 2020



Contact: Gail Burns, Marketing and Publicity Associate

www.wamtheatre.com <http://www.wamtheatre.com/#_blank>

pr at wamtheatre.com; 518.243.9627

Press Photos:

www.flickr.com/photos/wamtheatre/albums/



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



WAM Theatre Announces Reimagined Fall 2020 Season

LENOX, MA (August 18, 2020) — Producing Artistic Director Kristen van
Ginhoven, Associate Artistic Director Talya Kingston, and the WAM Theatre
team today announced their reimagined plans for WAM’s fall 2020 season,
offering digital productions in October and November. ROE by Lisa Loomer
will run October 17-20, and THE THANKSGIVING PLAY by Larissa FastHorse will
run November 19-22.

“For the past few months, we have been grappling with what our fall season
might look like in this current world. It felt important, in a pandemic, in
an election year, and at a time when we are having a national reckoning
around race, that WAM find a way to tell the stories of our previously
announced plays, ROE by Lisa Loomer and THE THANKSGIVING PLAY by Larissa
FastHorse,” van Ginhoven said.

“It also felt important to offer as many artists as possible paid work, to
be financially smart about our decisions, and to put the well-being of our
artists and patrons at the forefront,” continued van Ginhoven. “All of this
led us to the conclusion that we had to hold these offerings virtually.
Blending performance and technology has created the opportunity to
collaborate with new artists in the video and website design worlds. As we
all reflect on our part towards creating a future that is full of empathy,
equity, and belonging, we are working hard to create dynamic, creatively
designed digital productions that resonate deeply with our current moment
in time. ”



The first digital production will be the area premiere of Lisa Loomer’s
celebrated play, ROE, available online October 17-20. This large ensemble
play, directed by van Ginhoven, illuminates the history of one of the most
polarizing social issues of the modern era: the Roe v. Wade, U.S. Supreme
Court ruling that established a woman’s right to an abortion. ROE provides
a reminder of the human stories behind the debates and how hard we have to
work to compassionately communicate with people with whom we may disagree.

“We are delighted that ROE playwright Lisa Loomer agreed to have WAM move
ROE from a live theatre production to a reimagined digital production. We
have some extraordinary creative artists and reproductive justice experts
working with us to ensure this important story gets told in this election
year, when the rights of women continue to be deeply challenged,”  said van
Ginhoven. “We look forward to sharing more about the ROE team in the weeks
ahead.”

>From November 19-22, WAM will present THE THANKSGIVING PLAY by Larissa
FastHorse, a scathingly funny satire where we witness a group of “woke”
white teaching artists scrambling to create a pageant that somehow manages
to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month. THE
THANKSGIVING PLAY will be directed by WAM Associate Artistic Director Talya
Kingston.

“This razor-sharp comedy allows us space to laugh at the stumbling blocks
of white activism while, at the same time, deeply considering our positions
on this land,” says Kingston. Playwright Larissa FastHorse echoes this
sentiment saying: “Laughter gives us energy. Laughter gives us more time.
It actually adds time to your life, so I’m giving you information AND I’m
giving you more time to change the world.”

This performance will create engaging opportunities for our community to
deepen local knowledge and connection to the Mohican Tribe, who are the
traditional stewards of the land now known as the Berkshires.

Tickets for both events will be available starting September 8, 2020.
Please visit  WAMTheatre.com for more information.

ROE



ROE

by Lisa Loomer

Directed by Kristen van Ginhoven

October 17-20



"Rousing entertainment ... a big play with big ideas." -Mail Tribune

“Cleverly illuminating” -The Washington Post

“Full of nuance and complexity" -NPR

“Shares 50 years of history in gripping style” -Mail Tribune

“A powerful and compassionate look at a controversial issue” -The Siskiyou
Daily News

Two Women. Multiple Truths. One Landmark Supreme Court Case.



ROE is an historically sweeping play with a large ensemble cast that
illuminates the history of one of the most polarizing social issues of the
modern era, the Roe v. Wade, U.S. Supreme Court ruling that established a
woman’s right to an abortion. ROE explores the women behind the landmark
case of Roe v. Wade, illuminating the heart and passion each side has for
their cause, providing a reminder of where the debate began and how hard we
have to work to communicate compassionately with people with whom we may
disagree.



Playwright Lisa Loomer says, "I wanted people to feel, as they watched the
play, that their point of view was represented, if nothing else because
that helps people be more open and willing to hear another point of view."

ROE was commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2012 as part of
its American Revolutions Cycle. It was developed at the University of Texas
and The Kennedy Center (as part of DC’s Women’s Voices Festival) as well as
at OSF’s Black Swan Lab before it played for 70 performances in Ashland,
OR, and then had runs in Washington, DC (Arena Stage), Berkeley, CA
(Berkeley Rep), and Sarasota, FL (Asolo Rep).



THE THANKSGIVING PLAY



THE THANKSGIVING PLAY

by Larissa FastHorse

Directed by Talya Kingston

November 19-22

“Very, very funny.  Larissa FastHorse’s THE THANKSGIVING PLAY skewers
liberal pretensions with glee - this clever satire is something for which
we will be truly thankful” - The Hollywood Reporter.

Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s
wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally “woke” teaching artists
scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey
Day and Native American Heritage Month.



For more information about the 2020 Season and WAM Theatre’s programs,
events, and artists, please visit www.WAMTheatre.com.

ABOUT THE ROE PLAYWRIGHT: LISA LOOMER

WAM Theatre: debut  Plays: ROE, LIVING OUT, THE WAITING ROOM, DISTRACTED,
CAFÉ VIDA, HOMEFREE, EXPECTING ISABEL, TWO THINGS YOU DON’T TALK ABOUT AT
DINNER, BIRDS, MARIA, MARIA, MARIA!, and BOCÓN!, have been produced at such
theatres as The Mark Taper Forum, Arena Stage, South Coast Repertory, The
Kennedy Center, Seattle Rep, Denver Theater Center, Berkeley Repertory,
OSF, Trinity Repertory, The Williamstown Theatre Festival, and, in New
York, at The Roundabout, The Vineyard, Second Stage, Intar, and The Public.
Her work has also been produced in Mexico, the Middle East, and Europe.
Awards: Lisa is a two-time winner of the American Theatre Critics Award,
and has also received awards from the Kennedy Center, the Pen Center, the
Imagen Foundation, (Norman Lear Award), the Jane Chambers Award, and the
Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, among others. Film: credits include GIRL,
INTERRUPTED. She also writes for television.

ABOUT THE ROE DIRECTOR: KRISTEN van GINHOVEN

WAM Theatre: Ann, The Bakelite Masterpiece, In Darfur (New England Premiere),
Emilie (New England Premiere), The Old Mezzo (World Premiere), The Attic,
The Pearls and Three Fine Girls and Melancholy Play Elsewhere: Ann (Arena
Stage, Dallas Theatre Center), Disgraced, I and You (Chester Theatre), Waxworks
(Williams College), The Whale (Adirondack Theatre Festival), 10 Minute
Play Festival
(Barrington Stage Company), Petticoats of Steel (Capital Repertory
Theatre), Footloose (Cohoes Music Hall), Children’s Hour (Siena
College), Vendetta
Chrome (Emerson College). Selected assistant directing: The Physicists,
42nd Street (Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada), Two Men of
Florence (Huntington
Theatre) Sleuth, Absurd Person Singular (Barrington Stage Company).
Training: Dalhousie University (BA), Queen’s University (BEd), Emerson
College (MA). Et cetera: Kristen is a member of the Society of Stage
Directors and Choreographers and a theatre artist for the International
Schools Theatre Association. She is a member of the Lincoln Center
Director’s Lab and the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction at
the Stratford Festival of Canada. Kristen is the co-founder and Producing
Artistic Director of WAM Theatre.

ABOUT THE THANKSGIVING PLAY PLAYWRIGHT: LARISSA FASTHORSE

WAM Theatre: debut Plays: The Thanksgiving Play, Cow Pie Bingo, Urban Rez,
Native Nation, Landless, Average Family, Teaching Disco Squaredancing to
Our Elders: a Class Presentation, and Cherokee Family Reunion.  She has
written commissions for Yale Rep, Cornerstone Theatre Company, Artists Rep
Portland, Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis, AlterTheater, Kennedy
Center TYA, Native Voices at the Autry, Perseverance Theater Company and
Mountainside Theatre.  She developed plays with Kansas City Rep, Artist Rep
Portland, Arizona Theater Company, the Center Theatre Group Writer’s
Workshop and Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor. Awards: the PEN/USA Literary
Award for Drama, NEA Distinguished New Play Development Grant, Joe Dowling
Annamaghkerrig Fellowship, AATE Distinguished Play Award, Inge Residency,
Sundance/Ford Foundation Fellowship, Aurand Harris Fellowship, and numerous
Ford and NEA Grants.  Film/TV: Larissa has had pilot scripts in development
with Fox and TeenNick. Etc: She is a current member of the Playwrights’
Center Core Writers, Playwright’s Union, Directors’ Lab West 2015, Theatre
Communications Group board of directors and is an enrolled member of the
Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Sicangu Lakota Nation.

ABOUT THE THANKSGIVING PLAY DIRECTOR: TALYA KINGSTON

WAM Theatre: Paradise (2019 Fresh Takes), Swallow (2018 Fresh Takes), Seeking
Justice, Crying Wolf, Fractured Dreams, The Suffrage Project (Teen/Elder
Ensembles).  Elsewhere: Institution (Play by Play Festival), Co-director of The
Lonely Soldier Project (immersive testimonial theatre), director for Elemeno
pea, The Metal Children, Collapse (Beer and a Play), Of Who We Used to Be
(Hampshire College), The Mother of Modern Censorship (UMass). Dramaturgy:
ROE, Lady Randy (WAM Theatre), Necessary Targets, Write On! Teen
Playwrights Series, My Hartford Teen Performance Ensemble Oral History
Project (Hartford Stage), Helmet (New York Fringe Festival), Seriously..
What Did You Call Me? written and performed by Onawumi Jean Moss (Ko
Festival), Gum, Christmas Carol, Bovver Boys, The Last Five Years, Life is
a Dream, Late Style (UMass, Amherst). Publications: Theater Journal, The
Moving Voice, Scene Magazine, European Stages, Howlround and The Valley
Advocate. Training: MFA University of Massachusetts, Directing Fellow at
Julliard. Etc: Talya is the Regional VP for LMDA (Literary Managers and
Dramaturgs of the Americas) and a member of the Northampton Playwrights Lab.

WAM 2020 Sponsors

WAM’s 2020 sponsors include Adams Community Bank, Berkshire Bank, Berkshire
Hand to Shoulder Center, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Blue Q,
Blue Spark Financial, Brabson Library & Educational Foundation, Canyon
Ranch, Chez Nous, Custom Business Solutions, The Dylandale Foundation,
Frankie’s Ristorante Italiano, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Guido’s Fresh
Marketplace, Haven Cafe and Bakery, Health Professional Coaching, Heller &
Robbins, Interprint, J.H. Maxymillian, Inc., Lake House Inn. Lee Bank,
Massachusetts Cultural Council, Only in My Dreams Events, Onyx Specialty
Papers, Outpost Productions, RB Design Co., The Rookwood Inn, T Square
Design Studio, Toole Insurance, a. von schlegell & co., and the Women’s
Fund of Western Massachusetts.

WAM Theatre is also supported in part by grants from Alford-Egremont
Cultural Council, Lenox Cultural Council, Pittsfield Cultural Council,
Sandisfield Cultural Council, Washington Cultural Council, and the West
Stockbridge Cultural Council – local agencies supported by the
Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.  Funding from Mass
Humanities has been provided through the National Endowment for the
Humanities as part of the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic
Security (CARES) Act of 2020.

ROE is sponsored in part by Maggie and Don Buchwald

WAM’s 2020 Season of Events is sponsored in part by Carolyn Butler

ABOUT WAM THEATRE

WAM Theatre is a professional theatre company based in Berkshire County,
MA, that operates at the intersection of arts and activism. WAM creates
theatre for gender equity and has a vision of theatre as philanthropy.

In fulfillment of its philanthropic mission, WAM donates a portion of the
proceeds from their Mainstage productions to carefully selected
beneficiaries. Since WAM’s founding in 2010, they have donated more than
$75,000 to 19 local and global organizations taking action for gender
equity in areas such as girls education, teen pregnancy prevention, sexual
trafficking awareness, midwife training, and more.

In addition to Mainstage productions and special events, WAM’s activities
include innovative community engagement programs and the Fresh Takes Play
Reading Series. To date, WAM has provided paid work to more than 400
theatre artists, the majority of whom are female-identifying.

As a civic organization that embraces intersectional feminism (feminism
that acknowledges how multiple forms of discrimination overlap), WAM
understands that to address one piece of systemic discrimination means we
have to address them all. This is on-going personal and professional work
at WAM for the staff and board.

WAM Theatre has been widely recognized for having a positive impact on
cultural and community development in the region. WAM is the recipient of
the Creative Economy Standout Berkshire Trendsetter Award and previously,
was named Outstanding Philanthropy Corporation of the Year by the Western
MA Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Kristen van
Ginhoven, WAM’s Producing Artistic Director, was honored by the Berkshire
Theatre Critics Association (BTCA) with the prestigious Larry Murray Award,
presented at the discretion of the BTCA Board to a person or theatre
project that advances social, political, or community issues in Berkshire
County.



For more information, visit www.WAMTheatre.com <http://www.wamtheatre.com>

###


-- 
Gail M. Burns (She/Her/Hers)

*Marketing + Publicity Associate*
https://www.wamtheatre.com/
413-458-4246

*Our 2020 Season!*
THE SUFFRAGE PROJECT <https://www.wamtheatre.com/suffrage-project/> | ROE
<https://www.wamtheatre.com/roe/> | THE THANKSGIVING PLA
<https://www.wamtheatre.com/thanksgiving-play/>Y


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