[Capdist-announce] PRESS RELEASE: WAM Theatre Announces Beneficiaries for ROE - Tickets are Now on Sale!

[Gail Burns]

September 9, 2020



Contact: Gai Burns, Marketing and Publicity Associate

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

pr at wamtheatre.com;413.274.8122

Press Photos can be found here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wamtheatre/albums/72157713011054691



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WAM Theatre Announces Beneficiaries for ROE

Tickets are Now on Sale!

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

LENOX, MA (September 9, 2020) —  Producing Artistic Director Kristen van
Ginhoven, Associate Artistic Director Talya Kingston, and the WAM Theatre
team today announced the three beneficiaries for the area premiere of ROE
by Lisa Loomer. Tickets to this dynamic, digital production are now on sale.

Patrons can pay $15, $25, $50 or a higher ticket price of their choosing to
be granted access not only to the digital production of ROE but also to all
the blogs, interviews, talkbacks, and online extras available. The
performance runs October 17-20, and tickets to the online-only event are
now on sale on the WAm Theatre website: https://www.wamtheatre.com/
<https://www.wamtheatre.com/buy-tickets-to-roe/>

In keeping with WAM’s double philanthropic mission, a portion of the
proceeds from ROE will be divided among these three non-profits: the
Amherst-based Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts (ARFWM),
Railroad Street Youth Project in Great Barrington, and SisterSong,
headquartered in Atlanta, GA.

ARFWM is a community-based, all-volunteer organization dedicated to
overcoming barriers to abortion health care. They promote access by
providing financial and logistical support to pregnant people through
compassionate caller-centered care that respects their dignity and human
rights. WAM’s donation will help provide much needed assistance
facilitating access to time-sensitive, essential care during the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic.

Railroad Street Youth Project empowers young people by supporting
youth-inspired projects that promote responsibility, self-worth, and
intergenerational communication.

The staff then expertly pairs these youth-generated ideas with community
resources. WAM’s donation will help train new educators in the only
evidence-based sexual health education in the area, serving 250 students in
South County schools.

Launched in 1997 by 16 women-of-color-led organizations, SisterSong is the
oldest and largest multi-ethnic Reproductive Justice organization, and the
only one headquartered in the South. Their mission is to amplify and
strengthen the collective voices of Indigenous women and women of color to
ensure Reproductive Justice through securing human rights.

WAM’s donation will support their Birth Justice program in Georgia, a state
with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country.  Through
this program, SisterSong organizes Advanced Doula Trainings, advocates for
Community Midwives and Birth Workers, and creates community and learning
space with their Mama Talks.

For more information on the ROE beneficiaries visit:

https://www.wamtheatre.com/engage/2020-roe-beneficiaries/

The 2020 beneficiaries were chosen after a thoughtful and rigorous
selection process, including a request for proposals and site visits,
overseen by a committee at WAM consisting of Kristen van Ginhoven (WAM
Producing Artistic Director), Margaret Fluhr (WAM Board of Directors),
Wendy Healey (WAM Board of Directors), Dori Parkman [WAM General Manager],
and Lia Russell-Self (WAM Associate Artist).

Directed by van Ginhoven and supported with powerful theatrical design
elements, ROE’s large ensemble cast will illuminate 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. WAM’s
innovative, online performance will bring the dynamic history and how it
relates to our current world into the comfort of your own home.

The cast is led by acclaimed actress and Berkshire resident Tara Franklin
as Norma McCorvey, the woman who became “Jane Roe” in the landmark 1973
supreme court case, and Tracy Liz Miller, who has previously worked with
WAM as a Fresh Takes reading director, as lawyer Sarah Weddington.
Acclaimed actress Susanna Guzmán appears as Connie Gonzales, Norma’s
longtime partner, and assistant director Catherine Dickerson will play
Roxy. Berkshire favorites MaConnia Chesser and Ryan Winkles lead the
ensemble, including Vivian Burnham, KD McTeigue, Daniel Rios, Jr., and
Wendy Welch, each of whom appears as multiple characters.

For more information on the ROE cast visit:
https://www.wamtheatre.com/showsandevents/roe/roe-cast/

Thanks to a grant from Mass Humanities, WAM is also working in
collaboration with Scholar-In-Residence Dr. Laura Briggs, Professor of
Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at UMass Amherst, and dialogue experts
Essential Partners to open up and deepen the conversation around
reproductive justice during this election year.

For more information on Dr. Briggs, Essential Partners, and the ROE
Creative Team visit:

https://www.wamtheatre.com/showsandevents/roe/roe-creative-team/
<https://www.wamtheatre.com/showsandevents/roe/roe-cast/>

For more information about WAM Theatre’s 2020 programs, events, and
artists, please visit www.WAMTheatre.com <http://www.wamtheatre.com>.

AT A GLANCE



ROE

by Lisa Loomer

Online October 17-20, 2020



Cast:

Vivian Burnham - Emily, Melissa

MaConnia Chesser - Aileen, Barbara, Waitress, Uma, Davina, Pregnant Woman
#3, Christian Woman #1, Peggy, Television News Reporter

Catherine Dickerson - Roxy

Tara Franklin - Norma McCorvey

Susanna Guzmán - Connie, Ofelia

KD McTeigue - Linda Coffee, Judy, Rhonda, Holly Hunter, Eleanor Smeal,
Mariah, Mary Gilmour, Pregnant Woman #1, Pregnant Woman #2, Pro-Life Woman

Tracy Liz Miller - Sarah Weddington

Daniel Rios, Jr. - Henry McCluskey, Jay Floyd, TV Newsman, Beau, Fred
Gilmour, Abortion Doctor, Television News Reporter, Christian Man, Male TV
Reporter, Pro-Life Man

Wendy Welch - Molly, Mary, Gloria Allred, Christian Woman #1, Christian
Woman #2, Pro-Choice Woman #1, Pro-Choice Woman #2

Ryan Winkles - Doctor, Ron Weddington, Flowers, Fred Friendly, Michael
Manheim, Justice Blackman, Flip Benham



Creative Team:

Amy Altadonna - Sound Designer

Dr. Laura Briggs - Scholar-In-Residence

Deborah Brothers - Costume Designer

Catherine Dickerson - Assistant Director

Essential Partners - Dialogue Experts

Tatiana Godfrey - Assistant Dramaturg

Elisabeth Castellon Goncalves - Assistant Sound Designer

Juliana von Haubrich - Scenic Designer

Aja Jackson - Lighting Designer

Hope Rose Kelly - Stage Manager

Talya Kingston - Dramaturg

Ashley Lewis - Assistant Stage Manager

Trenda Loftin - BIPOC Staff and Advocate

Calypso Michelet - Assistant Costume Designer

Frida Swallow - Assistant Lighting Designer

Kristen van Ginhoven - Director

"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

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).



TICKET INFO

For ROE Tickets visit: https://www.wamtheatre.com/
<https://www.wamtheatre.com/buy-tickets-to-roe/> or call 413.274.8122

ABOUT OUR BENEFICIARIES:

https://www.wamtheatre.com/engage/2020-roe-beneficiaries/

ABORTION RIGHTS FUND OF WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS

The donation from WAM will help provide much needed assistance during
COVID-19. COVID-19 has placed tremendous financial pressure on families
across Massachusetts. People need our assistance now more than ever. We are
facilitating access to time-sensitive, essential abortion health care to
people in Massachusetts and beyond. At this critical time, we are making a
point to pledge funds quickly and generously.

ARFWM promotes access to abortion health care by providing financial and
logistical support to pregnant people through compassionate caller-centered
care that respects their dignity and human rights.

The Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts is a community-based,
all-volunteer organization dedicated to overcoming barriers to abortion
health care.

www.arfwm.org

RAILROAD STREETThe donation from WAM will help us to train new educators in
evidence-based sexual health education, which serves 250 students in South
County schools--the only program of its kind in the area.

Railroad Street Youth Project empowers young people by supporting
youth-inspired projects that promote responsibility, self-worth and
intergenerational communication.

At Railroad Street, youth take the lead. They explore their full potential
and become equipped to meet the challenging transition to adulthood. Our
professional staff expertly pairs youth-generated ideas with community
resources, empowering youth to create and oversee a wide range of
innovative, life-changing projects.

Unmatched in mission and scope, Railroad Street excels in helping youth
find their voice and realize the benefits of their commitment to themselves
and their community.

https://rsyp.org/


SISTER SONG:

The donation from WAM will help us fight for Reproductive Justice (RJ)* by
supporting our Birth Justice work in Georgia, which has one of the highest
maternal mortality rates in the country.  Through our Birth Justice
programming, we organize Advanced Doula Trainings, we advocate for
Community Midwives and Birth Workers, and we create community and learning
space with our Mama Talks.

SisterSong was launched in 1997 to create and support a national RJ
movement. Our founders were 16 women-of-color-led organizations across the
US, representing four racial/ethnic groups. We are the oldest and largest
multi-ethnic Reproductive Justice organization, and the only one
headquartered in the South – ground zero for the War on Women.

Our mission is to amplify and strengthen the collective voices of
Indigenous women and women of color to ensure Reproductive Justice through
securing human rights.

https://www.sistersong.net/

*What Is Reproductive Justice (RJ)?

Reproductive Justice was coined in 1994 by Women of African Descent for
Reproductive Justice, a group of Black women who recognized that the
white-led women’s rights movement was not prioritizing issues critical to
women of color, and that we must represent our own communities. They
defined Reproductive Justice (RJ) as the right to maintain personal bodily
autonomy, determine the number and spacing of our children, and parent our
children in safe and sustainable communities. RJ encompass all aspects of
social justice, for all impact the self-determination of family life. The
RJ framework is based on the Declaration of Human Rights. It addresses how
multiple oppressions intersect to deny RJ, and centers achieving full
rights for the most marginalized people in order to make our society truly
free.

Special thanks to the WAM Beneficiary Committee for their hard work:
Margaret Fluhr, Wendy Healey, Dori Parkman, Lia Russell-Self, and Kristen
van Ginhoven.

WAM 2020 Sponsors

WAM’s 2020 sponsors include Adams Community 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, Greylock Federal
Credit Union, Haven Cafe and Bakery, Health Professional Coaching, Heller &
Robbins, Interprint, J.H. Maxymillian, Inc., Lake House Inn. Lee Bank,
Massachusetts Cultural Council, Onyx Specialty Papers, Outpost Productions,
RB Design Co., The Rookwood Inn, T Square Design Studio, Toole Insurance,
and a. von schlegell & co.

WAM Theatre is also supported in part by grants from the Massachusetts
Cultural Council, as well as grants from the Alford-Egremont Cultural
Council, Lenox Cultural Council, Pittsfield Cultural Council, and the
Sandisfield Cultural Council – local agencies supported by the
Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

ROE is sponsored in part by Maggie and Don Buchwald, Berkshire Taconic
Community Foundation, the Brabson & Library Educational Foundation and Mass
Humanities.

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 T

heatre 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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