Women Take the Lead at FringeNYC

Looking through the Program Guide of FringeNYC 2015, one thing is abundantly clear: women are in the house! This year's line up of over 200 shows features the talent of a remarkable number of women on and off the stage as writers, directors, stage managers, producers, company representatives, performers and more.

Many of these shows are spearheaded by women. "Hearts Afire" written and produced by Darcy Heller Sternberg, has only one male on the entire production team. With Madeline Brennan's direction coming to life, Stage Managers Lindsey Gradwohl and Lauren Wright, Lighting Designer Leslie Smith and Company Management/Press Representative Taylor Lane Ross, this show is jam packed with females. "Poor People" based off of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Poor Folk, is written by Lavina Roberts. Her director Irene Kapustina, Dramaturge Annie Crowly and Cynthia McDonald's costume design bring this wonderful story to the modern day. Leanora Lange wears many hats for her show "CHOP-CHOP-ZIG- ZAG-WOYZECK" as the translator, adaptor, and director. Her team also includes stage manager Courtney Savoia and multitalented performers Aimee Trasher, Kristen Busalacchi, dancer Alexandra Marks, and comedienne Samantha Turret. Lizz Lesier serves as the head writer/lyricist, producer, and co-director of "The Magic Jukebox: New York City World Tour", with co-director and choreographer Kacie Laforest. The director of "Parthenogenesis" is Ashley Marinaccio, Tess R. Ornstein wrote and directed "Cherubim" and Martha ("Marty") Moore directs "Bullet For Unaccompanied Heart." All have a strong passion for female empowerment, on and off the stage.

Not only are women at the helm, they are at the center of many of the plays as well. "Elvira-The Immigration Play" is the story of an undocumented woman named Elvira Arellano, who became a symbol for the immigrant rights movement. Based on historical events, Ducdame Ensemble's new adaptation of Lope de Vega's classic, "FUENTE OVEJUNA," features women with weapons taking charge in an uprising against the tyranny of an oppressive military overlord. "Kill Sister, Kill! A Musical" features two strong female characters, sisters Lily and Kitty, as it tells the story of a former nun who rebuilds herself into a vigilante to find justice for her murdered sister and for all abused women of New York. "Princess Cut: A young girl's reality inside a Tennessee sex ring" depicts the true story of a young girl's psychological trauma as she is forced into sex trafficking ring by her cousin.

FringeNYC has always had a strong woman at its helm. Elena Holy has been the Producing Artistic Director of the New York International Fringe Festival since its inception 19 years ago, making magic happen everywhere she goes. That there are numerous shows with female artistic/production teams and women at their center demonstrates that FringeNYC strongly represents female artists. This is one more compelling reason to come out and support FringeNYC this year! The New York International Fringe Festival is an annual two-week event, which takes place in downtown Manhattan theatres each August featuring over 200 shows with 1,100 performances. More details about the festival can be found at: www.fringenyc.org.