Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival Announces Updated Schedule

The Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival (LAWTF) marks 29 years of producing over 600 extraordinary multicultural and multidisciplinary solo performers from around the globe.

The longest-running Annual Solo Festival for women in Los Angeles, LAWTF will take place March 24- March 27, 2022. The Festival will be presented virtually again this year. The overall theme of the Festival is Beyond Boundaries.

The Champagne GALA and Awards Ceremony on March 24, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. will be held in honor of exceptional women who have made laudable contributions in theatre. The GALA will be hosted by Hattie Winston (Becker) and Ted Lange (The Love Boat). The theme of the GALA is BRAVA! The honorees include:

Olympia Dukakis - Infinity Award

Presented to an artist who has passed on and leaves behind a legacy that will always be remembered.

Chita Rivera - Eternity Award

Presented to an artist or individual whose lifetime achievements have made a lasting contribution to the world of theatre

Iona Morris - Integrity Award

Presented to an artist or individual who has brought credibility and dignity to her work

Kristina Wong - Maverick Award

Presented to an artist or individual whose work has set a high standard of individuality and self-styled creativity.

TERRIE SILVERMAN - Rainbow Award

The Rainbow Award, bestowed on an artist or individual for her diverse contributions in fostering non-traditional and multicultural theatre works

There will be performances in addition to the awards presentations.;

Karen A Clark in A Tribute to Women. This spoken word and musical excerpt will pay homage to women.

Juli Kim in Abandon. In this dance piece, the woman abandons both beauty and docility in favor of inner strength and power

Festival programs centered on performances take place on Friday, March 25 at 8:00, Saturday, March 26 at 3:00 and 8:00, and Sunday, March 26 at 3:00 and 7:00.

Each of these five shows will feature performances by exceptional female solo artists, including actors, musicians and dancers. The line-up is as follows:

Friday, March 25 at 8:00 p.m. Theme: The Other. Hosted by Kat Kramer (Turnover) and Fay Hauser-Price (Roots: The Next Generation)

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Lynne Jassem in Tapping My Way to the Nuthouse. One child dancer story of mental pain and ultimate mental health is told through the lenses of multi-media, tap dance, mime, music and humor.

Manca Ogorevc in The Child Behind the Eyes. On the eve of her son's first day of school, the character Maya reflects on her child who has Down's Syndrome.

Kathryn Smith in A Mile in My Shoes. Esther, an omniscient "Shoe Whisperer," walks us through her life on Skid Row.

Saturday, March 26, at 3:00 p.m. Theme: Around the World and Back. Hosted by Jessica Lynn Johnson (CEO Soaring Solo Studios LLC) and JC Cadena. (Producer).

Roxanne Beckford in Walk Good: A Jamerican Journey. How the littlest Head Girl at St. Andrews Preparatory in Kingston, Jamaica became a driver in a presidential motorcade for the leader of the free world...after pit stops as a beauty queen, a mother of four, and a female actor.

Shelley Cooper in an excerpt from La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas. Callas explores her complicated relationship with the mogul, Aristotle Onassis.

Azo Safo in I Heart Maroc. Journey into the lives of rural Moroccans through the eyes of Azo, a 24-year-old Peace Corps volunteer who goes to Morocco to find her life's purpose.

Tanya Thomas in Naturally Tan. Told through the bold perspective of a vivacious drag queen named Tanvi, this piece follows Tanya Thomas' desperation to fit in as a minority in Singapore and her search for acceptance in America.

Saturday, March 26 at 8:00 p.m. Theme: Identity. Hosted by Margaret Avery (The Color Purple) and Dawn Didawick (Hart of Dixie).

Barbara Brownell in Finding My Light. It's not the cards you are dealt but the attitude that makes all the difference. This excerpt follows one woman's search for her biological father.

Kira Powell in Caught in the Mix. A journey through the life of a mixed Black and Latina woman who grew up being taught she was white and ultimately embraces her true identity.

Bethany Vee in I Have Too Many Feelings. Bethany's feelings may have dominated her existence from the beginning of time, but now she's actually facing them.

Sunday, March 27 at 3:00 p.m. Theme: In Relation to..... Hosted by Lynne Conner (Tale of Two Dragons) and Lula Washington (Lula Washington Dance Theatre).

Kirsten Laurel Caplan in Lady LiberTEASE. Kirsten discovers the long-forgotten American goddess Columbia- an inspiring symbol of female empowerment but, after making a commitment to anti-racism, uncovers truths about her family's history that connects her to Columbia's own problematic past.

Dee Freeman in The Poison Gun. Dee, a naïve 6-year-old Black girl from rural Louisiana becomes a key witness in a murder investigation as she fights to keep a secret from a racist cop who has his own agenda for finding out the truth.

Victoria Montalbano in The Princess Strikes Back: One Woman's Search for the Space Cowboy of Her Dreams. In 1997, Victoria Montalbano was introduced to her perfect man, Han Solo, and she's been looking for him ever since.

Sunday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m. Theme: Resilience. Hosted by Jahna Houston (Hollywood Fiction) and Sky Palkowitz (Senior Love Triangle).

Sandra Booker in She Can Be Evil- A Survivor's Story. This excerpt takes a look at the life of a Black jazz singer and pole dancer who was sexually assaulted by the man she loved, all the while finding solace in her world of music.

Amanda Broomell in Mandy Picks a Husband. This romantic odyssey of a nearly 40-year-old singleton and her aged cat channels the trials and tribulations of courting in the modern age.

Alma Collins in Strong Like Honey. The story of a little girl growing up in Venice, CA who experiences the generational relationship between grandmother, mother and daughter, and how understanding and forgiveness allowed her to find healing in the dynamics of this African-American family.

Jessica Lynn Johnson will return this year with her FREE workshop for writer-performers, The Art of Creating the One-Person Play, to be held virtually on Saturday, March 12 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Founded by Executive Producer Adilah Barnes and Miriam Reed, the Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival is an Annual Event unique among Los Angeles cultural institutions, not to be missed.

The Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival is a non-profit arts organization supported in part by the California Arts Council, LA County Arts and Culture, Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Los Angeles, City of Culver City, City National Bank, California Wellness Foundation, KPFK 90.7, Lendistry, Women in Media, Union Bank and Adilah Barnes Productions.

Single show tickets are $20.00. GALA tickets are $25.00. A VIP all-access pass for the entire Festival is available for $80.00. Reservations will be available at (818) 760-0408 or go to http://www.lawtf.org To join and follow LAWTF on Facebook and Twitter, click on their links at http://www.lawtf.org

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