6th Annual Women's Theatre Festival Announced

Based in Raleigh, NC, the Women's Theatre Festival was formed in 2016 to address issues of gender parity on and off Triangle area stages. With a mission to create, produce, and promote extraordinary theatre by women and all under-represented genders, WTF has produced 24 mainstage shows, 43 Fringe-style productions, and over 125 staged readings. The've also hosted over 175 workshops, panels, and community events on everything from theatrical intimacy to how to program a lighting board to discussions on diversity and inclusion with local and national voices.

WTF was one of the first companies globally to pivot to virtual theatre programming. During the pandemic alone WTF has produced two all virtual mainstage productions, launched a Virtual Plays Club, and produced Occupy The Stage and The Triangle Bake-Off, two massive virtual staged reading events. Festival 21 will be their second all-virtual summer Festival including WTF Con, their conference programming track, WTFringe, their Fringe performance festival, and WTFamily, a hybrid track of camps and other offerings to support children, parents, and families.

WTFCon 21

Their conference program track provides theatre practitioners, students, and enthusiasts alike the opportunity to dive deep into trainings, conversation, and community through a variety of paths. WTF Con 21 runs Mondays through Fridays July 12-23, 2020. You can view the evolving line-up on https://www.womenstheatrefestival.com/wtfcon. This all virtual conference takes place on Sched, making it easy for attendees to gain access to all WTF Con has to offer in one central location! Programming is available via an All Access Pass or a variety of a la carte options.

Intensives

Start your day with a 2, 3, or 5 Day Intensive Course from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm EDT. Attendees can choose from two concurrent Intensives designed to provide in-depth training in a specific area.

5-Day Intensives:

a-? Amp'd Action: Devised Theatre Through An Activist Lens with the Voices Amp'd Team - July 12-16, 2021

a-? Adventures in Early Career Directing with WTF's Johannah Maynard Edwards & Guest Directors - July 19-23, 2021

3-Day Intensives:

• The Dramaturgy of Devising with The Anthropologists - July 14-16, 2021
• Home Studio Bootcamp with Juliana Valente - July 21-23, 2021

2-Day Intensives:

• Consent Beyond Choreography with K. Ella Mock - July 12-13, 2021
• Self-Promotion for Artists with Maggie Bera / The Actor's Aesthetic - July 19-20, 2021

Keynote CONversations

July 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22 at 7pm EDT

For 8 evenings in July, join some of WTF's most exciting industry guests for a nightly Keynote CONversation. Check back soon for the complete line-up of guests, but expect a talk with Lauren Gunderson, America's most produced living playwright, a panel of the top intimacy education minds, a conversation with Karen Olivo & Eden Espinosa, Broadway producers Katharine Quinn & Sally Cade, and many more!

The CONcurrent Series

July 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, & 22 at 1pm EDT

For their midday offerings, attendees choose from 3 concurrent live sessions on a variety of topics. From Celebrating and Educating the Gender Spectrum to Technical Improvisation for Virtual Theatre to Feminist Acting Class, there's truly something for everyone! If it's too hard to choose, don't worry! The All Access Pass includes access to all the recorded sessions to view asynchronously!

CONnector Sessions

Daily at WTF Con 21 at 10am & 2:30pm EDT

Networking a building community is what makes WTF Con so special! Twice daily attendees can pop into CONnector networking lounges to make connections, build conversations, and learn about new opportunities.

Learning Lunches

July 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, & 22 at 12:30pm EDT

Enjoy your midday meal during these informal bite-size sessions!

Sharing Salon

Fridays July 16 & 23, 2021 at 1pm EDT

Spend Friday afternoons with us in celebration and community! Salon times will include informal sharings of work and ideas surfaced during the week, performances by their WTFamily campers, and time to deepen connections made at WTF Con!

WTFringe 21

This all-virtual play festival will take place July 9-11th, 16-18th, 23-25th, 2021; centering Women, Non-Binary, Gender Non-Conforming, and Trans artists; and featuring Diverse, Black, Indigenous, POC, Global Majority, & Disabled, Deaf, and Neuro-Diverse artists. Tickets to all performances are available NOW through their website.

The 14 plays produced and performed this July will take the audience from the hallowed halls of a historical museum to an immersive spoken word experience, from teletherapy to using AI to communicate with a deceased loved one. The playwrights range from a visual artist to an Obie Lifetime Achievement Award-Winner, from a puppeteering playwright to an honorary Doctorate of Literature.

WTFringe 21 Official Line-Up:

WHO THEY ARE (Written and Directed by Christine Toy Johnson), RECOMMENDED FOR YOU (Written by Tory Parker and Produced by DCSG Theatre) the life before / reconstruction / reconstructing whiteness (Produced by Alva Rogers & Brenna Ross), THE BOWELS (Written & Produced by Annette Sanchez, Directed by Kaycee Swierc), when once the sky was blue (Produced by Harshini J. Karunaratne), TERMS OF FORBEARANCE (Produced by Emma Givens), FROZEN FLUID (Written by Fly Jamerson, Produced by Raulie Martinez and The Scoundrel and Scamp Theatre), RECIPE FOR REDACTION (Produced by Ali Gautier), THE ROVER (Produced by Noelle Azarelo with Brave New Classics), No Justice (Written by Dana Hall & Keneisha Morgan and Produced by This Moment Productions), MOTHERLAND (Produced by Amy Pan & Danielle Cummings), ELECTRA (Adapted by Adrienne Kennedy and Directed by Claudia Alick), AMAZONS, ABOLITIONISTS & ACTIVISTS (Produced by WTFamily & Seed Art Share), and THEATRE: A LOVE STORY (Written by Caridad Svich and Produced by WTFringeLab'21)

WTFamily 21

WTFamily is WTF's hybrid programming track that addresses the needs of families, caregivers, and parent artists. This year, they are providing stellar performance camps for young people ages 7-17 in partnership with Seed Art Share.

WTFamily Kids: RISK TAKERS, GROUND BREAKERS, & ART MAKERS

a-? WEEK ONE: July 12-16, 10:30 am -12:30 pm EDT (priority registration deadline 7/5/21)

a-? WEEK TWO: July 19-23, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm EDT (priority registration deadline 7/12/21)

Register for one or both sessions: the curriculum will change between the weeks.

Led by Seed Art Share teaching artist Barbette Hunter, students ages 7-11 will use the Little People, BIG DREAMS Learning Cards, by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Lo Harris, as a jumping-off point to create their own theatrical piece. These cards feature 20 different influential women throughout history and are sure to inspire creativity and ingenuity! Students will share their work at the Festival 21 Friday "Salon" on July 16 and 23 (between 1-2:30 pm EDT).

All materials are included & will be sent to registered attendees (US shipping only).

WTFamily Teens: AMAZONS, ABOLITIONISTS, & ACTIVISTS

A 2-WEEK CAMP: July 12-23, 1:00-2:30 pm EDT (priority registration deadline 7/5/21)

Led by Seed Art Share teaching artists Barbette Hunter & Sam Corey, students ages 12-17 will use the graphic history Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women's Fight for Their Rights by Mikki Kendall and A. D'amico to engage in a devised theatre process based on the amazing, groundbreaking stories of femme figures throughout world history! On July 23, the WTFamily Teens group will share their work during the Friday "Salon" time (1-2:30 pm EDT) and as part of WTFringe in the evening (5:00 pm EDT)! All materials are included & will be sent to registered attendees (US shipping only).

How To Participate in Festival 21

Everything you need can be found directly on their website:

https://www.womenstheatrefestival.com/festival-21

Registering for WTF Con 21:

1. Purchase your ticket through https://wtfcon21.eventbrite.com

2. You'll be automatically prompted to Log In or Create A Sched Account

3. Once you're logged into Sched, just click on the Con sessions you wish to register for!

Attending WTFringe 21 Performances:

1. Purchase your tickets through https://www.womenstheatrefestival.com/festival-21

2. Your viewing links will be emailed to you!

Registering for WTFamily 21 Virtual Camps:

1. Sign up through https://wtfamily21.eventbrite.com

2. You'll be sent your camper's instructions and zoom links by email and.... They will receive their WTFamily Care Package with all of their materials by snail mail! (***so be sure to register by the priority deadlines to ensure that the camper's package arrives on time!)

Other Ways To Join The WTF Community:

Follow their Facebook Page & Join their Facebook Groups--

WTFamily Group, WTF Emerging Professionals, & WTF Virtual Plays Club

& The Femme Noir Facebook Page

Connect with us on Instagram or Twitter @WTFestivalNC,

Subscribe to their YouTube and Twitch Channels,

Or drop a line to info@womenstheatrefestival.com!

Pay What You Can

WTF embraces Pay What You Can (PWYC) pricing as a way to create equitable access to their programs for all. Their belief is that people pay what they can when they can, and our sales data from the past year support this belief. They also believe in radical financial transparency. They tell their patrons the truth:

• they rely on sales revenue to pay for their programs,
• they use their sales revenue to pay their people for their work,
• their programs are valuable,
• and individuals should not be excluded based on their economic constraints.

WTF Con 21 PWYC: Each ticket type through wtfcon21.eventbrite.com includes promo codes in their description. Simply enter the code to make your ticket the price you need it to be!

WTFringe 21 PWYC: When you add a ticket into your cart, you will be prompted to click on a PWYC icon. Simply enter the price you can pay and check out!

WTFamily 21 PWYC: Registration through wtfamily21.eventbrite.com is in donation format. You enter the amount you are able to pay!

Accessibility

WTF is committed to providing the most accessible and inclusive experience to all patrons and artists. They invite patrons with access needs to email info@womenstheatrefestival.com to request an accommodation. They prefer 1-2 week notice to ensure they can fulfill requests, but will always do everything in their power to make the program as accessible as possible for you!

Festival 21 Access Services

a-? Open Captioning provided for all WTFringe 21 performances

a-? ASL Interpretation provided for select WTF Con 21 sessions

a-? Auto-captions available for all WTF Con 21 sessions

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