Little Black Dress INK and the Prescott Center for the Arts are partnering once again to produce the 5th annual Female Playwrights ONSTAGE Festival, Curves Ahead, Oct. 6-8 with shows at 7:30 p.m nightly and a 2 pm matinee on Oct. 8. Little Black Dress INK, a female playwright producing organization created by Prescott native Tiffany Antone, is bringing these 12 new short plays by female playwrights from across the country to the PCA for one weekend only!
The Curves Ahead festival is the fifth installment of the Female Playwrights ONSTAGE Project, with past festivals including last year’s Outside the Lines, along with Planting the Seed, From the Mouths of Babes, and Dirty Laundry.
The festival features plays written by playwrights from around the country, but Prescott remains an important part of LBDI’s ONSTAGE Project.
“Even though I’m working in Arkansas now, Prescott always will be ‘home,’” said Antone. “Not to mention the community of artists here is so supportive and welcoming.”
Prescott is well-represented in this year’s line-up, with plays by both Antone and local playwright Amber Bosworth in the festival. Not to mention, over 25 Quad-City area artists will work together to bring the plays to life through a partnership with the PCA. Directors include Don Langford, Frank Malle, Karen Murphy, Layla Tenney, Julie Chavez Harrington, and Mary Timpany.
In the past, each festival has included semi-finalist readings across the nation before the final staged performance in Prescott. This year’s festival featured readings of 41 plays in 6 different cities before the winning line up was selected.
“By partnering with artists in multiple US cities, we are able to bring these plays to more audiences than we would ever be able to do on our own,” notes Antone. “This year we were actually able to add an additional production with our partners, Acadiana Repertory Theatre, in Lafayette, LA.”
A reading of the 12 winning plays will also take place in New York City on October 26th at Standard ToyKraft in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Inspired by how few female playwrights actually get produced, Little Black Dress INK strives to create more production opportunities for female playwrights while also strengthening the female playwright network.
“Little Black Dress INK wants to bring new work by female playwrights to expanded audiences, and the ONSTAGE Project allows us to do just that,” said Antone.
And as for this year’s theme, Curves Ahead, Antone notes that, “being both a woman and a very visual playwright, I really liked the multiple meanings of ‘curves ahead.’ There were a few plays that took place in cars, which I expected, but there also were many writers that took the theme to really wild, surprising places.”
“The thing that’s most exciting about our ONSTAGE festivals is the broad range of genres on display,” said Antone. “Each play is under ten minutes, so you are able to experience an eclectic range of work. A lot of the plays this year are really funny. Even the plays exploring big issues are doing so with a lot of laughs, so there is poignancy there but we’re getting it with a healthy dose of the giggles. This year’s festival really has something for everyone!”
An added bonus to the fest is that there will be an opening night post-show reception at El Gato Azul, this year’s sponsor. Audiences will be able to mix and mingle with the cast and a few of this year’s playwrights while enjoying light snacks at the restaurant!
Be advised: Some plays do contain mature subject matter and language.
