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2023 Read and Rant
March 20, 2023 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm MDT
Athena Project’s Read & Rant program seeks to combine the sharing of theatrical work with the wider public and the new play development aspects of our former Plays In Progress Series while also fostering collaboration between playwrights and dramaturgs. Think book club for plays! Learn what makes a good script, discuss how it affects us, and explore the ways it links to the larger world. This monthly free offering to the community aims to raise awareness of the under-representation of women’s stories on stage.
Each month, we read two new and unproduced scripts selected from a nationwide call for submissions and typically meet every third Monday online via Zoom to discuss the works. Join us to converse with invited playwrights who bring an in-depth knowledge of the works and theatrical writing at large. Guided by a dramaturg, we also invite you to share your constructive comments, thoughts, and affirmations in order to aid in the development process of the pieces.
This month we will be featuring two playwrights selected from our Read & Rant lottery:
Laura Anthony’s A Very Great Mischief:
In August 1921, the British House of Commons presented a clause to amend Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885. This act was used to send Oscar Wilde to prison in 1895 for “committing acts of gross indecency with male persons,” and was commonly understood as the buggery law. The resolution would add “acts of indecency by females” to the buggery laws of Great Britain. Such an amendment was lambasted as “a very great mischief,” that would not deter women from same-sex encounters, but rather inform those who were not aware that they could engage in such acts. Inspired by the true events of 1921, A Very Great Mischief is a queer spin on Cyrano de Bergerac and Twelfth Night in the farcical style of Oscar Wilde.
Kate Douglas’ Wonderland:
Wonderland explores the anguish and ecstasy of women’s anger in two parts.
Part One is set in a dystopian ‘anger management’ rehab for women to help heal them of their rage and “get control of their lives.”
Part Two is set in an outlandishly monied suburb where omnipresent violence is entirely normalized.
After you register for a session, you will receive information on how to access our featured scripts. We want everyone to participate who would like to learn more about these talented playwrights and their plays.
