Read & Rant is Athena Project’s book club exploring plays written primarily by women. We read one to two scripts or ancillary materials during the month and typically meet every third Monday online via Zoom, to discuss the works. Learn what makes a good script, discuss how it affects us, and explore the ways it links to the larger world. Join us to converse with invited guests who bring an in-depth knowledge base. This monthly free offering to the community aims to raise awareness of the under-representation of women’s stories on stage.

All meetings take place on Zoom unless otherwise noted.
READ & RANTS will be every THIRD MONDAY from 6:30-8:30pm

Note:  No Read & Rant in December. 

When you register for the event on Eventbrite, you should receive a confirmation email.

  • Email subject line will say “Order Confirmation for Athena Project: Read & Rant [month, year]”. This initial email has a synopsis and the links to both scripts.
  • Two days prior to the event, you should receive another email with the subject line “Reminder for Athena Project: Read & Rant [month, year].” This email also includes the synopsis and links to both scripts.
  • Plan to read scripts well in advance before the Zoom meeting.

Please note that the scripts don’t come as attachments, they are .pdf links. So the body of the email will contain two paragraphs with the details of that month’s scripts.

For example:

Mak Shealy’ s Victorian Psychedelic Sleepover Play

On the eve of a 16th birthday, four teens meet after their writing is rejected by the school lit mag to create a Literary Zine of their own. Seeking editorial guidance, they conjure the ghosts of writers past and find themselves possessed by the spirit, chaos and conflict of the Victorian Era radicals they have long admired.

Content Warning: bullying, blood/bodily fluids, discussion of IVF, birth, substance use, disordered eating implied

Link to Script

You must click the link, and it will take you to the script.

If there are any questions or concerns please contact literarymanager@athenaprojectarts.org

20 May
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
17 Jun
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
15 Jul
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
19 Aug
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
16 Sep
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
21 Oct
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

“This was one of the most organized, most in-depth, most thoughtful and focused discussions about a play that I have ever participated in… and I’ve been writing for forty years. Athena takes the nurturing of women playwrights seriously, and I encourage playwrights to submit work and also to drop in and give a listen. It was a privilege to be part of it. As a woman on the spectrum, I actually felt welcome at the table.”

— Carolyn Gage

“This was my first Read & Rant and it was amazing! The plays were creatively insightful and the discussion elevating and inspirational. Thank you, Jennie, for turning me on to this group! And thank you to all who contribute to making these conversations happen!”

— Megan Weiler Crigger

 

“Athena Project’s Read & Rant program is part of a vital web of digital theatre that’s happening today. Making theatre accessible to people in the pandemic has been a nurturing, expansive experience for me over the past 3 years, and I look forward to seeing how Read & Rant develops as the pandemic continues. I’m grateful for theatres like Athena who saw a need for accessible theatre and met it with enthusiasm. It sends a very direct message to the immune-compromised and disabled community that we are seen and valued as theatre-makers and theatre-lovers.”

— Jordan Elizabeth Henry

PAID DRAMATURGICAL OPPORTUNITIES WITH ATHENA PROJECT’S READ & RANT

Athena Project is currently seeking dramaturgs to join our artistic network! Our virtual Read & Rant program combines 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!