Blog Posts - Jacqueline E. Lawton

The Inferior Sex: Staged Reading/Workshop Production at UNCW

2/1/2019

At long last, I'm finally able to share the photos from the stage reading/workshop production of The Inferior Sex at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. With this residency, I had the opportunity to work on any play. What a gift! To be told by the chair of the department: We just want to do and support whatever helps you, your craft, and your process. I have a lot of plays in the pipeline, as it were, and I'm glad that I chose The Inferior Sex.

I began writing this play in the wake of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. As cities across the world prepared for the second Women’s March, I kept thinking about the Equal Rights Amendment, which would guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. While it passed in 1972, it did not reach the 38 state threshold required for ratification. Recently, however, Nevada approved the amendment last year and Illinois approved it this past May. All hope is pointing to Virginia right now. If they approve it, then Equal Rights Amendment will become the law of the land. It’s amazing to think that the global focus on anti-sexual assault and women’s empowerment could lead to immediate, lasting, and comprehensive social and political change. Additionally, over the course of three workshops, actors--whether they were women or queer identifying, told me that they were so happy to be able to play smart, ambitious, passionate, and driven women, and that it was their first time doing so. It's an extraordinary statement, but not surprising given the history of the American Theatre.

My time at UNC Wilmington allowed me to dive deeper into the characters' emotional landscapes, clarify key plot points, and learn more about the world of the play. I remain deeply appreciative for this opportunity for and for the enthusiasm, humor, and talent of my brilliant cast and stage manager. I'm excited to see where this play goes next! Of course, I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Under the direction of Shirley Serotsky, the cast of The Inferior Sex included Alana Ashurst, Lizzie Bennett, Julie Bishop, Madeline Leah Mary Boltinghouse, Darien Bradley, Dajah Glenn, Margaret Naughton, Abigail Norris, Breonté Scarboro, and Samantha Stemmer. Our fearless stage manager is Heidi Casinger. It was such fun, productive, and inspiring experience. Please enjoy these photos of our time together!

Tablework!

Dramaturgy Session

Warm-ups!

Fun with Recipes

Runthru

Programs!

The Staged Reading!

Post Show Discussion

UNC Wilmington's Department of Theatre Presents A Stage Reading/Workshop Production of The Inferior Sex

1/9/2019

Edges of Time: Reading and Next Steps

12/21/2018

I'm writing to you from Denver, where I'm dramaturging the world premiere production of Donnetta Lavinia Grays beautiful play, Last Night and the Night Before at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. It's my first time in Denver and I'm beyond excited to be working on this new play with such a phenomenal group of theatre artists. It's also nice to be away for a bit. Of course, I'm still reeling from the joy and success of the new play workshop of Edges of Time. It was such a blessing to gather in a room full of women to tell the story of Marvel Cooke's extraordinary life and career.

I'll be working on revisions over the weekend. With this play, I'm thinking about what it means to leave a career that you love--a career you're good at, because economic and political forces push you out, and what is lost by your absence. I'm thinking about how a movement that focused on justice and workers' rights so terrified the powers-that-be that it was weaponized, and where we are now because impoverished people remain disenfranchised and do not control the narrative. I'm thinking about what happens to us as individuals when we begin to understand the larger systems at play that work to erase our humanity. I'm also thinking about how relevant this story is today given our socio-political and racial climate. This play has me so alive right now. To learn more about the play, the process, and to hear from my collaborators, please read this excellent interview, The Marvelous Life of Marvel Cooke, written by UNC College of Arts and Sciences Kim Weaver Spurr.

When I return from Denver, I'll be working to complete another rather exciting play, and I look forward to telling you more about it soon. In the meantime, please enjoy these photos from the rehearsal ad reading with my amazing, talented, generous, and brilliant ensemble: Kaja Dunn (Director), Ash Heffernan (Stage Directions), Kathryn Hunter-Williams (Marvel Cooke), and Jules Odendahl-James (Dramaturg). Please enjoy!

Edges of Time Workshop
Photos by Donn Young, College of Arts and Sciences

Edges of Time Program

Edges of Time Reading

Edges of Time Ensemble
Photo by David Navalinsky

L-R: Kaja Dunn (Director), Ash Heffernan (Stage Directions), Jacqueline E. Lawton (Playwright), Jules Odendahl-James (Dramaturg), and Kathryn Hunter-Williams (Marvel Cooke). Photo by David Navalinsky.

Edges of Time: New Play Development Workshop

12/11/2018

This semester, I participated in UNC's Institute for the Arts and Humanities’ Faculty Fellowship Program, which provides on-campus semester leaves for faculty to work on research for publication, exhibition, composition and performance. I used this time to research, write, and develop, Edges of Time, a new one woman play about the early life and career Marvel Cooke, an investigative journalist and activist, who participated in the labor organizing in the 1930s and fought for world peace, workers' rights, and civil liberties.

During the course of her life, Cooke achieved many ‘firsts.’ She was the first black baby born in Mankato, Minnesota on April 4, 1903, and became the first woman journalist at the Amsterdam News. In response to low wages, she went on to organize New York City’s first Newspaper Guild chapter and took part in a strike against the Amsterdam News. Most notably, she was the first African American or woman reporter at the white-owned daily Compass. Her most notable article, for which she won acclaim and recognition, was "The Bronx Slave Market." In this four part series, Cooke went undercover exposed the harsh working conditions of black domestic workers. In her own words, Cooke explains, "I was part of the Bronx Slave Market long enough to experience all the viciousness and indignity of system which forces women to the streets in search of work."

Through theatre, we are able to portray the powerful, strange, terrifying, curious, and beautiful of the human experience Quite simply, there is no better form through which to explore the human condition. This is my first return to the one person play in several years. While living in D.C., I wrote a handful of historically based one person plays for the National Museum of American History, and I loved the intimate nature of this storytelling. My goal with this play is not only to tell the powerful story of this extraordinary woman, but also to explore the impact of the Great Migration on the black community, the role of investigative journalism, and to champion the need labor laws and regulations.

On Friday, December 14th at 7:30pm, Edges of Time, we will invite an audience to experience the play and I can hardly wait. In my next post, I'll share more about our new play development workshop. In the meantime, please click here to learn more about the play and to hear from my brilliant and talented collaborators.

Edges of Time Reading

Edges of Time
by Jacqueline E. Lawton
Directed by Kaja Dunn
Dramaturgy by Jules Odendahl-James
Featuring Kathryn Hunter-Williams as Marvel Cooke
Stage Directions by Ash Heffernan

The reading and post show discussion will take place on Friday, December 14th from 7:30pm to 9:30pm in Room 102 at UNC's Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art, which is located at 150 Country Club Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.

About the Play
Edges of Time is a one woman show about the early life and career of Marvel Cooke, a journalist, activist, and all around unconventional woman. Set in 1963, in the wake of the Birmingham Church Bombing, Marvel reflects on the events of her life from a socialist upbringing in Minnesota to a career in progressive journalism in New York to an ill-fated trip to East Germany that led to a subpoena from Joseph McCarthy to testify at the Army–McCarthy hearings about her involvement with the Communist Party.  Edges of Time is a powerful and haunting exploration of the role of journalism, the impact of government overreach, and what it means for a woman to live her life freely and independently in a patriarchal world.

Edges of Time is being presented with the generous support of the Institute for Arts and Humanities Faculty Fellowship, the Department of Dramatic Art, and PlayMakers Repertory Company.  I would like to give special thanks to Michael Finkle, Elizabeth Teresita Howard, Brittany Marie Petruzzi, Kathy Perkins, Michael Rolleri, Kim Weaver Spurr, Jamie Strickland, Abbey Toot, Adam Verseyni, and Donn Young.

Edges of Time Ensemble

Jacqueline E. Lawton (Playwright) is a playwright, dramaturg, producer, and advocate for access, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the American Theatre. Her plays include: Among These Wild Things; Anna K; Blood-bound and Tongue-tied; Deep Belly Beautiful; The Devil’s Sweet Water; The Hampton Years; Intelligence, The Inferior Sex, Ira Aldridge: the African Roscius; Lions of Industry, Mothers of Invention; Love Brothers Serenade (2013 semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference); Mad Breed; Noms de Guerre; and Our Man Beverly Snow. Ms. Lawton received her MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a James A. Michener Fellow. She is a 2012 TCG Young Leaders of Color award recipient, National New Play Network (NNPN) Playwright Alum, and member of Arena Stage's Playwrights' Arena. She is also a proud member of the Dramatist Guild of America and the North Carolina Regional Representative. www.jacquelinelawton.com

Kaja Dunn (Director) is an Assistant Professor of Theatre and teaches acting at UNC Charlotte as well as being an actor, director, and activist. She has presented her work on Training Theatre Students of Color at University of London Goldsmiths, SETC and SETC Theatre Symposium, KCATF and The Association of Theatre in Higher Education among other places. She is on the National Board as secretary of the Black Theatre Association. She has performed in over 40 shows and taught and performed internationally. Most recently she mounted Caridad Svich's Archipelago which will begin touring in Summer 2019, and she will be directing A Raisin In The Sun at NC Stage Company next season. She was a 2018 keynote panelist at NCTC. Kaja was previously a Lecturer at California State University San Marcos and toured with Ya Tong Theatre in Taiwan. Other teaching credits include working with homeless and foster youth with Playwrights Project San Diego and as a teaching artist with Young Audiences. Her primary research focus is on using theatre to facilitate complex cultural conversation and Reimagining Theatre Training for Actors of Color. You can follow her on Twitter where she frequently posts about EDI issues under the handle @KajaDunn.

Jules Odendahl-James (Dramaturg) is an artist/scholar who has been making theater in the Triangle for two decades. Recent credits include The Moors by Jen Silverman, Vinegar Tom by Caryl Churchill at Duke University (director); Life Sucks by Aaron Posner at Manbites Dog, Rollover by Laura Moore, a new play in development at UNC-Chapel Hill (dramaturg). She was an Associate Artistic Director at Manbites Dog from 2014-2018; is a member of the new venture Bulldog Theatre Ensemble; an Associate Member of SDC, and a member of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA).

Kathryn Hunter Williams (Marvel Cooke) is Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Dramatic Art and Associate Director for Hidden Voices. As Associate Director of Hidden Voices, Kathryn co-created performances with undocumented immigrant youth, families escaping violence, military spouses, survivors of sexual assault, African-American communities facing gentrification, refugees, and the currently incarcerated. Kathryn also serves as Company Artistic Associate for PlayMakers Rep. Directing credits include: Count; To Buy the Sun; the Challenge of Pauli Murray, Orange Light, Radio Golf, Jitney, Nina Simone: What More Can I Say? A longstanding member of PlayMakers Repertory Company, she recently performed the role of Mrs. Dickson in Intimate Apparel. PRC plays includeSkeleton Crew, Dot, Intimate Apparel, The Crucible, Trouble in Mind, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and A Raisin in the Sun. She has also worked with Living Stage, The Negro Ensemble Company, and New Dramatists.

Ash Heffernan (Stage Directions) is a Dramatic Arts and Communications (Performance Studies) student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a producer for Kenan Theatre Company (KTC), the resident undergraduate departmental theatre group. She is currently co-producing the ongoing, monthly Reading Series and the upcoming spring production of Mr. Burns. She most recently appeared as Mary in The Language Archive with KTC and as Ophelia in Oak Park Festival Theatre’s Intern Shakespeare Showcase, where she also assistant directed two of their summer productions.

The Inferior Sex: Next Steps

11/30/2018

I'm about to head into the Day One of the new play development workshop for my new one woman play, Edges of Time (more in my next post), but I wanted to fill you in a bit on The Inferior Sex workshop that was hosted by the Kennedy Center as part of their Kenan Directing Fellowship. Simply put: it was an enormous success!

We had three wonderfully productive days around the table filled with rich, vibrant, and inspiring discussion. Being able to explore the emotional landscape and complex lives of these characters with some of the most talented, and thoughtful theatre artists was a true blessing. Doing so, allowed me to deepen the characters journeys and arcs, clarify plot points, and active exposition in ways that moved the play forward. What inspired me most was relevant this story is and how the joys and struggles of these characters resonate so deeply today.

I honestly cannot thank Gregg Henry enough for this opportunity! I also want to extend my deep appreciation to my director and dear friend Shirley Serotsky; our brilliant cast Sarah Corey, Shanara Gabrielle, Megan Graves, Daven Ralston, Madeline Joey Rose, Jasmine Rush, Sara Dabney Tisdale, and Jade Wheeler; our amazing stage manager Keri Schultz Kent, and the fantastic Kenan Directing Fellows Jake Owen and Timothy Thompson, who provided dramaturgical support and research throughout our process. With a team like this, it's not wonder the experience was so lovely.

I'm beyond excited to bring this play to the University of North Carolina at Wilminton's Department of Theatre this January. Shirley Serotsky will be directing the workshop production for that as well. Of course, I'll keep you posted about that experience. For now, please enjoy a few photos from out time together!

Playwright and Director Rockin' the KC Red Carpet!

The Inferior Sex Ensemble Around the Table

The Inferior Sex Ensemble Last Day

The Inferior Sex New Play Development Workshop

11/26/2018

From Tuesday, November 27th to Thursday, November 29th. my play, The Inferior Sex, will receive a new play development workshop as part of the William R. Kenan Jr. Fellowship at The Kennedy Center. Under the direction of Shirley Serotsky, who is this year’s Kenan Fellows Directing Mentor, the cast will include Sarah Corey as Vera, Shanara Gabrielle as Penny, Megan Graves as Joan, Daven Ralston as Alice, Madeline Joey Rose as Sandra, Jasmine Rush as Gwen, Sara Dabney Tisdale as Madeleine, and Jade Wheeler as Connie. Our stage manager is Keri Schultz Kent. Additionally, this year’s Kenan Directing Fellows Jake Owen and Timothy Thompson will provide dramaturgical support and research throughout our process.

Here's more information about the play:
It's the summer of 1972. As the war in Vietnam intensifies, the battle to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment ramps up across the nation, and Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm remains undeterred in her campaign for president. In midtown Manhattan, a small woman's magazine is on the verge of collapsing and threatens to dash the hopes and dreams of a group of women tired of being treated as second class. The Inferior Sex is a poignant and hilarious behind-the-scenes look at a woman's magazine that gets political, faces hard truths, and breaks new ground in an ever-changing world.

I began writing this play in the wake of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. As cities across the world prepared for the second Women’s March, I kept thinking about the Equal Rights Amendment, which would guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. While it passed in 1972, it did not reach the 38 state threshold required for ratification. However, in January of this year, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the long-contested amendment. It will now take a lawsuit in order for the Equal Rights Amendment to become the law of the land. Still, it’s amazing to think that the global focus on anti-sexual assault and women’s empowerment could lead to immediate, lasting, and comprehensive social and political change.

I wrote The Inferior Sex in two weeks. It’s the fastest I’ve ever written a play. I was fortunate enough to workshop the first draft of the script in March of this year with Elon University’s Kim Shively (director), Susanne Shawyer (dramaturg), and a bright and talented group of students in the Acting and Music Theatre BFA programs. I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend more time developing the script. I truly cannot thank Shirley and Gregg Henry (Director of the Kenan Fellows Program) enough for their continued support of my work and for including this play as part of the Kenan Fellowship experience.

In my next post, I’ll let you know about the workshop and the next steps for the development process. Until then, here are the lovely folx working with me!keri schultz ken

The Inferior Sex Director

Shirley Serotsky has been a director, dramaturg, artistic leader, educator and programmer in the Washington, DC area since 2001. She is currently the resident dramaturg for Mosaic Theater Company. Between 2008-2016 she served in a series of leadership positions (including Interim Artistic Director for the 2015-2016 season) at Theater J, a professional theatre company committed to producing timely, and often politically-charged, new plays and revivals. Shirley has taught and mentored students in the fields of directing, acting, dramaturgy, play analysis, theatre appreciation, new play development and auditioning. Selected directing credits include: The How and the Why, Another Way Home, The Call, Yentl, The Argument, The Hampton Years, The History of Invulnerability, The Moscows of Nantucket, Mikveh (Theater J);Rapture, Blister, Burn (Round House Theatre); The Jungle Book (Adventure Theatre); a 21/24 Signature Lab Workshop presentation of The Break (Signature Theatre); Other Life Forms, Working: The Musical (Keegan Theatre); Blood Wedding (Constellation Theatre); A Man, His Wife, and His Hat and Birds of a Feather (which won the 2012 Charles MacArthur Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play, The Hub Theatre);Juno and the Paycock (Washington Shakespeare Company); Reals, Five Flights and Two Rooms (Theater Alliance); Crumble and We Are Not These Hands (Catalyst Theater); References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot (Rorschach Theater, for which she received a 2007 Helen Hayes nomination for outstanding direction); Sovereignty (The Humana Festival of New Plays). Training: BFA, The University of North Carolina School of the Arts; MFA, Catholic University.

The Inferior Sex Cast

Sarah Corey (Vera) thinks Jacqueline Lawton is a force of nature and a true artistic inspiration. Off-Broadway: A Letter to Harvey Milk, Love and Real Estate, Illyria, Souvenir Stories, MapQuest, Museum Pieces. International: Death For Five Voices (Prospect Theater Company.) Selected Regional: Shear Madness (Kennedy Center), In the Book Of (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), The Fourth Wall, Around The World in 80 Days, Broadway Bound (Oldcastle Theatre Company), Love/Sick, Beau Jest (Public Theatre), I Call My Brothers (Forum Theatre), Midsummer Night's Dream, A Little Night Music (Prospect), Twelfth Night (Mountain Playhouse), Evita, Sisters of Swing (Worcester Foothills), Lippa's Wild Party (New Repertory Theatre, Best Supporting Actress IRNE), Caroline, or Change (Speakeasy Stage), A Grand Night for Singing (Gloucester Stage), Tommy (Stoneham Theatre), Shout! The Mod Musical (Depot Theatre), The Princess and the Pauper: A Bollywood Tale (Imagination Stage), I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Totem Pole Playhouse). Sarah is a graduate of Princeton University and of the Shakespeare & Company Conservatory for Classical Acting. Upcoming: Oil at Olney Theatre Center. www.sarah-corey.com

Shanara Gabrielle (Penny) is an actor, director, and theatre maker; excited to be joining the work on an exciting new play. THEATRE: Shakespeare Theatre Company: Romeo and Juliet (Lady Montague), Comedy of Errors (u/s) Guthrie Theater: She Loves Me (Ilona); Actor’s Theatre of Louisville: A Christmas Carol (Christmas Past); Repertory Theatre of St. Louis: Clybourne Park (Betsy/Lindsey), Comedy of Errors (Courtesan), Macbeth (Witch); Idaho Shakespeare/Great Lakes Theater: Blithe Spirit (Elvira); Notre Dame Shakespeare: A Winter’s Tale (Hermione); Great River Shakespeare: Othello (Desdemona), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Rosaline), Twelfth Night (Viola); FILM & TELEVISION: House of Cards, The Enemy Within, Chicago Fire, Conan, Conviction, Guiding Light, numerous commercials and independent films. AWARDS: Princess Grace Foundation Grace LeVine Award, Drama Critic Circle Award. TRAINING: B.F.A. from Webster Conservatory, AEA, SAG-AFTRA. WEB: shanaragabrielle.com IG: @shanaragabrielle

Megan Graves (Joan) can currently be seen at the Folger Theatre in King John. Previous credits include The Great Society and The Little Foxes (Arena Stage); Translations (Studio Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Second Shepherd’s Play (Folger Theatre); Peter and the Starcatcher (Helen Hayes Nomination, Constellation Theatre Company); Redder Blood (Helen Hayes Nomination, The Hub Theatre); and Love and Information, Passion Play, and Clementine in the Lower 9 (Forum Theatre). Other credits include work with Imagination Stage, Adventure Theatre MTC, Virginia Repertory Theatre, and The Virginia Shakespeare Festival. Megan holds a BFA in Acting from Shenandoah Conservatory and is a proud company member of Only Make Believe. Upcoming: Oil (Olney Theatre Center).

Daven Ralston (Alice) is a DC-based actor and musician and has performed at various theaters and venues around DC. Select DC area theater credits include: How I Learned to Drive at Round House Theatre; The Winter’s Tale and As You Like It at Folger Theatre; Everything is Illuminated at Theatre J; Top Girls,and The Bockety World of Henry and Bucket at Keegan Theatre; Wonderland: Alice’s Rock and Roll Adventure at Imagination Stage; Three Sisters, No Sisters at Studio Theatre; The Magi at Hub Theatre; A Bid to Save the World at Rorschach Theatre; Wild Sky at Solas Nua (company member); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Friendship Betrayed, and The Madwoman of Chaillot at WSC Avant Bard; Space Bop, and Snow Day at Arts on the Horizon; and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at PG County Shakespeare Festival. When Daven is not acting onstage, she is working as a musician, songwriter, and teaching artist/music teacher in the DMV area. Daven can be seen next in Once at Olney Theatre Center.

Madeline Joey Rose (Sandara) is a New York City-based writer, musician, and actor passionate about new play development. Recent acting credits include the world premieres of Lindsay Joelle’s Trayf at Theater J and Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm’s Hooded, Or Being Black for Dummies at Mosaic Theater Company. Other D.C.-area acting credits include: The Heidi Chronicles (Rep Stage), The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Theater J), Year of the Rooster (Single Carrot Theatre), TAME. (Avant Bard). She is the creator/performer of the nationally-touring solo show MOM BABY GOD, which has been workshopped locally at Forum Theatre, Taffety Punk, and Theater Alliance. Madeline can be seen next at Woolly Mammoth in BLKS. www.madelinejoeyrose.com

Jasmine Rush (Gwen) NY|BK by way of Milwaukee, WI. Select regional credits include: Esther, Intimate Apparel (Sierra Rep, CA) Brutus , Julius Caesar and Diana (Gower), Pericles (ACA, Washington, DC), Barbecue and Saturday Night/Sunday Morning (Lyric Stage Company of Boston), Laura (Stoneham Theatre) To Kill a Mockingbird (Firehouse Theatre for the Arts), The Forgetting Curve (Bridge Rep of Boston). TV credits include: Blue Bloods (CBS), Difficult People (Hulu) and Golden Globe Nominated Mini-Series The Sinner. Jasmine produced and stars in indie feature Bonhomme (D. Armas Prod.). She holds an MFA in Classical Acting from Shakespeare Theatre Company's Academy of Classical Acting. She is a proud member of both AEA and SAG-AFTRA. www.jasminemrush.com

Sara Dabney Tisdale (Madeleine) will receive her M.F.A. in December from the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy for Classical Acting at The George Washington University. As an actor, her D.C. theater credits include The Trojan Women (Taffety Punk Theatre Company), Sense and Sensibility (Folger Theatre), Bad Jews, Mary-Kate Olsen Is in Love, and Pop! (Studio Theatre), Yentl (Theater J), Blackberry Winter and The T Party (Forum Theatre), When the Rain Stops Falling (1st Stage), The Minotaur and A Softer World (Rorschach Theatre), A Little Trick (Quotidian Theatre Company), and The Scarlet Letter (Lean and Hungry Theater). Sara has also assisted-directed productions at Round House Theatre, Forum Theatre, and Adventure Theatre MTC. Sara previously trained at The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory and The University of Virginia, and she is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. You can find out more about her upcoming work at www.saradabneytisdale.com.

Jade Wheeler (Connie) is pleased as punch to take part in this new play development. She last worked with Ms. Lawton workshopping Among These Wild Things. Favorite roles include: The Red Queen in Debbie Allen's Alex in Wonderland (Kennedy Cenedy TYA); Cat in John Strand’s The Originalist (Arena Stage/ Asolo Rep/ Court Theatre/ Pasadena Playhouse); Mira in the world premiere of George Brant’s Dark Room (Bridge Rep); Sophie (GableStage) and Josephine (Everyman) in Lynn Nottage’s Ruined. Wheeler is the creator of a solo show about Eartha Kitt’s life of “cotton & caviar”: an unwanted girl from the cotton fields finds acceptance on-stage, though perhaps never off-stage. Who is Eartha Mae? (Best Cabaret United Solo Fest 2016) will receive its official world premiere in January 2019 with Bridge Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA. Wheeler’s second cabaret, a bilingual French-English program, is entitled One Night En Franglais. Stay up-to-date on IG @The_Mundivagant_Actor and www.jadewheeler.com

UNC Environmental Summit - Staging Environmental Justice

11/9/2018

"We already know where the flood waters will go. They will follow a slow, predictable path. We know who lives in low lying areas, we know what neighborhoods are on the south side of the tracks. From Appalachia down, every town has Hillers and Creekers. Floodplains read like maps of the economy and race." Gwen Frisbie-Fulton, "North Carolina's Problem Isn't Florence, It's Poverty

The Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” Their basic goal is for all people and communities across this nation to have clean air, land, and water. Unfortunately, that isn’t happening. What’s more, the continued denial of climate change and elimination of urgent environmental regulations are causing many communities to be at even greater risk. This creates such significant challenges for many marginalized and impoverished people, who are unable to leave their homes and communities and cannot afford costly measures to maintain a clean and healthy environment. My Staging Environmental Justice Project aims to address these issues in North Carolina. I'm honored to take part in today's Environmental Summit to share my ideas and learn more about the needs of the community and the work of my colleagues.

Please join us for the first UNC Environmental Summit

Faculty and staff are invited to build a platform for pan-campus environmental collaboration across research, education, engagement and campus operations. Come be a part of creating the environment at Carolina and contribute ideas for its development.

Pleasants Family Assembly Room
Wilson Library - 2nd floor
Friday, Nov. 9, 1-4 p.m.
Please register here:
https://ie.unc.edu/unc-environment-summit/

The Environmental Summit
A Conversation on the Environment at Carolina
Organized by Jaye E. Cable (Chair, Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program) and Michael F. Piehler (Director, UNC Institute for the Environment).

Agenda
1:00 – 1:20      Reception
1:20 – 1:30      Welcome Remarks
1:30 – 1:45      Chancellor Carol Folt
1:45 – 1:55      Framing the Conversation
1:55 – 2:45      Panel of Distinguished Faculty
Jacqueline Lawton, Assistant Professor – Department of Dramatic Art
Elizabeth Frankenberg, Professor – Department of Sociology, Director -Carolina Population Center
Greg Characklis, Philip C. Singer Distinguished Professor - Dept. of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Director - Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems
Rachel Noble, Mary and Watts Hill Jr. Distinguished Professor - Institute of Marine Sciences
Diego Riveros-Iregui, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography
2:45 – 2:55      Coffee Break
2:55 – 3:40      Imagining the Environment at Carolina
3:40 – 4:00      Reception

Sponsored by:
Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program (E3P)
The Institute for Environment
Three Zeroes Initiative
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
North Carolina Policy Collaboratory

Blackbirds New Play Development Workshop: Next Steps

11/7/2018

More than anything, last week's workshop of Blackbirds was fun. It was also empowering and deeply cathartic. I mean, how could it not be? This play is full of magic, humor, the strength of women, and the power of friendship.

Now, don't get me wrong, the themes of the play are dark and urgent. I'm addressing the impact of the #MeToo movement in the hotel industry and what happens when women embody the very worst traits of the patriarchy and inflict pain on others. But over the course of the play, these women decide that enough is enough, and literally transform from victims to warrior goddesses.

Our small, attentive audience were captivated by this cathartic and all to real journey. During the post reading discussions, there was such appreciation for the courage, passion, laughter through tears, and vulnerability of these women. I'm so excited about this play and deeply appreciative of my director, dramaturg, and cast for their time, talent, and brilliant insight. The revisions are complete and is slowly making it's way to the desks of artistic directors and literary managers.

As many of you know, over the next year and a half, I'll be writing five new plays. One is a commission and the other four have been funded by UNC's Institute for Arts and Humanities Faculty Fellowship and the University Research Council. Blackbirds is the first of these plays to be completed and workshopped. If last week was a sign for what's to come, then I'm in for quite a rich, wonderful, and productive ride! Of course, I'll keep you posted along the way.

Blackbirds Cast in Rehearsal

Blackbirds New Play Development Workshop

9/29/2018

On Monday, October 29th and Tuesday, October 30th, my play Blackbirds will receive a new play development workshop and reading at the Department of Dramatic Art. Blackbirds is one of three plays being supported by UNC’s University Research Council Small Grant program, which is administered by the Office of Research Development.

Directed by Aubrey Snowden with dramaturgy by Jules Odendahl-James, the reading will feature Anja Lee as Esmeralda, Rasool Jahan as Jacinta, Monét Noelle Marshall, and Kathryn Hunter Williams as Ivy Ambrosia Dubois. UNC Drama Major Kayla Brown will be reading Stage Directions. We will have an invited rehearsal on Tuesday, October 30th. Please contact me if you would like to attend. Here’s more about the play:

In the wake of the 2016 election, three witches vow to avenge the honor women who have abused, harassed, and assaulted by wealthy, powerful men. Traveling from the heart of the Red Sea in the year of our Lord 516 A.D, they appear in their mortal forms as three hotel housekeepers: Jacinta, a law student, who is caring for her sick parents who lives out of state; Avery, whose marriage is on the brink of divorce and is working two jobs to make ends meet and care for her child; and Esmeralda, who was recently naturalized, but is unable to locate her husband after ICE raided their home and took him into custody. After targeting their predators, the witches now face a major dilemma: Do they take the money and run? Or risk everything, including the reputation and livelihood of their boss, Mrs. Ivy Ambrosia Dubois, to rewrite the rules of the patriarchy and change the game forever. Giving voice to the voiceless, Blackbirds is a story of friendship, empowerment, and redemption in the era of #MeToo.

I wrote this play in response to the current political climate. I knew that I wanted to explore how the hotel industry was addressing #MeToo. As some of the most vulnerable workers in any industry, I knew that the women at the center of the play would be housekeepers. I knew that over the course of the play, these women would access their power, voice, and agency in order to overcome the harsh condition of their circumstance. As the play began to take shape, it was clear that the current immigration crisis and the possible of access to affordable health care were important themes to weave into the play. It’s really quite thrilling to be at this place in the new play process.

In my next post, I’ll let you know about the workshop and the next steps for the development process. Until then, here are the lovely folx working with me!

Blackbirds Director

Aubrey Snowden (Director) is a freelance director and choreographer who recently relocated from Brooklyn, NY to Chapel Hill. She is an Assistant Teaching Professor at UNC Chapel Hill who directed the undergraduate production of The Wolves by Sarah Delappe last Spring. Some recent credits also include associate directing Bedlam's Sense and Sensibility at A.R.T in Boston. She has been part of the Lucille Lortel nominated production since its inception in 2014. Her extensive training includes acting and directing at the National Theater Institute, Suzuki and Viewpoints under the SITI Company, Moment Work with Tectonic Theater Project, and the International Symposium of directors with LaMama in Umbria, Italy. Aubrey has her MFA in Directing from Brown University/Trinity Rep. aubreysnowden.com

Blackbirds Dramaturg

Jules Odendahl-James (Dramaturg) is an artist/scholar who has been making theater in the Triangle for two decades. Recent credits include The Moors by Jen Silverman, Vinegar Tom by Caryl Churchill at Duke University (director); Life Sucks by Aaron Posner at Manbites Dog, Rollover by Laura Moore, a new play in development at UNC-Chapel Hill (dramaturg). She was an Associate Artistic Director at Manbites Dog from 2014-2018; is a member of the new venture Bulldog Theatre Ensemble; an Associate Member of SDC, and a member of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA).

Blackbirds Cast

Kayla Brown (Stage Directions) is a sophomore at UNC with a double major in Dramatic Art and Mathematics. She has worked with several companies on campus, and recent performance credits include The Wolves (KTC), The Vagina Monologues (Company Carolina), and Antigonick (KTC). Kayla is actively involved in various aspects of production around campus, including acting, stage management, and set construction. Theater has been a huge part of Kayla’s life since her freshman year of high school. The ability to tell a story and spread a message through such a beautiful medium is what keeps her so invested in the world of theater. She is so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the workshop for Blackbirds and cannot wait to work with such a talented group of people.

Rasool Jahan (Jacinta) holds a B. A. in Theatre from Shaw University. She has worked in TV, film and theatre on both the East & West Coast. Some of her favorite roles include Vivian Bearing, PhD, in WIT (Justice Theatre Project), MiMi Real in The Parchman Hour and Esther in Intimate Apparel (PlayMakers), Puck in A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream (WriteAct Rep.) and Phillis Wheatley in the World Premiere of Afric’s Muse. Rasool’s TV/Film credits include The Bay, Freedom Song, Cold Mountain, I Know What You Did Last Summer, House of Cards, Dawson’s Creek and a recurring role on One Tree Hill. Rasool is honored sit on the board of Hidden Voices and is currently working on a One Woman show.

Anja Lee (Esmeralda) is excited to be working with Jacqueline E. Lawton again after performing at the True Colors Theatre Spring Play Reading Series in Noms de Guerre. Favorite roles include Dr Patel in Maid’s Door, at the North Carolina Black Repertory Theatre, Lady Capulet at Atlanta Shakespeare Company, Cordelia in King Lear, alongside Tony award winner Trezana Beverley, at the National Black Theater, Lindsay in Brothers From the Bottom at The Billie Holiday Theatre, directed by Jackie Alexander, and To Be Young, Gifted and Black at Great Lakes Shakespeare. For many years, Anja appeared on All My Children, As the World Turns, and as a recurring Co Host on the QVC Network. Other credits include various commercials, industrials and voice overs. Anja is represented in both NYC and Atlanta. www.anjalee.net.

Monét Noelle Marshall (Avery) is a Durham, North Carolina-based artist, director & producer. She serves as the Founding Artistic Director of MOJOAA Performing Arts Company, producing new works by and new opportunities for Black playwrights. Marshall explores the ways that bodies, particularly those of Black women, are used, manipulated, curated and crafted to make political statements, both with and without their consent. She does this in public spaces through performance art experiences and public art programs and in more private spaces like dance parties and her kitchen. She is currently working on The Buy It Call It Trilogy, which includes Buy My Soul And Call It Art which premiered January 2018, Buy My Body And Call It A Ticket in June 2018 and Buy My Art And Call It Holy in December 2018. You can learn more about her upcoming work at MonetNoelleMarshall.com.

Kathryn Hunter Williams (Ivy Ambrosia Dubois) is Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Dramatic Art and Associate Director for Hidden Voices. As Associate Director of Hidden Voices, Kathryn co-created performances with undocumented immigrant youth, families escaping violence, military spouses, survivors of sexual assault, African-American communities facing gentrification, refugees, and the currently incarcerated. Kathryn also serves as Company Artistic Associate for PlayMakers Rep. Directing credits include: Count; To Buy the Sun; the Challenge of Pauli Murray, Orange Light, Radio Golf, Jitney, Nina Simone: What More Can I Say? A longstanding member of PlayMakers Repertory Company, she recently performed the role of Mrs. Dickson in Intimate Apparel. PRC plays includeSkeleton Crew, Dot, Intimate Apparel, The Crucible, Trouble in Mind, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and A Raisin in the Sun. She has also worked with Living Stage, The Negro Ensemble Company, and New Dramatists.

Noms de Guerre at PlayMakers Repertory Company

4/15/2018

After a two day rehearsal and workshop process, which included revisions, it was such a joy to presented Noms de Guerre to the Chapel Hill community! The staged reading was part of PlayMakers Repertory Company and the Process Series' inaugural Making Tracks play festival. Under the direction of Kaja Amado Dunn, the cast included Lakeisha Coffey, April Mae Davis, Samuel Ray Gates, Trevor Johnson, Shanelle Leonard, and Kathryn Hunter-Williams. This powerful and urgent play about U.S. veterans and their families continues to captivate audiences and challenge stereotypes of black families. I hope to find a home it one day because it would be amazing to see it in production. In the meantime, please enjoy these fun photos from our day together!

Noms de Guerre Reading at PlayMakers Repertory Company

Noms de Guerre Reading at PlayMakers Repertory Company