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Pride Films and Plays-
Semi-finalists, finalists, and winners 2010-2011
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For Immediate Relase
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September 27, 2011
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Pride Films and Plays
3023 N Clark 327, Chicago, IL 60657
www.PrideFilmsandPlays.com
773 250 3112 Fax 773 281 4844
Pridefilmsandplays@gmail.com
The following is a list of plays and screenplays for works reaching the semi-final and final rounds of our contests through September 2011.
- 2010 Great Gay Screenplay Contest
- 2011 Great Gay Play Contest Screenplay Contest
- 2011 Women's Work Contest - Sapphics on Stage
- 2011 Women's Work Contest - Sapphics on Screen
2010 Great Gay Screenplay Contest
Our congratulations go the winner of the first Great Gay Screenplay Contest Tom Hietter, for his work Detasseling. In Detasseling, a gay teen's urgent desire to flee his small and stifling Midwestern town sets off a bittersweet and, at times, harrowing journey of self-discovery over the summer of 1985.
We also congratulate the other four finalists:
Bethlehem by Chris French, Astoria NY
With a baby on the way, gay thirty-somethings in New York City struggle to reconcile their definitions of "family" with their Christian upbringings and parents' expectations -- in a modern retelling of the Christmas story.
The Queen of Harts by Gary Polston, Aliso Viejo, CA
Suffering an identity crisis, a famous drag queen returns to his southern roots seeking a more masculine way of life. He discovers the road to acceptance is full of bumps and leads to unexpected places.
Skirt by Chris Mason Johnson and Kate Stayman-London, San Francisco, CA
When idealistic campaign worker Allie agrees to pose as her female boss's girlfriend in order to help promote marriage equality, she soon finds herself in political and romantic hot water.
The Trouble With e by Louise Wadley, Sydney, NSW
Beautiful, sexy DJ e seems to have it all, but looks are deceiving. Stumbling on a stash of cash, e goes on the run. To stay alive, e has to find the courage to follow her dreams.
And our other semi-finalists in this exciting first year event:
Boner's High School Reunion by Michael Phillips, Atlanta, GA
Haunted by the memories of an arousal malfunction in high school, one man returns home to face his demons and find closure with the person who's prevented him from ever keeping a boyfriend.
Bre'gan's Fist by Tom Emerick, Chicago, IL
The fate of the planet hangs in the balance when a lonely fry cook discovers his lover is an extra-dimensional traveler who must race to save the Earth against a wizard bent on universal domination.
Cooper's Warby Timothy Jay Smith, Paris, France
In this coming of age story, a deserter from the war in Iraq is given a chance to prove his patriotism, redeem himself.
Directions by Emma L. P. Lundberg, Brooklyn, NY
In a story that unravels in reverse, Directions follows three 26-year-old New Yorkers as they struggle with relationships that exist outside of heteronormativity. Is that which separates us, what ultimately binds us to one another?
Gay For Pay by Reid Waterer, Los Angeles, CA
A con artist posing as gay to scam a young millionaire begins to question his identity when the two men develop both a sexual and emotional relationship.
The Good One by Dawn Marie Guernsey, Lawrence, KS
Lynn vaguely remembers murdering the man lying at her feet. But that's all she recalls. Now she needs to figure out who she is and why she did it.
Hay's Code by Andrew B. Smith
In Andrew B. Smith's comedy Hay's Code, a gay director in 1934 Hollywood must adapt a gay novel for the screen without revealing its true content -- or his own homosexuality -- to anyone else in the production.
Lost Dog by Mary Guzmán, San Francisco, CA
Cristina stumbles out of rehab with no job, no money, one friend and a 90-day chip. When her friend is murdered, she is so devastated she vows to find the killer.
One Good Man by Jennifer Leigh Selig, Calistoga, CA One Good Man is a broad sex comedy-of-errors about a mid-30ish career lesbian who wreaks chaos and confusion with her community when she comes out of the closet in her search for "One Good Man."
Put It On! by Reid Waterer & John McCarthy, Los Angeles, CA
When a troupe of male strippers are confused for a legitimate theater company and mistakenly hired to put on a musical in a small town, they decide to give it a go.
Simple Treasures by Alan Chin, San Rafael, CA
A young Native American performs an ancestral ritual to transfer the life force of a dying rancher into the body of a falcon so he can continue living, and finds love with the rancher's grandson.
Welcome To Freedom, by Laura Lynn MacDonald, Milwaukee, WI
In the small town of Freedom, Maine, a young man sells his body over the internet to raise enough money to free his boyfriend from having to go to war and hide his sexual identity.
2011 Great Gay Play Contest
Congratulations to Enrique Urueta for being named the winner of the first Great Gay Play Contest for Learn To Be Latina.
Learn To Be Latina, by Enrique Urueta, San Francisco, CA
In Enrique Urueta's irreverent new comedy, Hanan Mashalani is beautiful and talented, but she's Lebanese and that just doesn't a pop star make. As she's made over by FAD records to be the next Latin bombshell, she falls in love with an actual Latina. She struggles to maintain the image everyone expects her to be, which ultimately tests her relationship and her own identity.
The other finalists include:
False Reality, by Joe Lauderdale, Laguna Beach, CA
To deal with his difficult family, Trevor has created a fictional identical twin Aidan whose life is much better. But Kyle falls for Aidan and their intense, tender, romantic relationship is full of good intentions and fraught with mistakes. When Trevor's fiction and reality collide, the relationship is tested in a terrifying moment of truth in Joe Lauderdale's new drama.
Short Expanse by Corinne J. Kawecki, Chicago, IL
It's 1997 and Chloe's 10th birthday. Lydia, Chloe's swim coach and neighbor, and Colleen, Lydia's partner of 8 years, have thrown a costume party to celebrate. David, their friend, and Star, Chloe's mom, are in attendance. A happy time ... or is it? Revelations abound and the past changes the future forever in Kawecki's new drama.
Save the Date by Tyler Dean, Chicago, IL
Today is the biggest day of wedding coordinator Bradford Curtis' career. Not only is he the best man, but the mother of the bride happens to be the editor-in-chief of one of the nation's most prestigious wedding magazines. When someone from the groom's past shows up with intentions of stopping the wedding, it's up to Bradford to make sure everything goes as planned. With mistaken identities, plenty of chases, and double entendres galore, Save the Date is Tyler Dean's modern twist on a classic farce.
The Times by Mark S. Watson
Noah is reunited after 10 years with his college sweetheart Christian. But a wedding announcement in the New York Times brings unexpected comedy, drama, and twists of identity and fate.
2011 Women's Work Contest
Pride Films and Plays is delighted to announce the two winners of 2011 Women's Work Contest. The Sapphics on Stage winner was Patient HM by Vanda from New York, and the Sapphics On Screen winner for Best New Screenplay was Girls Out Loud by Pat Branch from Los Angeles. The announcement was made at the Hoover-Leppen Theater at Center on Halsted at the completion of the Women's Work Weekend.
In Patient HM by Vanda, a lesbian neuroscientist is haunted by her memories of her lost lover as she treats a man who hasn't had a new memory in 55 years.
Vanda commented, "I was so pleased with the staged reading of my play, Patient HM. Jackie Jutting is a phenomenal director. Her choices in lighting and staging made my play look like much more than a reading. The actors were incredible, so professional. In only three days, they were doing my play almost like it was a production. Then afterwards, the talkback showed how smart and deep-thinking the audience was. Thank you, PFP, for an amazing experience."
Vanda is an Edward Albee Fellow and her plays include Still Photos, first place winner in Celebration Theatre's (L.A.) New Play Contest and Vile Affections, Lambda Literary Award finalist.
In Girls Out Loud by Pat Branch, a 30-something cynic gives up on romantic love and knocks herself up just in time to meet the woman of her dreams. This bundle of joy might have three baby mamas!
Branch commented, "It was an outstanding 5 days of live theatre. Each production was well-directed and acted. Women's Work's Sapphics on Screen and Sapphics on Stage will grow as an important festival where women writers can have their stage and screen plays presented in front of live audiences and I am so glad to have been on her maiden voyage."
Branch is a screenwriter, novelist, and stand-up comic. She produces the stand-up comedy show "I'm Just Saying...!" in West Hollywood, and her scripts have reached the quarter- and semi-final rounds of leading screenwriting competitions (Nicholls Fellowships, Sundance, Scriptapalooza).
Director Genevieve Thompson, who directed Girls Out Loud commented, "This festival is unlike any I've ever seen or heard of. To have so many plays, written by women, about women, and directed by women is astounding. The work is good and the experience was great. I'm proud to have been a part of it."
During Pride Films and Plays' first Women's Work Weekend, four new stage plays and four new screenplays were performed, directed by an esteemed group of Chicago directors - Susan Veronika Adler, Sarah Ballema, Tara Branham, Hannah K. Friedman, Ebony Joy, Jaclyn Jutting, Genevieve Thompson and Shifra Werch. More than 90 artists participated in the weekend as performers.
Celebrity Hosts for the weekend included: Mary F. Morten, filmmaker, activist and consultant; actress, singer, director, and business owner Liz Pazik; producer Alexandra Silets of WTTW; Brenda Kelly from Women's Theater Alliance; Kelli Strickland, actress and arts educator; and Corinne J. Kawecki, Chicago playwright.
Allison Fradkin, Literary Coordinator for the event, assembled a reading team of 25 film and theater professionals from across the country who served as adjudicators for this contest.
2011 Women's Work Contest - Sapphics on Stage
Patient HM by Vanda, New York, NY was named the winner.
A lesbian neuroscientist is haunted by her memories of her lost lover as she treats a man who hasn't had a new memory in 55 years.
Other finalists in the Sapphics on Stage category were
Bad Dog by Jennifer Hoppe-House, Los Angeles, CA
Molly has fallen off the wagon and driven her Audi through the house. When her beleaguered wife escorts her home from the hospital, Molly finds her far-flung, dysfunctional family descending to intervene.
Raising Ricci by Marilynn Barner Anselmi, Rocky Mount, NC
A lesbian couple returns to their Southern roots looking for healing and acceptance after the death of their son.
Still Fighting It by Cassie Keet, Los Angeles, CA
Lack of communication is highlighted in this family dramedy, when the eldest daughter of the Harkey women returns home from college with her serious girlfriend.
Other semi-finalists for Sapphics on Stage were:
Doctoring by Nastaran Ahmadi, Brooklyn, NY
In this comedy, a chain reaction of fiascos reveals one too many secrets when two friends learn that each of their romantic obsessions hides behind facades of different sorts.
Life on Mars by Trish Cole, St. Mary's City, MA
Life on Mars chronicles the final 10 minutes a lesbian fugitive spends on Earth while waiting to board, in shackles, the last penal transport to Mars.
Outlook by Kathleen Warnock, New York, NY
Susan's got a girlfriend with intimacy issues, a daughter who's getting ready to leave the nest, and then there's the mysterious Brown from UPS. It's not like there's such a thing as a magic wand...or is there?
The Double by Barbara Lhota, Chicago, IL
In this re-imagined 1940s screwball comedy that weaves together multiple love stories examining gender and sexual identity, a young actress, Minnie, discovers her attraction to a rising female starlet.
Where There's a Will by Ro Robusto, Scottsdale, AZ
Four women of different personalities and backgrounds must spend three weeks under the same roof in order to inherit $100,000. Of course, no one gets along. Just when you think you know the reason...think again.
2011 Women's Work Contest - Sapphics on Screen
Girls Out Loud by Pat Branch, Los Angeles, CA as named Best Screenplay.
A 30-something cynic gives up on romantic love and knocks herself up just in time to meet the woman of her dreams. This bundle of joy might have three baby mamas!
Other Finalists in the Sapphics on Screen were
'70s Shuffle by Diane Edington, Los Angeles, CA
Micki, straight, undercover FBI in '70s NYC, is pursuing a fugitive anarchist. Smitten, Gaby, dyke bartender/politico, naively guides Micki through her Mafia underworld, into her bed, and into her heart, while the Mob and FBI plot to blow them both away.
Leap of Faith by Alicia Lomas-Gross, Colton, CA
A timid lesbian Catholic schoolteacher falls for a student's devout mother and must convince her that they are more than just friends.
The Basement by Dawn Marie Guernsey, Lawrence, KS
Trapped in the basement of a building destroyed in a tornado, Lena confronts demons from her past as she endures the cruelties of the property owner who refuses to help her.
Other semi-finalists included:
A Cop's Guide to Good Eats in San Francisco by Sarah Dunham, San Francisco, CA
A neo-noir thriller set in the foodie world of San Francisco, A Cop's Guide explores a young woman's struggle with recovery in a world defined by, and obsessed with, appetite.
Directions by E. L.P. Lundberg, Brooklyn, NY
In a story that unravels in reverse, Directions follows three 26-year-old New Yorkers as they struggle with relationships that exist outside of hetero-normativity. Is that which separates us what ultimately binds us to one another?
I Promise Not To Tell by Diane Wilson, Gualala, CA
Despite the limits 1966 Southern culture imposes on same-sex and inter-generational relationships, 14-year-old Reed and 26-year-old Cara fall desperately in love.
Lost Dog by Mary Guzmán, San Francisco, CA
Cristina stumbles out of rehab with no job, no money, one friend, and a 90-day chip. When her friend is murdered, she is so devastated she vows to find the killer.
Love and Kate by Tonina Kelly, Atlanta, GA
When a rising culinary star launches the publicity tour for her cookbook, an impetuous new publicist forces her into a devastating image adjustment as a provocative lesbian chef - to rave reviews.
Or Best Offer by Nicola Dixon (Philadelphia, PA) and Nancy Zafris (Columbus, OH)
When a young American woman travels to Vancouver to win over the success-driven, India-born mother of her girlfriend, the campaign is wildly complicated by her unconventional hosts.
Saint John the Divine in Iowa by Lyralen Kaye, Boston, MA
A progressive Episcopal minister confronts the moral dilemma about whether to marry her daughter to a woman she doesn't like...when the price is the loss of her priesthood.
Shelby's Vacation by Nancy Beverly, Sherman Oaks, CA
Having been fantasizing about her boss Marion too much, Shelby sets out on a much-needed vacation, but along the way her itinerary literally flies out the window. She ends up at Towering Pines Cabins where she meets the local dyke population - and the real adventure begins.
Veterans Day at The Blitz, by Eva Zimet, Randolph, VT
Veterans Day at The Blitz raises positive deviance to its wry and intimate best - what it takes these days to survive and why we bother. All together now....
For information on contact any of the authors, please contact Executive Director David Zak at pridefilmsandplays@gmail.com |
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Pride Films and Plays
3023 N Clark 327
Chicago, IL 60657
www.pridefilmsandplays.com
773 250 3117
pridefilmsandplays@gmail.com
David Zak, Executive Director
John Nasca and Andrew Souders, Artistic Associates
Allison Fradkin, Literary Coordinator, Women's Work
Artistic Ensemble:
Derek Van Barham, Charles A. Berglund, Tom Chiola, Patrick Gannon,
Brian Grey, Sean-Edward Hall, Jude Hansen, Valerie Heckman, John Highberger, Kristofer Hyland, Kelley Keough, Michael Lasswell, Joan McGrath,
Michelle McKenzie-Voigt, Tiffany Nasca, Cyra K. Polizzi, Brian Rooney,
Chad Ryan, Patrick Rybarczyk, Mark Smaglinski, Jake Szczepaniak,
Kevin Webb, Honey West, Lee Wichman
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