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Women's Work
The Pride Films and Plays program Women's Work, which celebrates screenplays and plays written by women with lesbian characters, holds
immense promise for 2012.
Lesbian plays and screenplays do not have the historical continuum that gay plays have enjoyed. From Oscar Wilde to Tennessee Williams to Tony Kushner, gay plays have a virtually continuous presence. For lesbian plays, there is a long empty period after A Children's Hour before the work of Claudia Allen, Paula Vogel, Carolyn Cage, and others today. And that is why your support of this program is so essential. In 2011, Vanda's play Patient HM and Pat Branch's screenplay Girls Out Loud won our Women's Work contest for Best Play and Best Screenplay. We hope this year to uncover more fine writing, which will be performed July 27 to 29 during Women's Work Weekend at Center on Halsted. Please mark your calendar now! In addition, this spring we will present a series of staged readings of classic and new lesbian plays this spring. Watch for details soon! Entries into the Women's Work contest will be accepted from February 1 to March 30. For information, please go to |
Meet Man Boobs Playwright
J. Julian Christopher
Author J. Julian Christopher received a Master of Fine Arts Degree from The Actors Studio Drama School at New School University. Julian trained as an actor and has performed in various productions such as TBA (Second Generation Theatre), The Karaoke Show (Off-Broadway), The Three Gods (directed by Elizabeth Swados), On Broken Wings (Traveling Omnibus of Ireland), Our Lady of 121st Street (directed by Ellen Barkin at The Actors Studio Drama School) and The Flea Theatre's 'Twas the Night Before... series featuring work by Christopher Durang, Mac Wellman, Len Jenkins, Roger Rosenblatt, and Elizabeth Swados. Julian began his playwriting career in 2008 with Beast: A Parable, which debuted at The New York International Fringe Festival. He was invited to workshop his play Nico Was a Fashion Model at the LAByrinth Theater Company's 2010 Summer Intensive. His plays Metro Psalm and SCHWARZ! (Hansel und Gretel) were finalists at The Public Theater's Emerging Writers Retreat and produced in the Off-Off Broadway Samuel French Short Play Festival two years in a row (2009 and 2010). His latest play, Animals Commit Suicide, will workshop with The TerraNova Collective this spring. Julian was also a nominee for the Montblanc Young Writers Project for The 24 Hour Plays (2009). Heis a founding member and Artistic Director of Three Monos Ensemble in New York City. http://jjulianchristopher.blogspot.com/
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Gay Screenplay Weekend
In the last two years, we have celebrated amazing and fresh writing for the screen by writers from across the country. We remain hopeful that the winners of the first two fest - Detasseling by Tom Hietter and Wandering the Elysian Fields by Richmond Weems - will continue to move toward production. When you join us for Gay Screenplay Weekend, you can meet the writers and let them know what you think! And your attendance will also have an impact on the future of great new LGBT films. We know you will enjoy what you see; from comedy to drama to science fiction, anything can happen on Gay Screenplay Weekend. Writers may enter the contest from May 1 to June 30; application material os available at www.pridefilmsandplays.com. Ten semi-finalists will be announced in mid-August, with the five finalists announced in September. |
About
Pride Films and Plays
Pride Films and Plays, based in Chicago, links an international network of writers with professionals working in film and theater.
PFP fosters excellent writing for the stage and screen that speaks not only to the LGBT community, but is essential viewing for our friends, family, and co-workers.
Using stories with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender characters or themes, Pride Films and Plays develops human stories that become a cultural bridge to understanding.
Through readings, contests, classes, screenings, and full theater productions, PFP engages artists and audiences in the full developmental process needed to make great artistic experiences.
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Interested In Joining Our Team?
We are always looking for people to join the PFP team, from board members and volunteers to actors and crew. If you are interested in the being considered for the Board of Directors, or would like to volunteer, send a note of interest to pridefilmsandplays@gmail.com. Actors should send their headshots and resumes to prideactor@gmail.com;
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Dear Friends,
I am so excited about the activities planned for Pride Films and Plays this year!
Our next production, the new comedy Man Boobs, will have everyone talking when we open in February at Mary's Attic.
Our Gay Play Weekend featuring four new plays and one new musical is set for April 13 to 15 at Center on Halsted.
Later in the spring, we will be performing staged readings of classic lesbian plays, performing a special pride month event at Gerber/Hart Library, and producing our second show of 2012.In July, our Women's Work Weekend is set for July 27 to 29. Our final production of the year will be ready this fall. And we continue our relationship with emerging screenwriters whose work will be seen in the third Gay Screenplay Weekend at Center on Halsted October 19 to 21.
I hope you will be there with us for every part of the process as we engage our artists and audiences in the development of fresh artistic experiences vital to the social and cultural life of this generation and those still to come.
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Man Boobs,
a new dark comedy by J. Julian Christopher,
jump starts our year February 16 to March 10
at Mary's Attic, 5400 N Clark
 | Michael Hampton (left) and Rick Heintz star in Man Boobs.
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The Chicago premiere of J. Julian Christopher's insightful new work Man Boobs, a dark comedy about love, body image, and acceptance, opens Pride Film and Plays' energetic 2012 season, February 18 - March 10 at Mary's Attic, 5446 N. Clark Street.
Christopher, veteran of the New York International Fringe Festival, conjures up Spence and Marty, two extraordinary men with very ordinary desires who expose much more to each other than their bodies as they strive for meaningful connection.
David Zak directs Man Boobs, PFP's second staged production, and predicts, "As we celebrate and nurture new voices in American theater, Mr. Christopher's fresh and provocative work will be resonating for many years to come."
Man Boobs features Michael Hampton and Rick Heintz. It opens Saturday, February 18 at 7:30 pm at Mary's Attic, 5446 N. Clark Street, Chicago. There are two preview performances, Thursday, February 16 and Friday, February 17.
Show times are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 through Saturday, March 10. There is one additional performance on Thursday, March 8 at 7:30. All tickets are $15 and can be reserved t at www.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 1 800 838 3006.
Man Boobs was developed at New York's Public Theater, workshopped at East L.A. Rep, and then ran in New York City at The Fresh Fruit Festival in 2010. Man Boobs premiered in Montréal at The Rialto Theatre in 2011 and was presented by Village Scene Productions. It is currently part of Australia's Midsumma Festival, presented by Jack Chapman and The VicBears.
Man Boobs is presented by arrangement with Adam Weinstock and Creative Concept Productions.
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Get $10 Early Bird Tickets to Man Boobs Now!
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Order Early Bird Tickets for Man Boobs online here for only $10 each! Save $5 off of the regular price! Tickets must be ordered in January, but can be used for any performance February 17 to March 10. Tickets do not need to be used at the same time... in other words if you purchase five tickets, 3 can be used for one performance and 2 for another!
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Gay Play Weekend
Five finalists have been named in the 2012 Great Gay Play and Musical Contest. All five finalists will be performed as staged readings April 13 to 15 at Center on Halsted.
"This is one of the most exciting collections of new LGBT work ever seen in one weekend," says David Zak. "We know audiences will love these productions, and be eager to see fuller versions of them at theaters in Chicago and across the nation soon." The finalists are:
- At The Flash, by Sean Chandler and David Leeper, Woodland Hills, CA
- Lost in History, by Adam Siegel, Maplewood, NJ
- Hello Norma Jeane, by Dylan Costello, London, UK
- Mr. Teddy, by George Smart, Quincy, MA
- Under A Rainbow Flag, a new musical, by Leo Schwartz, Chicago, IL
Thanks to the support of Center on Halsted, Gay Play Weekend is April 13 to 15 with the following schedule:
Friday, April 13 7:30 Lost In History
Saturday, April 14 4:30 Mr. Teddy
Saturday, April 14 7:30 Hello Norma Jeane
Sunday, April 15 1:30 At The Flash
Sunday, April 15 4:30 Under A Rainbow Flag
Tickets for each reading are $10, and will be available starting February 1, at www.brownpapertickets.com.
Read more about the five finalists and their work here.
Submissions for next year's festival will be accepted from July 1 to August 30, and details can be found here. |
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Please Support PFP Today!
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As a 501(c)3 non-profit, Pride Films and Plays relies on the support of individual donors to sustain our work. In the last two years, we have provided more than $10,000 in support to writers from Chicago to California, and internationally from England to Australia. Several hundred Chicago actors have participated in our projects. Your support is essential to nurturing our work. You can make your donation HERE today. And thank you for your support! |
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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, Andrew Souders
Artistic Associates
Allison Fradkin
Literary Coordinator, Women's Work
Artistic Ensemble
Steven Anderson, Derek Van Barham,
Charles A. Berglund, Derek Bertelsen,
David Besky, Tom Chiola, Brian Grey,
Sean-Edward Hall, Jude Hansen,
Nicholas Harper, Valerie Heckman,
John Highberger, Kris Hyland, Juliane Johnson, Kelley Keough, Michael Lasswell, Joan McGrath, Michelle McKenzie-Voigt, Tiffany Nasca,
Cyra K. Polizzi, Brian Rooney, Chad Ryan, Patrick Rybarczyk, Mark Smaglinski,
Jamie Smith, Jake Szczepaniak, Kelli Walker,
Kevin Webb, Honey West, Lee Wichman
Pride Films and Plays is a member of the
League of Chicago Theaters,
Central Lakeview Merchants Association,
the Donors Forum, and the
Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
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