| Womens Work Entries Being Accepted Starting Today!
Chicago, IL - Pride Films and Plays is excited to announce that submissions to the second Women's Work Contest for plays and screenplays written by women featuring lesbian characters or themes will be accepted from February 1 to April 10.
Women's Work has both stage play and screenplay categories, and this year for the first time both Shorts and Full-Length scripts and screenplays will be judged. Winning writers also earn a cash prize ($400 for full-length, $100 for shorts) and the authors will be invited to Chicago for up to ten hours of rehearsal with directors and actors from the Pride Films and Plays Artistic Ensemble prior to the performance.
The entry fee is waived if the entry is received between February 1 and February 10. The fee for entries received between February 11 and March 10 is $15. The fee for entries received between March 11 and April 10 is $30. To make the final deadline, scripts must by received via email by 11:59 pm Central Time on April 10, 2012. CST. Only electronic submissions will be accepted.
Authors may enter as many scripts as you wish, but each entry form can be accompanied by only one (1) script. Each additional entry will require a separate entry form and separate entry Fee. Only one free application may be submitted. If submitting a second script there is a $10 discount for the second entry fee. The full entry fee is due for all entries made after that.
The judges will name five finalists in both the Stage and Screenplay categories for full-length submissions, based on a scoring sheet found in the contest rules. The top two scoring scripts in each category will receive a cash prize of $400, and will be performed as staged readings July 27 to 29 during the Women's Work Weekend at the Hoover-Leppen Theater at Center On Halsted in Chicago. Authors will be invited to participate in up to ten hours of rehearsal with the cast and director prior to the performance.
In the Shorts category, up to 8 screenplays and plays will be selected to be performed during the Women's Work Weekend, and each author whose work is presented in that festival will receive a $100 cash prize. Authors will be invited to participate in one rehearsal with the cast and director prior to the performance.
For more information about Pride Films and Plays and the Women's Work event, visit the contest page of www.pridefilmsandplays.com.
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ENSEMBLE ACTIVITIES
The Pride Films and Plays Artistic Ensemble is a busy bunch! Here's what a few of them are up to:
Derek Van Barham is
appearing in Daniel Caffrey's LITTLE TRIGGERS with The Ruckus Theatre at The Side Project through February 12.
Derek Bertelsen served as Assistant Director for RACE by David Mamet, currently running at the Goodman Theatre until February 19. He is also in rehearsal for Neil Simon's THE DINNER PARTY, playing at BrightSide Theatre in Naperville March 2-18.
Two ensemble members, Sean-Edward Hall and Kevin Webb,have been cast in THE RITZ at Circle Theater. Previews are February 11 and 14. The show runs from February 15 - April 1.
Nicholas Harper is understudying the role of Belize in Tony Kushner's ANGELS IN AMERICA, Part 1 and 2, at Court Theatre. Previews run March 30 - April 13; the show runs April 14 - June 3.
Joan McGrath is in rehearsal
for FU*KING A by Suzan Lori Parks for Urban Theatre Co. The show runs March 1-31 and is tentatively scheduled for
the Wicker Park Cultural Arts Center.
Lee Wichman is in SHAKESPEARE, I LOVE YOU: PERICLES for Blunt Objects Theatre. Four performances only: March 30 - April 1.
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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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Ben Lerman is a "brilliant" (New York Magazine) NYC-based musical comedian. His hilarious love songs will fix your broken heart. Bring a date-or find one at the show-and share a lasting bond over a song about a violent bus ride through the Bronx. Enjoy new songs like "Bonerville, a.k.a. the Bar Mitzvah Song," as well as Lerman's timeless Valentine's Day classics such as "You Gave Me VD on Valentine's Day" and "Pig Fucker." With special guests Adam Guerino and Meredith Kachel. For more info, visit benlerman.net.Tuesday, February 14th, 8 PM, $10, at Mary's Attic, above Hamburger Mary's, 5446 N. Clark.
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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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Michael Hampton and Rick Heintz star in
the new dark comedy MAN BOOBS running February 16 to March 10 at Mary's Attic!
 | | Michael Hampton (right) and Rick Heintz star in Man Boobs. |
Rick Heintz and Michael Hampton have been cast as Marty and Spence in the Chicago premiere of J. Julian Christopher's insightful new work Man Boobs, a dark comedy about love, body image, and acceptance.
Michael Hampton (Marty) was last seen in staged readings of Pig and The Ritz for Pride Films and Plays. He is an ensemble member of Hell In a Handbag Productions and he just won the Chicago Broadway World award for Best Actor in a Musical (non-equity) for his portrayal of Santa Claus last year in Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer.
Rick Heintz (Spence) has been "bearing it all" for the last year over a four-state area in a show he created called "FurrLesque." Having taken off more than 8 years from his on-stage antics, Rick has been very active in the LGBT community fighting for equality and riding his bicycle to end HIV/AIDS. While hiding from the spotlight, he wrote/co-produced "The Family Business" for the 48-Hour Film Project Los Angeles (Audience Favorite Award) and worked for TV Guide Network in Hollywood producing such shows as "Fashion Wrap with Joan and Melissa Rivers," "Idol Tonight," "Reality Chat," and Red Carpet coverage from everything from the Academy Awards to the Country Music Awards.
David Zak directs Man Boobs, PFP's second staged production, as part of PFP's exploration of "what's new and what's next" in LGBT theater and film. Zak, PFP's Executive Director, 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 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 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 through 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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$10 Early Bird Tickets to
Man Boobs Must Be Purchased by Friday, February 3! |
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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 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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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.
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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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