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Richmond Jim
a long-lost gay play
by Cal Yeomans
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Kris Hyland and Chris Kossen in Richmond Jim.
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Richmond Jim by Cal Yeomans is a long-lost gay play that was named the Best Gay Play of 1979, and has been rarely seen since.
As the play opens, a young man newly arrived in New York finds himself in the arms of Mike, an older man well-versed in the various pleasures of the body, and an erotic metamorphosis begins.
Windy City Times critic Mary Shen Barnidge writes "It might have been possible to mock this lost chapter in gay literature, a la Reefer Madness, but director David Zak and the cast assembled for this Pride Films And Plays production (appearing in conjunction with National Pastime Theater's Naked July Festival) approach the superannuated material with a respect that never coagulates into museum-piece stuffiness. Kris Hyland and Chris Kossen lend their respective archetypes an easy grace to put audiences at their ease, as does Jamie Smith in the role of the Proust-quoting Biddie, infusing Yeoman's tour of his subculture with dignity as intense as its sensuality." Richmond Jim is part of the Naked July Fest at National Pastime Theater at 941 West Lawrence. This week RJ plays at 8 pm on Wednesday and Thursday, July 11 and 12, Thursday, July 19, Tuesday and Wednesday, July 24 and 25, Wednesday and Thursday, August 7 and 8. There are also 6 pm performances on July 15 and 22. The final performance is August 8.
All tickets are $20. To purchase tickets, go here. As a 501(c)3 non-profit, we rely on the support of individual donors. If you believe that reviving long- lost gay plays for today's audiences is a good idea, please make a donation to support the production of Richmond Jim here.
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Dangerous To Ourselves
Dangerous To Ourselves features a combination of lesbian prose, poetry, drama, stand-up, essays, and interviews.
Through the voices of many, the story of a universal woman will emerge. "Such women are dangerous to the order of things," writes poet Adrienne Rich. "And yes, we will be dangerous to ourselves."
Dangerous to Ourselves will be performed for one night only on August 18 at Women and Children First Bookstore.
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The All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret!
Pride Films and Plays continues its very fun summer with Mariah MacCarthy's delightful comedy spoofing all things gender-centric: The All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret, directed by Tara Branham.
(Please note: PFP replaced the "u" with * in Genderf*ck only to increase the chances of getting this release past internet filters.) The All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret plays with established gender stereoptypes - tomboy, slut, man-hating lesbian, player, bro, sensitive guy, gay best friend, none-of-the-above - and stirs vigorously. The result is a free-wheeling evening of theater and dance that will have every inch of Mary's Attic rocking! The All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret features Echaka Agba, Moira Begale-Smith, Becky Blomgren, Britt DeVaney, Toph Enany, AJ Froeber, Amy Geist, Coy Benning Wentworth, and Bill Zimmerman. Tara Branham, who directed Still Fighting It for PFP's Women's Work Weekend in 2011, returns to direct. The All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret previews August 10 at 7:15, and opens August 11 at 7:15. Performances thereafter are on Friday and Saturday at 7:15 through September 1. The final week of performances are on Thursday and Friday, September 6 and 7 at 7:15; September 7 is the final performance. All tickets are $20 and are available by calling 1800 838 3006 or by going to www.brownpapertickets.com Mariah MacCarthy's plays include The Foreplay Play (site-specific production with Caps Lock Theatre; 20-minute version with FullStop Theatre Collective & Manhattan Rep; published by Indie Theater Now), Magic Trick (upcoming FringeNYC; reading with Culture Project), Ampersand: A Romeo & Juliet Story (FringeNYC '11, 20 Looking Glass Forum Awards and "Best Performance" of the Fringe), The All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret (Rapscallion Theatre Collective, Purple Rep, upcoming production with Thinking Cap Theatre in Fort Lauderdale; published by Indie Theater Now), You'll Thank Me Later (Jimmy's No. 43, Theater for the New City), Detained (Left Hip's "From the Hip" Festival), Bachelor/Bachelorette (Co-Op Theatre East, Ticket 2 Eternity Productions), Dismemberment (Player's Theatre), A Man of His Word (San Diego Old Globe with Playwrights Project, winner of the California Young Playwrights Contest; reading with New Dramatists), and several plays in the New York & New Jersey One-Minute Play Festivals. She was the first (and, thus far, only) playwright to receive The Lotos Foundation Prize in the Arts and Sciences. She is Producing Director of Caps Lock Theatre, co-founder of Purple Rep, a San Diego native, a Skidmore graduate, and a member of the Dramatists Guild. Director Tara Branham is thrilled to be working with Pride Films and Plays again. Recently, Tara directed Nyotaimori couldn't unbreak her heart in LiveWire Theatre's VisionFest 4 and Raw with Raw Theatre. Tara directed previously with Pride Films and Plays during their Women's Work Festival. In recent years, Tara has worked with Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Dramatists, Theatre Wit, Babes with Blades, The Gift Theatre Company, Caffeine Theatre, Cabaret Vagabond, and 20% Theater Company. Tara has had the wonderful opportunity to assist amazing artists: Tina Landau, Amy Morton, Kimberly Senior, Meghan Beahls-McCarthy, Sean Graney, and Lisa Portes. She is also a student of Black Box Acting Studio and is consistently inspired by the contradictions and bravery of her classmates. Thank you to Shaun who supports me in everything I do.
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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 likewise essential viewing for a non-LGBT audience.
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.
For more information, visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com.
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Congratulations To The Seven Finalists Named In Our Second Women's Work Weekend!
Seven writers have been selected as finalists in Pride Films and Plays' 2012 Women's Work Contest, which is for works for the stage or screen and written by women with lesbian characters or themes. Our congratulations go to Lynne S. Brandon, Olivia Briggs, Trish Cole, Ilene A. Fischer, Carolyn Gage, Jenny Hagel, and Kari Morris. Their works include two full-length screenplays, two plays, one short screenplay, and two one-act plays.
The performance schedule is as follows:
- Thursday, July 26, 7:15 Product Placement (screenplay) by Jenny Hagel
- Friday, July 27, 7:15 The Spindle (stage play) by Carolyn Gage
- Saturday, July 28, 4:15 Mad Cow (stage play) by Lynne S. Brandon
- Saturday, July 28, 7:15 Weekend Outing (screenplay) by Olivia Briggs
- Sunday, July 29, 2:15 Sunday Shorts, including: Jilted: A Love Story (screenplay) by Ilene A. Fischer, Into The Blue (stage play) by Kari Morris, and Thin Eggshell Syndrome (stage play) by Trish Cole
All tickets are $10, and may be purchased at 1 800 838 3006 or Brownpapertickets.com.
Here are the synopses and authors' biographies:
Product Placement (screenplay) by Jenny Hagel, New York, NY
When Jordan Davis - a businesswoman who specializes in product placement - can't get the attention of a woman she likes, she product places herself into the woman's life. When it works, Jordan must examine the ethics of her dating scheme...and her profession.
Jenny Hagel is a comedy writer in NYC. She has written for "Big Gay Sketch Show" (Logo), "Big Morning Buzz" (VH1) and is currently Head Writer of MTV's pop culture show "10 on Top." Prior to working in TV, Jenny performed with Second City.
The Spindle (stage play) by Carolyn Gage, Portland, ME
The Spindle is a children's theatre play for adults! As 13-year old Doko struggles to rescue her best friend the Princess Beauty from the curse that says she will be pricked by a spindle before her sixteenth birthday, the adults in the play grapple with the denial and superstition that hold the kingdom in a tyrant's thrall.
Carolyn Gage is a lesbian-feminist playwright, performer, director, and activist. The author of nine books on lesbian theatre and 65 plays, musicals, and one-woman shows, she specializes in non-traditional roles for women, especially those reclaiming famous lesbians whose stories have been distorted or erased from history.
Mad Cow (stage play) by Lynne S. Brandon, Watertown, MA
In Mad Cow, cable newshound Lainie David is maligned by Senator Will Russitt, putting pressure on her lover, Roxanne. Lainie's assistant, Renee, loves her job - and Lainie. Russitt has big bucks and shadowy connections. Set amid Obama, health care, and the recession: what price, success?
Lynne S. Brandon has an MFA from Smith College. She trained with Sarah Ruhl, James Lecesne, and Arthur Giron. Her plays include She Doth Protest, Northampton Playwrights Lab; Bare Chested and Isosceles, Smith College; The Randomness of Nature, Playwrights Platform; At The Line, staged reading, Another Country Productions. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild and International Centre for Women Playwrights.
Weekend Outing (screenplay) by Olivia Briggs, New York, NY
In Weekend Outing, a closeted, lesbian literary icon must finally choose between telling her New York Italian family who she truly is, or losing the love of her life.
Olivia Briggs is an award-winning screenwriter, playwright, and filmmaker. Her feature documentary, "The Workshop," about a community center's transformational children's theater program in Delaware County, New York, will be premiering this summer at The Art and Soul of the Catskills film festival. Olivia is currently completing a Master of Fine Arts Degree in dramatic writing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Jilted: A Love Story (screenplay) by Ilene A. Fischer, Arlington, MA
In Jilted: A Love Story, Julie and Alice have commitment issues. When neither of them shows up at the church on their wedding day, their best friends are forced to pick up the pieces. We follow them as they attend their friends' weddings with different companions, who seem oddly familiar. In the end, we find them back at their own wedding, "bound" in matrimony.
A Chicago native, Ilene Fischer graduated from the Players' Workshop of the Second City and high school in the same year. Her stage play Girl Hopping, a comedy about lesbians in West Hollywood (with folk music!), debuted last year in Cambridge, MA. She has written scripts for the video portions of college-level language textbooks and her feature script, Shiva, placed in the top 20% of the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship competition.
Into The Blue (stage play) by Kari Morris, Sunnyside, NY
Mia has moved to a snow-stranded house to finally find some peace. Her ex-girlfriend' s ghost has moved there first, and peace is the last thing on her mind.
Kari Morris is a writer, actor, and filmmaker. She can be seen on the film festival circuit in Attackazoids, DEPLOY!, Sweet Virginia, and Two, which she also wrote and executive produced. Two was a recent finalist in the Academy Award-qualifying USA Film Festival, and has played at nine more festivals worldwide. Kari is a proud member of Actors Equity, and a cum laude graduate of The New School for Drama.
Thin Eggshell Syndrome (stage play) by Trish Cole, St. Mary's City, MI
Thin Eggshell Syndrome is a one-act play about a March morning when a grieving
couple waits for the migratory return of the osprey to Horseshoe Bend on the St. Mary's River for the nesting season.
Trish Cole is a tomboy poet and playwright whose work has been produced in New York, Chicago, Seattle, and regionally in Maryland. She is the recent recipient of the MCTF Excellence in Original Script Award for her play Butterfly.
To support our ongoing efforts to develop lesbian plays and screenplays, please make a donation in support of Women's Work Weekend here. |
Summer Pride Festival At Chandler July 13 to 22!
Pride Films and Plays' Executive Director David Zak once again heads to Chandler Music Hall in Randolph, Vermont to helm the second Summer Pride Fest at Chandler.
For the next two weeks, you can see enhanced staged readings of exciting works, performed by an all-star, all-state cast.
Cassie Keet's comedy Still Fighting It, a finalist in PFP's 2011 Women's Work Festival, is on Friday, July 13 and Sunday, July 22.
Philip Dawkin's The Homosexuals, a comic smash hit in Chicago last summer for About Face Theater, is on Saturday, July 14 and Friday, July 20.
And our exploration of classic LGBT literature continues with performances of Lillian Hellman's classic, The Children's Hour with performances on Sunday, July 15 and Saturday, July 21.
Summer Pride At Chandler Fest tickets and information can be found here. |
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PRIDE FILMS AND PLAYS
3023 N Clark 327
Chicago, IL 60657
www.pridefilmsandplays.com
David Zak
Executive Director
John Nasca and 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,
Sean-Edward Hall, Michael Hampton,
Jude Hansen, Valerie Heckman,
John Highberger, Kris Hyland,
Kelley Keough, Michael Lasswell,
Joan McGrath,
Michelle McKenzie-Voigt,
Kyra Morris,
Tiffany Nasca, Cyra K. Polizzi,
Stewart Quarles, Chad Ryan,
Patrick Rybarczyk,
Mark Smaglinski,
Jamie Smith,Alex St. John,
Nicholas Stockwell,
Jake Szczepaniak,
Kelli Walker,
Kevin Webb,
Lee Wichman
Pride Films and Plays is a member of the
League of Chicago Theaters,
Central Lakeview Merchants Association,
and the
Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
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