12 Jun La Femme to Launch WOMEN IN AGENCY Festival
With La Femme on the move, I have news to share.
First, La Femme’s NEA grant was terminated because our project did not meet President Trump’s priorities. We at La Femme were, of course, not surprised but certainly shocked and hope that the NEA reconsiders its priorities. And we thank the NEA Theater Specialist who has respected our mission and expertly answered our questions throughout the application process. It was an honor to be a NEA grant recipient.
Second, as I previously announced, La Femme is reinstating its two development programs, A Woman’s Storyland and Women on the Verge, under the umbrella of its newly conceived Women in Agency Festival. The esteemed playwright Jenny Lyn Bader will serve as mentor playwright to three mentee playwrights — Abigail Duclos, Zoe Geltman, and Janvi Sai. Inspired by the public service of my parents and extended family, I have asked all of these playwrights to write short plays about agency as in federal and state agency or as in individual and collective agency. La Femme is also recognizing the emerging careers of director Britt Berke and stage manager Katie Cherven under the auspices of the Women on the Verge initiative.
Third, I am thrilled to announce that, under the umbrella of the Women in Agency Festival, La Femme is inaugurating the Corner Nest Lab with the young talent of Tess Inderbitzin and Mikayla Gold Benson. These young women, fresh out of college, will develop an original short play about agency as they watch the other Festival theater professionals work.
The Women in Agency Festival, a series of staged readings, will run from August 3 to August 17 at The Linney Theatre at Pershing Square Signature Center in NYC. Please read more about the Festival here at the Broadway World link.
As always, thanks so much for your support. We at La Femme truly appreciate it during these days of unprecedented uncertainty and upheaval.
Jean Lichty
Executive Director of La Femme Theatre Productions