Five New England Premieres by Women Playwrights in Festival51

From July 31-August 15, the work of women playwrights will take center stage as Festival51 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, premieres the works of five New England women playwrights on its festival stage.

"Through Festival51, we are seeking to not only give an opportunity to women playwrights, but to spark a conversation about these voices that are missing from our stages... and all the while showcasing the wealth of writing, acting and directing talent housed right here in Rhode Island," said Co-producer Leann Heath.

According to recent studies, of all the plays produced in theaters across America, only 17 percent are by women playwrights. Adding even more weight to that number is that according to the Theater Communications Group, these numbers have not changed significantly over the past twenty years. The facts stand that women make up 51 percent of the population and only 17 percent of theater productions are female-authored.

This is where the new Rhode Island-based theater group Festival51comes in. Taking their name from the undeniable fact that women make up 51 percent of the population, Festival51 aims to put women playwrights center stage and (literally) change the face of American theater. The brainchild of actress and director Leann Heath and her co-producer actor/director Terry Shea, Festival51, will produce their first annual original play festival focused solely on developing the work of emerging female writers July through August at Mixed Magic Theatre's new venue in the former Lorraine Mills in Pawtucket, RI.

This past spring, Festival51 put out the call for new and emerging New England writers to submit their work for consideration in the first annual festival. The five winning plays will be presented on rotating Friday and Saturday evenings starting July 31�and running through August 15�at the Mixed Magic Theatre in Pawtucket. RI.

After receiving dozens of short play submissions from female writers throughout the country, the producers selected five winning playwrights for production in the inaugural 2015 Festival:

� "The Waitress"�by�Ainslie Caswell
. Directed by�Amy Lee Connell, this is an absurdist exploration on the questions of value and human nature. This world premiere absurdist farce was specially written�for this competition. New England-based�Caswell�is currently working on a full-length play, and an autobiographical look at a year in her life "spent making questionable decisions." Ainslie is also a regular contributor to Medium (medium.com/@ainscas).
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� "Bone To Pick"�by�Eugenie Chan
. Directed by�Leann Heath
A postmodern adaptation of the myth of Ariadne.�Chan's work has been produced at such places as the Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, and she is a member of New Dramatists and Playwrights Foundation.
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� "Hope Throws Her Heart Away"�by�Susan Goodell
. Directed by�Christina Marin
A look at one woman's life and loves as seen simultaneously through her id, ego and superego. Goodell's work has been seen at Virginia Stage Company, Abingdon Theatre and The Barrow Group. After this world premiere at Festival51, "Hope Throws Her Heart Away" will be produced in Chicago at Genesis Theatrical Productions.

� "Echoes on the Peaks"�by�Deborah DeGeorge Harbin.
Directed by�Paige Barry,
New Hampshire playwright�DeGeorge Harbin weaves a tale about those who look to escape civilization in the Appalachian wilderness. Harbin is a playwright and instructor based in Manchester, NH. She received the Marc A. Klein Student Playwriting Award for her first play, "Constellations," and subsequent work has been staged by the NY's Emerging Artist Theatre, the Run of the Mill Theatre, Stone Soup Theatre, Mountain State Rep and Asheville Fringe Festival.

� "Therapy,"�a short film written by�Shannon McLoud
. Directed and filmed by�Chris Ferreira
, this is a tongue-in-cheek glimpse of fairy tale characters faced with their true nature.�McLoud has been involved in the arts in Rhode Island for almost 20 years, first as an actor, then director and now, playwright.�Recent work includes "Writer's Block," a piece that she co-authored for the 2nd�Annual Providence Fringe Festival, and two film scripts for the 48-Hour Providence Film Festival.�
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