Salon Reading Series
2018 - 2019 Theme: Wild Women!
Unforgettable Women. Strong Women. Fierce Women.
There is no experience quite like encountering a strong, unforgettable and wild woman in the theatre. Whether it is an unrelenting character that sticks with us, an unapologetic playwright who challenges our sensibilities or an unblinking director who confronts us in that liminal space between script and performance, the wild women of the theatre create moments that make us shout, gasp, and cheer.
This year, the Salon Reading Series seeks recognition and celebration of wild women across the theatre. While the plays are mostly contemporary, the exploration strong female characters ranges throughout history and between socio-economic boundaries. Women take a central role in these plays to challenge our expectations and encourage us to look for a more complex understanding of their lives and actions on the stage and in our world. This complex world view includes listening carefully to women as they tell their story. The current social and political gestalt can create a dishonest binary in this dialog; particularly surrounding issues of sexual assault, reproductive health and and gender equality. Now, more than ever, is the time to not only listen, but to hear. Hopefully the works selected for this season bring a voice that allows a more nuanced understanding of what it means to celebrate these wild women.
Our theme this year is an extension of the Lincoln Theatre Alliance “Year of the Woman”. As a theatre company immersed in the celebration and promotion of women theatre artists, Angels Theatre Company is pleased to explore women characters, playwrights and theatre artists as part of the Salon Reading Series. And, celebration involves an understanding of why this particular celebration is important--in this particular time. Thus, this season will expose difficult subject matter, uncomfortable situations and (I hope) an appreciation for the strength demonstrated in the art and artistry of these wild women of the theatre. We invite you to all of the readings this year to experience a range of artists in this celebration.
As a reminder, the Salon Reading Series is about the language of the playwright, communicated through the actor. It is the life essence of the theatre and as such, can be a powerful and raw dramatic event. These plays do not blink. They hold your gaze and demand to be seen--to be understood. And, once we recognize ourselves in the mirror, we are forever changed. As Nietzsche warned us, “when you look long into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you.”
Join us for the 2018-19 Salon Reading Series where we explore Wild Women of the Theatre!
October 7, 2018 - Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
November 4, 2018 - How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel
December 2, 2018 - Hecuba by Marina Carr
February 3, 2019 - Stage Kiss by Sarah Ruhl
March 3, 2019 - One Flea Spare by Naomi Wallace
April 7, 2019 - Belle of Belfast City by Christina Reid
May 5, 2019 - Anna Bella Eema by Lisa D’Amour
