When it comes to the creation and staging of theatre and performances, women are still an unfortunate minority in the performing arts -- stuck in the role of performer (if they're lucky), or (even more often) simply as theatergoer -- not as director, producer or playwright. For this reason and more, it's always great to see festivals for and about the works of women, and brought to the stage by women as well.


This Summer, Culture Project is celebrating works created and staged by women thanks to its Women Center Stage 2013 Festival, which will take place from July 8 through August 3, 2013 at the newly named Lynn Redgrave Theater (45 Bleecker Street, New York City). The four-week Festival will offer works written, directed and produced entirely by women.

Celebrating the Unite Contributions of Women in the Perfect Venue

The mission of Culture Project's Women Center Stage (WCS) Initiative is to support and vigorously promote the work of female artists, and to celebrate the unique contributions of women in the arts when it comes to social justice and human rights.

The Women Center Stage Festival is the cornerstone of WCS, and provides a vital and much-needed home for the exploration of new ideas and inspirations, as well as a place in which to test, create and workshop the early stages of new works. WCS helps to put female artists in conversation with new audiences, as well as with potential collaborators, future mentors and mentees, and perhaps most importantly, with a vibrant community of peers.

In 2013, WCS explores works in progress and a workshop series of plays in development, in addition to a weeknight round table conversations among artists and audience. Performance will be the highlight and focus of the 2013 Festival, with the event featuring new artists every evening from teenagers to Tony Award nominees, bringing to the stage some of the most exciting talent working in the performing arts today, and with the potential to have great impact on the future of the arts for years to come.

Works in Progress

Women Center Stage (WCS) is currently offering space and time at Culture Project to some of the city's most exciting directors and playwrights, in order to help them to develop their newest projects. Workshop participants and offerings in 2013 will include: Lucy Alibar (July 8 - 9), Laura Marks & Gaye Taylor Upchurch (July 15 - 19), and Nicole A. Watson & Marta Rainer (July 29 - 31), plus one more artist to be announced.

Conversations in a Salon-Inspired Setting

During the Festival run, from Mondays through Fridays at 6 p.m. each week, the Culture Project lobby will be transformed into a nightly salon of collaboration and conversation among artists and audience, inviting the greater community to engage on an intimate level with the work being presented in the Festival. These salons will feature roundtable discussions and cross-generational conversations with master directors, playwrights and performers.

The goal of each WCS salon is to provide a "think tank" for new ideas about the relationships between women artists and the media, family, and mentors, as well as the impact of the arts on our rapidly changing world. The schedule will be posted on the Culture Project website and updated each week.