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Friday, January 8, 2016

Reproductive Freedom Festival Call for Works

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SEND US YOUR NEW SHORT WORKS

Words of Choice, a theater company in New York City, announces the Reproductive Freedom Festival.

1-The Reproductive Freedom Festival is a theatrical event supporting reproductive freedom, rights, health and justice. We are pro-women’s rights, pro-human rights, pro-reproductive justice and pro-choice.

At this difficult time for reproductive rights, we are producing this festival to share the elegant, funny, poignant, powerful words supporting reproductive freedom.

2-Words of Choice is seeking new short theatrical works of FIVE minutes or less in length for readings in New York in a Reproductive Freedom Festivalthat will be LIVE STREAMED across the country and throughout the world via VirtualArts TV, the country’s premier arts streaming venture.

3-Those who submit will be offered an opportunity to designate a nonprofit or community activist group that they wish to acknowledge, promote and see supported.

4-Works are divided into four categories:


Historical time period
Contemporary time period
Future time period
Timeless

DETAILS

Who Can Submit: All persons are welcome. Each person may submit one to three works. Persons from inside the U.S. and elsewhere are welcome to participate.

What to Submit: Theatrical works of five minutes or less in length. See information on style and topics below.

-Style: Works may be in any genre, including comedy, drama, mystery, biography, personal, political, satire, spoken word, poetry, song. Works should be in English (or have English translation.)

-Topics: Appropriate topics are reproductive freedom, rights, health and justice, abortion, birth control, body image, sexuality, periods, menopause, sexual safety, gender-based assault, pregnancy, parenting, clinic work, LGBTI rights, economic justice, racism, anti-abortion harassment, Religious Right, immigration rights, gender identity, sex education, AIDS-HIV, leadership, activism, politics … for a fuller understanding of topics, check out this video: https://youtu.be/0y3gSh8BhIA

-One tip: We tend to favor works that connect the political and the personal.

Time: Category: Submitters will be asked to select a time category – a) historical, b) contemporary, c) future, d) timeless.

Length: Five minutes (or shorter) in performance.

Originality: The works must be original to the submitter. New works are delightful; works previously presented also will be considered.

What Will Happen to the Works: Each work will be reviewed by theater persons versed in the topics at hand. Selected works will be presented in New York City at the Reproductive Freedom Festival (exact date forthcoming) produced by Words of Choice and by our ensemble of top performers. You will not be asked to produce your own works or to pay a fee. (Works which you wish to perform yourself are not part of the mix, but if you want, you can inquire.)

How to Submit: Fill out an application form (can be copied from the end of this posting or email us for a copy) and send it with your five-minute (or shorter) selection to ReproductiveFreedomFestival@gmail.com . PDF preferred; Word doc or dox are also accepted. There is no fee.

Deadline: January 15, 2016

Why you are asked to name an organization: We hope this worldwide Live Streaming opportunity produced through Virtual Arts TV will support the good works of like-minded grassroots groups and nonprofits across the country and the world. If your work is selected, there may be opportunities to promote or support the organization you designate. Please note: political candidates and campaigns can’t be considered because of government restrictions on nonprofits.

Actors or Musicians or Artists: If you are interested in participating as a performer, send your statement of interest, headshot, resume to ReproductiveFreedomFestival@gmail.com.

Visual, video or other artists may contact us with proposals for the worldwide Live Streaming, as well.

Volunteers of all sorts are invited to email us, and Sponsors or ideas for them are welcome additions to the Reproductive Freedom Festival. Please contact. ReproductiveFreedomFestival@gmail.com

Questions: Cindy Cooper, ReproductiveFreedomFestival@gmail.com





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WHO We Are

The Reproductive Freedom Festival is being launched by Words of Choice, a dynamic theater working in support of reproductive rights and freedom. Originally founded by Cindy Cooper (now Exec. Dir), Words of Choice first performed in 2002 in New York, and in 2003 formed into a nonprofit. Our signature performances -- a mosaic of a dozen works by a many writers – are presented by an ensemble of actors and have toured to more than 20 states, worked with over 100 organizations, are a DVD, were Live Streamed worldwide as part of the First Wired Arts Festival by VirtualArts TV, are published in a book (‘Frontlines: Political Plays by American Women), were performed on radio, and are presented at conferences and events(www.wordsofchoice.org).

We also produced the first Reproductive Justice Walking Tour with live performances and a fair, and created a virtual Reproductive Justice tour on video and a toolkit for other communities. (https://reprojusticetour.wordpress.com/ ) We conduct Creativity Workshops on reproductive rights and maintain a blog, Up the Creativity, of over 320 posts (http://wordsofchoice.blogspot.com/) of creative actions for reproductive freedom.

Words of Choice has been honored with the Anne E. Fisher Champion of Choice Award by NARAL ProChoice America, the Vision Award from the Abortion Conversations Project, and a proclamation from the City of Providence.

A nonprofit 501c3 organization, donations are most appreciated. We welcome inquiries from Sponsors for the Reproductive Freedom Festival.

Some of the writers we have worked with: Judith Arcana, the late Justice Harry Blackmun and Sally Blackmun, Angela Bonavoglia, Esosa Edosomwan, Mo Gaffney, the late June Jordan, Barbara Lindsay, Kathy Najimy, Michael David Quinn, Mary Ann Sorrentino, Kathleen Tolan, Dr. Susan Wicklund, Penny Lane, Jessica Carmona Baez, Maame-Mensima Horne, Gloria Feldt, Joan Lipkin, Emily Lyons, The Onion, Emilie Townes, Sherica White, Alix Olson. See more: http://wordsofchoice.org/the-play/about-the-writers

Stacey Linnartz is serving as the Artistic Consultant of the Reproductive Freedom Festival. Live Streaming will be produced byVirtualArts TV, the premier arts-streaming entity in the country.

“….Words are found responsible

All you can do is choose them

Or choose

To remain silent. Or, you never had a choice,

Which is why the words that do stand

Are responsible …”



From ‘North American Time” By Adrienne Rich



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REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM FESTIVAL

SUBMISSION FORM

A. Submitter

Name:_____________________________

Address:___________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

Phone: ____________________________

Email: _____________________________



B. Title of Work or Works Submitted (five minutes in length, no more than three). PDF preferred; Word doc or dox also accepted. (By submitting you verify that the work is your original creative work and that you have read the information about the Reproductive Freedom Festival and agree to inclusion in it.)

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________



C. The work falls into this time category (check or circle)

i-historical time period

b-contemporary time period

c-future time period

d-timeless



D. Name of a Grassroots, Community Group or NonProfit that you wish to promote or support through outreach efforts by the Reproductive Freedom Festival, with a one-sentence description of why, the group’s website or Facebook page, and a contact person if you know it. Please note: we can’t accept political candidates or political campaigns.



_____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________



E. Other information you’d like us to have:

_____________________________________

_____________________________________



SEND THIS FORM AS A PDF with your SUBMISSION on or before January 15, 2016 to ReproductiveFreedomFestival@gmail.com

Questions: Cindy Cooper, ReproductiveFreedomFestival@gmail.com

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