(Photos via Powerstories Theatre)
Tampa | Powerstories is holding the 5th annual Voices of Women Theatre Festival March 27-30 at USF Theatre at the USF College of the Arts to provide a platform for women playwrights to showcase their LGBTQ+-inclusive work.
“We’re thrilled to partner with USF and provide a platform for women playwrights to share their plays,” Powerstories Artistic Director Clareann Despain said in a press release. “It reflects our commitment to championing women’s stories, fostering creativity and promoting diversity in the arts.”
Each year the festival features live staged readings of plays written by women from different backgrounds and genres. Founded as a means to connect women during the pandemic, it has now evolved to “EmpowerHER. InspirHER. AmplifiHER.” and give women “a safe and inclusive place to tell their stories and inspire audiences.”
Eleven female playwrights are set to be featured in this year’s events. The lineup is highly diverse and features a new category for writers over 40, a mostly underrepresented group.
The festival began March 27 with a catered opening night reception and a staged reading at 7:30 p.m. Opening with “Growth” by Erin K. Considine, the first reading was a part of the playwrights over 40 category. The story followed full-time caregiver Kazi as they navigate the challenges of disability, the American healthcare system and dance.
March 28 will feature short plays starting at 7:30 p.m.. They will discuss themes such as rebuilding lost relationships, finding connection in dark times, the complexity of a woman’s actions and more.
March 29 will begin at 7:30 p.m. for another round of short plays. Titles featured include “Checkerboard Chicks,” “Little Black Kids Don’t Go Outside,” “Cassie Had a Livejournal” and more.
On March 30, festivities begins with a playwriting workshop from 12-3 p.m. featuring award-winning playwright Jenny Kokai. It is said to cover topics such as “generating stage works, evaluating ideas, and developing consistent writing habits.” Attendance is limited to 20 participants.
The festival will conclude with a stage reading of Lori Felipe-Barkin’s “Ama. Egg. Oyá.” at 4 p.m. Following main character Ama who is desperate to have a child, the play “examines infertility, motherhood and maternal ambivalence.”
Individual event tickets are $18 or $49 for an All-Access Festival Pass. Tickets for the playwriting workshop are $29. All events are free for USF students, faculty and staff.
Powerstories Theatre’s Voices of Women Theatre Festival runs through March 30 at USF Theatre at the USF College of the Arts, located at 3837 USF Holly Drive in Tampa. Learn more and purchase tickets at Powerstories.com.
