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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250914
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250915
DTSTAMP:20260613T103107
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LAST-MODIFIED:20250905T203247Z
UID:5916-1757808000-1757894399@babeswithblades.org
SUMMARY:2025 - Fighting Words Festival
DESCRIPTION:CHALLENGE IT ALL:\nBABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY FIGHTING WORDS LOOKS AT IDENTITY IN ALL FORMS\nPeople living their truth\, no matter how inconvenient to society around them\, can sometimes create heroes where least expected. \nCHICAGO – Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s (BWBTC) 2025 season opens with an extended run of their new works festival\, collectively calledFighting Words\, running September 6th – 14th at the Bramble Arts Loft\, 5545 N. Clark St\, 2nd Floor. All performances start at a $10 suggested price and audiences can provide feedback on the scripts following each reading. \n“Audiences underestimate how much they can influence a new play simply by attending a reading\,” states Hayley Rice\, Artistic Director of BWBTC. “While written notes and critiques are invaluable\, just hearing how an audience connects with a story in the moment is pivotal for playwrights. Fighting Words is an opportunity to do exactly that: All three shows bring something very different to the stage\,” continues Rice. “Chicago theater\, and BWBTC especially\, is not afraid to tell new narratives that represent folks from every corner of society and history\, and this season’s festival does that.” \nFighting Words Festival 2025 Tickets Here\n\nFIGHTING WORDS FESTIVAL\nSeptember 6th & 7th\, 13th & 14th \nPerformance Running Time: TBA\nTicket Price: Beginning at $10\nLocation: Bramble Arts Loft\, 5545 N. Clark St\, 2nd Floor.Select performances will be available for streaming.\n\n\nCLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FIGHTING WORDS FESTIVAL PROGRAM\n\nFIGHTING WORDS 2023 SELECTIONS:\n\n\nEach weekend the festival will have staged readings of the 2025 selections:\nCALVARIA: A PLAY FOR FERAL GIRLS\nWritten by: Maggie Smith (she/her)\nDirected by: BWBTC Ensemble Member Morgan Manasa (she/her)\nFight Direction by: Jessica Pennachio (she/her) \n\nSaturday\, September 6th\, 2025 – 2:30pm \nSaturday\, September 13th\, 2025 – 7:30pm \n\n \n\n\nWhen her family’s bull is found decapitated in the middle of a farm field\, Edie Hruska makes it her mission to find the culprit. While on her search\, she comes across a group of young girls claiming to communicate with gods\, begging Edie to become their newest acolyte. While acclimating to their lifestyle\, Edie finds herself face-to-face with the girls’ true intentions\, and they are much more sinister than just a dead bull. (CALVARIA is the 2025-2026 winner of BWBTC’s Margaret W. Martin Award and the Joining Sword & Pen International Playwriting Competition) \n\n\n  \n\nTWO OUT OF THREE FALLS\nWritten by: Bill Daniel (he/him)\nDirected by: BWBTC Artistic Associate Ashley Yates (she/her)\nFight Direction by: Axel Rico \n\nSunday\, September 7th\, 2025 – 2:30pm \nSaturday\, September 13th\, 2025 – 2:30pm \n\n \n\n\nJohanna Goodish was the child of notorious pro wrestler King Kong Bruiser. Thirty years ago\, he was murdered in a locker room shower in Puerto Rico and the killer was never tried. The witnesses never talked. Since she began her own wrestling career\, she has been trying to escape his shadow. And now\, she’s been seeing his ghost. When an opportunity for revenge presents itself\, she takes it. But it means she’ll be face to face in the ring with the man who held the knife when it happened. \n\n\n  \n\nYO HO\nWritten by: SMJ (they/them)\nDirected by: BWBTC Artistic Associate Maureen Yasko (she/her)\nFight Direction by: Carly Belle Cason \n\nSaturday\, September 6th\, 2025 – 7:30pm \nSunday\, September 14th\, 2025 – 2:30pm \n \n\nYo ho charts the journey of Anne Bonny and Mary Read\, two pirates aboard a campy\, sexually charged ship under immediate threat from the crown. Equal parts historical fantasy and introspective sexual & gender exploration\, this play is a deeply emotional reimaging and reminder of our queer histories. \n\n\nABOUT MAGGIE SMITH\, PLAYWRIGHT OF CALVARIA\n \nMaggie Smith (she/her) is an playwright\, performer\, and comedian based in Chicago\, Illinois. Originally from Omaha\, Nebraska\, Maggie moved to Chicago to attend Loyola University Chicago\, where she received a BA in Theatre\, while minoring in English and Shakespeare Studies. At Loyola\, Maggie led two projects\, Rats and Saint Louise\, Pray for Us\, the first being a devised parody musical and the second a staged reading of her two-act play. Upon graduating Loyola\, she was accepted into the Second City’s Conservatory Training Program\, where she completed her training in September\, 2023. As a writer\, Maggie challenges herself and her audiences to process difficult topics through comedic lenses. She takes from her own life experiences to create a casual representation of the queer experience. In order to depict an experience that she is familiar with\, she prefers to write characters in stories where their identities are not the driving force of the piece. Because of this\, she finds herself called to place queer characters at the forefront of comedies. After all\, that’s what her life is.\nABOUT BILL DANIEL\, PLAYWRIGHT OF TWO OUT OF THREE FALLS\n \nBill Daniel is an actor/playwright living in the city of Chicago. A graduate of Illinois State University\, Bill has spent over a decade in Chicago creating silly stories for silly people. As a playwright\, he has written for WildClaw Theatre (Hell Followed With Her\, Cavities)\, E.D.G.E. Theatre (Holmes vs. Holmes\, What’s All This Then\, La Mousquetaire\, Through Black Glass)\, Illinois State University’s Freestage Festival (The Glass Man\, Pingree Road)\, McHenry County College (What’s All This Then)\, The Living Canvas (Rain)\, Nothing Special Productions (Manhunt: The Great Waldo Search)\, Woodstock’s TownSquare Players (Sitting at the Kid’s Table)\, Hobo Junction (The Great Sloppy Joe Extermination\, Steeping the Tea) and Wayward Productions (Frock Club). In 2013\, Bill undertook a project inspired by Suzan Lori-Parks\, wherein he wrote a short play every day for an entire year.\nABOUT SMJ\, PLAYWRIGHT OF YO HO\n \nSMJ (they/them) is a mixed-Latiné\, non-binary playwright and theatermaker originally from Mount Vernon\, OH. They were a 2022-2023 Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow. Currently\, SMJ is creating work with Latinx Playwrights Circle\, The Orchard Project\, and Andy’s Summer Playhouse. Their work has been seen in various forms with Ars Nova\, Lincoln Center\, The Kennedy Center\, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center\, New York Stage and Film\, Latiné Musical Theatre Lab\, National Queer Theater\, Carnegie Mellon University\, New York University\, Otterbein University\, Wright State University\, University of Texas-El Paso\, Art House Productions\, The Road Theatre Company\, The Flea Theater\, Live Arts\, The DR2 Theatre\, The Vineyard Theatre\, American Theatre Group\, The Arden Theater\, and The Tank. SMJ has been a finalist for the 2024-25 Princess Grace Award in Playwriting at New Dramatists\, 2024 June Bingham New Playwright Commission\, 2023 Parity Development Award\, 2024 Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative at Illinois State University\, and Write Out Loud as well as a semifinalist for the O’Neill’s National Playwrights Conference (three times)\, the 2022-23 Princess Grace Award in Playwriting at New Dramatists\, and the Van Lier Fellowship at Rattlestick Theater. Member of the Dramatists Guild and Ring of Keys. www.smjwrites.com\n\nABOUT THE FIGHTING WORDS FESTIVAL\nFighting Words is BWBTC’s script development program. Each season we choose three scripts for development and read each one aloud three times–first within the company\, then with a small group of invited guests\, and finally as part of a festival that includes all three plays. (Every other season the winner of BWBTC’s International Playwriting Competition and the Margaret W. Martin Award is automatically included as a part of the process.) During the festival\, discussions after each reading provide feedback for the playwrights\, assisting them in developing their scripts further. \nABOUT JOINING SWORD & PEN INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRIGHTING COMPETITION AND THE MARGARET W. MARTIN AWARD\nThe Joining Sword & Pen international playwriting competition launched in 2005 to generate more scripts that featured women in roles involving stage combat. Created in collaboration with Artistic Advisor and Fight Master in the Society of American Fight Directors David Woolley who sponsors the competition\, scripts inspired by a specific image are submitted and go through a blind judging process. The winning script goes through BWBTC’s new play development program\, but also receives a full production\, cash prize and the Margaret W. Martin Award. \nMargaret W. Martin was ahead of her time. In the 1960s and 70s\, she maintained her full time job\, taught piano\, and raised a family of 6 children (4 girls\, two boys) all while she traveled the globe from the States to Saudi Arabia\, across Europe and Vientiane Laos during the height of the Vietnam war. She founded the American International School – Riyadh (K-12) in Saudi Arabia in 1963\, and it has flourished as an institution since then. The Margaret W. Martin Award is in honor of Artistic Advisor and SAFD Fight Master David Woolley’s mother.
URL:https://babeswithblades.org/event/2025-fighting-words-festival-4/
LOCATION:Bramble Arts Loft\, 5545 N. Clark St\, 2nd Floor\, Chicago\, IL
CATEGORIES:2025,Fighting Words,Performances,Play Development,Readings,Talkback,Workshops,Writing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://babeswithblades.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/FWF-2025-11x17-Poster.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250913
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250914
DTSTAMP:20260613T103107
CREATED:20250622T202104Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250803T173915Z
UID:5915-1757721600-1757807999@babeswithblades.org
SUMMARY:2025 - Fighting Words Festival
DESCRIPTION:CHALLENGE IT ALL:\nBABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY FIGHTING WORDS LOOKS AT IDENTITY IN ALL FORMS\nPeople living their truth\, no matter how inconvenient to society around them\, can sometimes create heroes where least expected. \nCHICAGO – Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s (BWBTC) 2025 season opens with an extended run of their new works festival\, collectively called Fighting Words\, running September 6th – 14th at the Bramble Arts Loft\, 5545 N. Clark St\, 2nd Floor. All performances start at a $10 suggested price and audiences can provide feedback on the scripts following each reading. \n“Audiences underestimate how much they can influence a new play simply by attending a reading\,” states Hayley Rice\, Artistic Director of BWBTC. “While written notes and critiques are invaluable\, just hearing how an audience connects with a story in the moment is pivotal for playwrights. Fighting Words is an opportunity to do exactly that: All three shows bring something very different to the stage\,” continues Rice. “Chicago theater\, and BWBTC especially\, is not afraid to tell new narratives that represent folks from every corner of society and history\, and this season’s festival does that.” \nFighting Words Festival 2025 Tickets Here\n\nFIGHTING WORDS FESTIVAL\nSeptember 6th & 7th\, 13th & 14th \nPerformance Running Time: TBA\nTicket Price: Beginning at $10\nLocation: Bramble Arts Loft\, 5545 N. Clark St\, 2nd Floor.Select performances will be available for streaming.\nEach weekend the festival will have staged readings of the 2025 selections:\nCALVARIA: A PLAY FOR FERAL GIRLS\nWritten by: Maggie Smith (she/her)\nDirected by: BWBTC Ensemble Member Morgan Manasa (she/her)\nFight Direction by: Jessica Pennachio (she/her) \n\nSaturday\, September 6th\, 2025 – 2:30pm \nSaturday\, September 13th\, 2025 – 7:30pm \n\n \n\n\nWhen her family’s bull is found decapitated in the middle of a farm field\, Edie Hruska makes it her mission to find the culprit. While on her search\, she comes across a group of young girls claiming to communicate with gods\, begging Edie to become their newest acolyte. While acclimating to their lifestyle\, Edie finds herself face-to-face with the girls’ true intentions\, and they are much more sinister than just a dead bull. (CALVARIA is the 2025-2026 winner of BWBTC’s Margaret W. Martin Award and the Joining Sword & Pen International Playwriting Competition) \n\n\n  \n\nTWO OUT OF THREE FALLS\nWritten by: Bill Daniel (he/him)\nDirected by: BWBTC Artistic Associate Ashley Yates (she/her)\nFight Direction by: Axel Rico \n\nSunday\, September 7th\, 2025 – 2:30pm \nSaturday\, September 13th\, 2025 – 2:30pm \n\n \n\n\nJohanna Goodish was the child of notorious pro wrestler King Kong Bruiser. Thirty years ago\, he was murdered in a locker room shower in Puerto Rico and the killer was never tried. The witnesses never talked. Since she began her own wrestling career\, she has been trying to escape his shadow. And now\, she’s been seeing his ghost. When an opportunity for revenge presents itself\, she takes it. But it means she’ll be face to face in the ring with the man who held the knife when it happened. \n\n\n  \n\nYO HO\nWritten by: SMJ (they/them)\nDirected by: BWBTC Artistic Associate Maureen Yasko (she/her)\nFight Direction by: Carly Belle Cason \n\nSaturday\, September 6th\, 2025 – 7:30pm \nSunday\, September 14th\, 2025 – 2:30pm \n \n\nYo ho charts the journey of Anne Bonny and Mary Read\, two pirates aboard a campy\, sexually charged ship under immediate threat from the crown. Equal parts historical fantasy and introspective sexual & gender exploration\, this play is a deeply emotional reimaging and reminder of our queer histories. \n\n\nABOUT MAGGIE SMITH\, PLAYWRIGHT OF CALVARIA\n \nMaggie Smith (she/her) is an playwright\, performer\, and comedian based in Chicago\, Illinois. Originally from Omaha\, Nebraska\, Maggie moved to Chicago to attend Loyola University Chicago\, where she received a BA in Theatre\, while minoring in English and Shakespeare Studies. At Loyola\, Maggie led two projects\, Rats and Saint Louise\, Pray for Us\, the first being a devised parody musical and the second a staged reading of her two-act play. Upon graduating Loyola\, she was accepted into the Second City’s Conservatory Training Program\, where she completed her training in September\, 2023. As a writer\, Maggie challenges herself and her audiences to process difficult topics through comedic lenses. She takes from her own life experiences to create a casual representation of the queer experience. In order to depict an experience that she is familiar with\, she prefers to write characters in stories where their identities are not the driving force of the piece. Because of this\, she finds herself called to place queer characters at the forefront of comedies. After all\, that’s what her life is.\nABOUT BILL DANIEL\, PLAYWRIGHT OF TWO OUT OF THREE FALLS\n \nBill Daniel is an actor/playwright living in the city of Chicago. A graduate of Illinois State University\, Bill has spent over a decade in Chicago creating silly stories for silly people. As a playwright\, he has written for WildClaw Theatre (Hell Followed With Her\, Cavities)\, E.D.G.E. Theatre (Holmes vs. Holmes\, What’s All This Then\, La Mousquetaire\, Through Black Glass)\, Illinois State University’s Freestage Festival (The Glass Man\, Pingree Road)\, McHenry County College (What’s All This Then)\, The Living Canvas (Rain)\, Nothing Special Productions (Manhunt: The Great Waldo Search)\, Woodstock’s TownSquare Players (Sitting at the Kid’s Table)\, Hobo Junction (The Great Sloppy Joe Extermination\, Steeping the Tea) and Wayward Productions (Frock Club). In 2013\, Bill undertook a project inspired by Suzan Lori-Parks\, wherein he wrote a short play every day for an entire year.\nABOUT SMJ\, PLAYWRIGHT OF YO HO\n \nSMJ (they/them) is a mixed-Latiné\, non-binary playwright and theatermaker originally from Mount Vernon\, OH. They were a 2022-2023 Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow. Currently\, SMJ is creating work with Latinx Playwrights Circle\, The Orchard Project\, and Andy’s Summer Playhouse. Their work has been seen in various forms with Ars Nova\, Lincoln Center\, The Kennedy Center\, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center\, New York Stage and Film\, Latiné Musical Theatre Lab\, National Queer Theater\, Carnegie Mellon University\, New York University\, Otterbein University\, Wright State University\, University of Texas-El Paso\, Art House Productions\, The Road Theatre Company\, The Flea Theater\, Live Arts\, The DR2 Theatre\, The Vineyard Theatre\, American Theatre Group\, The Arden Theater\, and The Tank. SMJ has been a finalist for the 2024-25 Princess Grace Award in Playwriting at New Dramatists\, 2024 June Bingham New Playwright Commission\, 2023 Parity Development Award\, 2024 Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative at Illinois State University\, and Write Out Loud as well as a semifinalist for the O’Neill’s National Playwrights Conference (three times)\, the 2022-23 Princess Grace Award in Playwriting at New Dramatists\, and the Van Lier Fellowship at Rattlestick Theater. Member of the Dramatists Guild and Ring of Keys. www.smjwrites.com\n\nABOUT THE FIGHTING WORDS FESTIVAL\nFighting Words is BWBTC’s script development program. Each season we choose three scripts for development and read each one aloud three times–first within the company\, then with a small group of invited guests\, and finally as part of a festival that includes all three plays. (Every other season the winner of BWBTC’s International Playwriting Competition and the Margaret W. Martin Award is automatically included as a part of the process.) During the festival\, discussions after each reading provide feedback for the playwrights\, assisting them in developing their scripts further. \nABOUT JOINING SWORD & PEN INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRIGHTING COMPETITION AND THE MARGARET W. MARTIN AWARD\nThe Joining Sword & Pen international playwriting competition launched in 2005 to generate more scripts that featured women in roles involving stage combat. Created in collaboration with Artistic Advisor and Fight Master in the Society of American Fight Directors David Woolley who sponsors the competition\, scripts inspired by a specific image are submitted and go through a blind judging process. The winning script goes through BWBTC’s new play development program\, but also receives a full production\, cash prize and the Margaret W. Martin Award. \nMargaret W. Martin was ahead of her time. In the 1960s and 70s\, she maintained her full time job\, taught piano\, and raised a family of 6 children (4 girls\, two boys) all while she traveled the globe from the States to Saudi Arabia\, across Europe and Vientiane Laos during the height of the Vietnam war. She founded the American International School – Riyadh (K-12) in Saudi Arabia in 1963\, and it has flourished as an institution since then. The Margaret W. Martin Award is in honor of Artistic Advisor and SAFD Fight Master David Woolley’s mother.
URL:https://babeswithblades.org/event/2025-fighting-words-festival-3/
LOCATION:Bramble Arts Loft\, 5545 N. Clark St\, 2nd Floor\, Chicago\, IL
CATEGORIES:2025,Fighting Words,Performances,Play Development,Readings,Talkback,Workshops,Writing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://babeswithblades.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/FWF-2025-11x17-Poster.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230617
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230626
DTSTAMP:20260613T103107
CREATED:20230510T013024Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240208T023839Z
UID:4872-1686960000-1687737599@babeswithblades.org
SUMMARY:2023 - Fighting Words Festival
DESCRIPTION:Three new scripts that utilize stage combat to tell stories of underrepresented communities and invite audiences to contribute to the plays’ development! \nThe fifth annual Fighting Words Festival (live and streamed online)! \nBWBTC’s 2023 season kicks off with the Fighting Words Festival\, held on Saturday & Sunday\, June 17-18 and June 24-25\, 2023 at The Edge Off Broadway. (The Edge Theater’s black box)\, 1133 W. Catalpa in the Edgewater neighborhood. The Festival\, which is free and open to the public is available online and in person\, features readings of three scripts in the development process. After each reading the audience has an opportunity to provide feedback for the playwright. Live streaming is available for the June 24th and 25th readings. \nTickets: FREE ADMISSION! And a talkback following each reading. \n**MASKING IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND IN PERSON** \n\n\nCLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FIGHTING WORDS FESTIVAL PROGRAM\n \n\nCLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE FWF – TALKBACK RESPONSE FORM\n \nFIGHTING WORDS 2023 SELECTIONS:\n\nRich B*tch\nby Rachel Lynett \n\nSaturday\, June 17\, 2023 – 2:30pm \nSaturday\, June 24\, 2023 – 7:30pm \n\n \nDirected by Lo Williams\nFight Choreography by Madison Hill \n\n\nDani agrees to spend a weekend with her rich friends to celebrate her best friend’s wedding as a sort of “bachelor party”\, but no one was expecting the various proverbial (and literal) cuts they would ultimately cause each other as they navigate what is required and expected in order to be a rich b*tch who is also a woman of color. \nContent Warning: Please be advised that this script portrays drug use and heavy alcohol use\, as well as discussions of suicide\, sexual abuse\, and unintended pregnancy. \n\n\nRSVP -RICH B*TCH (Live)\n\nRSVP – RICH B*TCH (Virtual)\n  \n\n  \n\nSin Agua\nby Desi Moreno-Penson \n\nSunday\, June 18\, 2023 – 2:30pm \nSaturday\, June 24\, 2023 – 2:30pm \n\n \nDirected by Amy Gerwert Valdez\nFight Choreography by Thomas Russell \n\nAmanita\, the mushroom chef\, wants to open her own restaurant in Mexico City. But it’s raining. The rain is called The Spate and it carries disease. The other chefs want to leave\, the enigmatic ghost of her mother wants her to find the mushroom fields of the Aztlán Gods\, called El Medio\, and an eccentric mushroom supplier wants to devour every mushroom in sight. What’s a girl to do with such a kitchen nightmare?\n\nRSVP -SIN AGUA (Live)\n\nRSVP – SIN AGUA (Virtual)\n  \n\n  \n\nThe Gatekeepers\nby Jillian Leff* \n\nSaturday\, June 17\, 2023 – 7:30pm \nSunday\, June 25\, 2023 – 2:30pm \n\n \nDirected by Morgan Manasa*\nFight Choreography by Pol Cooney \n\nTaking place in a distant future where the United States has undergone sweeping reform: Guns are banned\, healthcare is free\, and numerous tax and economic bills have helped lessen the division of classes and pulled millions out of poverty. Sloane (first name Bridget\, but don’t call her that) is a young woman who has been tapped by a watchdog intelligence agency called the CRC\, led by the odd\, yet domineering William Hale. As Sloane triumphantly (and a little drunkenly) leaves a warehouse after signing her contract\, she is stopped by a mysterious woman who says she has come back in time to stop Sloane from making the biggest mistake of her life.\n\nRSVP -THE GATEKEEPERS (Live)\n\n\nRSVP – THE GATEKEEPERS (Virtual)\n\n* Denotes BWBTC ensemble member \n\nABOUT RACHEL LYNETT\, PLAYWRIGHT OF Rich B*tch\n \nRachel Lynett (she/they) is a queer Afro-Latine playwright\, producer\, and teaching artist. Their plays have been featured at San Diego Rep\, Magic Theatre\, Mirrorbox Theatre\, Laboratory Theatre of Florida\, Barrington Stage Company\, Theatre Lab\, Theatre Prometheus\, Florida Studio Theatre\, Laughing Pig Theatre Company\, Capital Repertory Theatre\, Teatro Espejo\, the Kennedy Center Page to Stage festival\, TheatreSquared\, Equity Library Theatre\, Chicago\, Talk Back Theatre\, American Stage Theatre Company\, Indiana University at Bloomington\, Edgewood College\, and Orlando Shakespeare Theatre. Their plays\, Last Night and HE DID IT\, made the 2020 Kilroy’s List. Rachel Lynett is also the 2021 recipient of the Yale Drama Prize for their play\, Apologies to Lorraine Hansberry (You Too August Wilson). Lynett was the 2021 recipient of the National Latinx Playwriting award and the runner-up for the 2022 Miranda Family Voces Latinx Playwriting Competition for their play\, Black Mexican. Their play\, White People by the Lake was also a 2022 Blue Ink Award finalist. They have previously taught at the University of Arkansas\, Fayetteville\, the University of Wisconsin\, Madison\, and Alfred University. Lynett was recently a staff writer for The Winchesters and is working on an upcoming feature.\nABOUT DESI MORENO-PENSON\, PLAYWRIGHT OF Sin Agua\n \nDesi Moreno-Penson (she/her) is a playwright\, actor\, dramaturg\, and independent theater producer based in NYC. She has an MFA in Dramaturgy and Theater Criticism from Brooklyn College. Her plays have been developed/produced at Ensemble Studio Theater (EST)\, INTAR\, MultiStages\, Perishable Theater (Providence\, RI)\, SPF-Summer Play Festival\, terraNOVA Collective\, Downtown Urban Theater Festival (DUTF) @the Cherry Lane\, Urban Theater Company (Chicago)\, Teatro Coribantes (San Juan\, PR)\, among others. She is the Instructor for Classics In Color\, an online new play development course sponsored by Dramatic Question Theater (DQT) for BIPOC playwrights interested in creating modern adaptations of classical works. Her short play\, DEAD WIVES DANCE THE MAMBO was featured as part of The Chain One-Act Festival at the Chain Theater\, directed by KM Jones. Her new play\, EL BACALAO: The Catfish Man\, a Latinx retelling of Euripedes’ THE BACCHAE\, was selected for the 2021 Fall Intensive Writers Group with Workshop Theater. Her play\, BEIGE received a staged reading as part of the playwrights/directors unit (PDU) at The Actors Studio. In addition\, BEIGE is the winner of the 2016 National Latinx Playwriting Award sponsored by the Arizona Theater Company; and is a finalist for both the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and the Bay Area Playwrights Festival (San Francisco\, CA). She has twice won the MultiStages New Works Contest sponsored by MultiStages Theater Company for her plays\, OMINOUS MEN and COMIDA DE PUTA (F%&king Lousy Food); she has twice been a semifinalist for the Princess Grace Award\, and her work has received Honorable Mention on The Kilroys List. Her plays are published by Broadway Play Publishing; her short play\, RECONCILE\, BITCH is included in the short plays anthology “Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2020\,” published by Applause Theater and Cinema Books; a ten-minute play\, SPIRIT SEX: A PARANORMAL ROMANCE\, was selected for the short plays anthology\, “Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2010;” and a scene from her play\, COMIDA DE PUTA (F%&king Lousy Food) is included in an anthology featuring plays written by Latinx playwrights\, “Scenes for Latinx Actors: Voices of the New American Theater\,” both published by Smith and Kraus.\nABOUT JILLIAN LEFF\, PLAYWRIGHT OF The Gatekeepers\n \nJillian Leff (she/her) is a Chicago based playwright and actor. In the city\, her plays have been produced by The New Coordinates (SMALL WORLD – co-written with Joe Lino – 2020 Jeff Award Nominee for New Work) The Cuckoo’s Theater Project (MISSED OPPORTUNITIES)\, and The Right Brain Project ((NON)FICTION)\, while her short plays have been produced by Broken Nose Theatre\, Random Acts Chicago\, and Ghostlight Ensemble\, among others. She has a BFA in Acting from Ball State University and is an Ensemble Member of Babes With Blades Theatre Company. https://newplayexchange.org/users/21210/jillian-leff\nABOUT THE FIGHTING WORDS FESTIVAL\nFighting Words emerged from the very clear need to increase the canon of fighting roles for folks of marginalized genders. By establishing a development series for new works\, BWBTC not only supports the creation of scripts that meet our mission and that we can produce\, but scripts that can go beyond Chicago to increase the visibility of a wide variety of fierce folks on stage. \nEach year since 2005\, BWBTC selects three scripts for development that have the potential to grow into the kinds of plays that fit its mission. Several of the Fighting Words selections have been seen as full productions with BWBTC\, as well as other theatre companies: most recently Women of 4G\, 180 Degree Rule\, Patchwork Drifter\, L’Imbecile\, Promise of a Rose Garden (Jeff Recommended\,) Bo Thomas and the Case of the Sky Pirates and The Lady Demands Satisfaction (Jeff Recommended). \nEach 2022-23 script has undergone two reading-and-feedback sessions with the ensemble and invited guests. BWBTC is presenting the final reading of each script in a festival format: The Fighting Words Festival. \n  \nLearn more about Fighting Words or submit your own script.
URL:https://babeswithblades.org/event/2023-fighting-words-festival/
LOCATION:The Edge Off Broadway\, 1133 W Catalpa Ave\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640
CATEGORIES:2023,Fighting Words,Live Streaming,Performances,Play Development,Readings,Talkback,Workshops
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20221009T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20221009T183000
DTSTAMP:20260613T103107
CREATED:20221008T055253Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221008T055810Z
UID:4701-1665336600-1665340200@babeswithblades.org
SUMMARY:Post-Show TALKBACK: BWBTC Shakespeare Richard III
DESCRIPTION:BWBTC Shakespeare: Richard III\nFri Aug 26\, 2022 – Sat Oct 15\, 2022 \n\nWritten by William Shakespeare\nDirected by Richard Costes\nFight & Intimacy Direction by Maureen Yasko* \n\nIn partnership with University of Illinois Chicago’s Disability Cultural Center\nBabes With Blades Theatre Company brings the tale of Shakespeare’s most complex\, cruel and fascinating protagonist to life this summer in a new version that accounts for previously disregarded perspectives. BWBTC Shakespeare’s Richard III tells the story of Richard of Gloucester\, who uses intelligence\, deception and political manipulation towards his ultimate goal: England’s crown. Babes With Blades’ production is a partnership with a project called “Making Inclusive Theatre: Richard III as Disability Art\,” a collaboration with the University of Illinois Chicago’s Disability Cultural Center\, the UIC Department of Theatre and Bodies of Work\, a network of disability arts and culture. \nCasting both non-disabled and disabled actors\, this production will not only examine stage combat as a storytelling tool\, but interrogate the divide between “regular” theatre and “theatre for the disabled”. \nPlease note: Live captions will be available for all performances. \nBUY TICKETS HERE\n\n  \n\n  \nImportant Accessibility Dates:\n\nSeptember 11th & 17th – There will be adjustments for sensory needs audience members \nSeptember 24th – There will be ASL interpreters at this performance \nOctober 1st – We will offer a touch tour and audio description of the show \nOctober 9th – Multi Accessibility/Talkback Day. ASL interpreters and audio description/touch tour will be provided as well as a talkback after the show with representatives from the UIC Disability Cultural Center. \nAudience members who are blind and or have low vision will receive a headset that allows them to listen to a trained audio describer. Descriptions of key visual elements of the show will be inserted into natural pauses in the performance. 30 minutes prior to the show\, patrons who are blind or have low vision are invited to attend a touch tour and audio description involving a table of props and costume elements in the lobby that can be explored with touch\, as well as a brief presentation in the theatre detailing the set and introducing patrons to the voices of the actors. \n\n\n\nPre-Show Touch Tour at 2:30 PM.\nAudio Described & ASL Performance at 3PM\nPost-Show Talkback at 5:30PM\n\n\n\n\n\n**Tickets: Previews $20; student and senior tickets are $28 and general admission are $35. \n***Ticket sales end 3 hours before curtain. Seats may still be available even if it says no longer available. You can reserve a seat by calling our Box Office Line at 773-217-8406.***\n \n\nCOVID POLICY\nFor the safety of our cast\, crew\, staff\, volunteers\, and patrons\, all in-person attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination at the door. We reserve the right to refund pre-purchased tickets if proof of vaccination is not provided. Edge Theatre and BWBTC also require that all audience members are masked in the theater and lobby at all times. If you do not wish to or are unable to meet these requirements\, we suggest you attend one of our live-streamed performances on September 23rd\, 25th and October 8th. \n\nClick here for more show details
URL:https://babeswithblades.org/event/post-show-talkback-bwbtc-shakespeare-richard-iii/
LOCATION:The Edge Theater\, 5451 N Broadway St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640
CATEGORIES:2022,Outreach,Performances,Sensory Friendly,Shakespeare,Talkback,Touch tour
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20221009T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20221009T173000
DTSTAMP:20260613T103107
CREATED:20220817T012219Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230917T221659Z
UID:4620-1665327600-1665336600@babeswithblades.org
SUMMARY:MULTI-ACCESSIBILITY / TALKBACK DAY: BWBTC Shakespeare Richard III
DESCRIPTION:BWBTC Shakespeare: Richard III\nFri Aug 26\, 2022 – Sat Oct 15\, 2022 \n\nWritten by William Shakespeare\nDirected by Richard Costes\nFight & Intimacy Direction by Maureen Yasko* \n\nIn partnership with University of Illinois Chicago’s Disability Cultural Center\nBabes With Blades Theatre Company brings the tale of Shakespeare’s most complex\, cruel and fascinating protagonist to life this summer in a new version that accounts for previously disregarded perspectives. BWBTC Shakespeare’s Richard III tells the story of Richard of Gloucester\, who uses intelligence\, deception and political manipulation towards his ultimate goal: England’s crown. Babes With Blades’ production is a partnership with a project called “Making Inclusive Theatre: Richard III as Disability Art\,” a collaboration with the University of Illinois Chicago’s Disability Cultural Center\, the UIC Department of Theatre and Bodies of Work\, a network of disability arts and culture. \nCasting both non-disabled and disabled actors\, this production will not only examine stage combat as a storytelling tool\, but interrogate the divide between “regular” theatre and “theatre for the disabled”. \nPlease note: Live captions will be available for all performances. \nBUY TICKETS HERE\n\n  \n\n  \nImportant Accessibility Dates:\n\nSeptember 11th & 17th – There will be adjustments for sensory needs audience members \nSeptember 24th – There will be ASL interpreters at this performance \nOctober 1st – We will offer a touch tour and audio description of the show \nOctober 9th – Multi Accessibility/Talkback Day. ASL interpreters and audio description/touch tour will be provided as well as a talkback after the show with representatives from the UIC Disability Cultural Center. \nAudience members who are blind and or have low vision will receive a headset that allows them to listen to a trained audio describer. Descriptions of key visual elements of the show will be inserted into natural pauses in the performance. 30 minutes prior to the show\, patrons who are blind or have low vision are invited to attend a touch tour and audio description involving a table of props and costume elements in the lobby that can be explored with touch\, as well as a brief presentation in the theatre detailing the set and introducing patrons to the voices of the actors. \n\n\n\nPre-Show Touch Tour at 2:30 PM.\nAudio Described & ASL Performance at 3PM\nPost-Show Talkback at 5:30PM\n\n\n\n\n\n**Tickets: Previews $20; student and senior tickets are $28 and general admission are $35. \n***Ticket sales end 3 hours before curtain. Seats may still be available even if it says no longer available. You can reserve a seat by calling our Box Office Line at 773-217-8406.***\n \n\nCOVID POLICY\nFor the safety of our cast\, crew\, staff\, volunteers\, and patrons\, all in-person attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination at the door. We reserve the right to refund pre-purchased tickets if proof of vaccination is not provided. Edge Theatre and BWBTC also require that all audience members are masked in the theater and lobby at all times. If you do not wish to or are unable to meet these requirements\, we suggest you attend one of our live-streamed performances on September 23rd\, 25th and October 8th. \n\nClick here for more show details
URL:https://babeswithblades.org/event/multi-accessibility-talkback-day-bwbtc-shakespeare-richard-iii/
LOCATION:The Edge Theater\, 5451 N Broadway St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640
CATEGORIES:2022,American Sign Language (ASL),Audio Description,Performances,Sensory Friendly,Shakespeare,Talkback
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END:VCALENDAR