Women’s Theatre Festival Returns to Millibo Art Theatre in Colorado Springs with Plays and Performances by Colorado Female Creatives

WTF!

Awww, don’t clutch your pearls. That stands for the Women’s Theatre Festival, and it’s returning to the Millibo Art Theatre in mid-March.

What started as the Six Women Playwriting Festival in 2006 has evolved to encompass more than just staged plays. The festival also welcomes innovative performances in music, dance, performance art, film, poetry, clowning and physical theater — all birthed by Colorado’s female creatives.

“Although great strides have been made, women’s voices in performance and playwriting remain seriously under-produced and unheard by the traditional theater community,” says Jim Jackson, Millibo’s co-founder.

The call for entries went out all over the state. A team of WTF directors and Millibo artistic directors and staff had the challenging task to winnow down the 25 entries.

“The committee looks for work that creatively addresses the theme of the year, rich in theatrical imagination with activated writing,” Jackson says. This year’s theme is “Women’s Work.”

Amy Pieri is one of the entrants who made it through that process. Her play, “Graceful Exit,” lasts less than 10 minutes but, she says, it carries a powerful message.

“What at first seems silly and almost ridiculous, later leans more heavily into considerations about women’s lives, duties and decisions,” Pieri says. Initially, she struggled to write something that would fit the theme.

“Then I thought, ‘What if I literally approached traditional women’s work ideology as an actual job assigned within an inane corporate culture? What happens when a woman completes her societally dictated work? What defines her relevance?’” Pieri says.

Regional theater veteran Lynne Hastings is directing two of the plays, “Calamity at the Mountain Boy Saloon” and “The Laundry Monologues.”

She loves that “Calamity” has ties to Colorado and that she was able to cast diverse actors in the Wild West-influenced play.

“Women often took on the persona — or the bravado — of men during that time in order to make space and take care of themselves, especially if they were single or widowed. We get to see the persona drop as they become sisters in this moment,” Hastings says.

She also feels a connection to “The Laundry Monologues.”

“Laundry is traditionally seen as ‘women’s work,’ so we are seeing how a woman’s life has changed as she does laundry. Is this her ‘me time’? Is this where she takes stock of her life as she touches various pieces of clothing? Is this the only place where she has control or a voice?”

All three, of course, are devoted believers in the power of performance. Theater in general and this festival in particular have something to offer everyone; regardless of gender, age and economic status, we can all learn and enjoy.

“I think theater challenges us to more fully examine our communal humanity, and to identify ways our individual lives are more intrinsically connected than may readily appear. Theater is an inherently shared and dynamic experience,” Pieri says.

For her part, Hastings thinks that “For one moment in time, we are a community. It’s our shared experience. A glance at someone when they laugh or whisper to their companion during a show means we’re sharing.”

Jackson is proud of what Millibo, the performers and writers are accomplishing with the WTF.

“This is a valuable festival because it gives the stage over to Colorado playwrights and performers who may not have access to a producing theater. These works are not meant to remain only on paper; they must be produced to be fully realized.”

About the Performances

Plays:

“Calamity at the Mountain Boy Saloon,” written by DJ Jones, directed by Lynne Hastings

Mountain Charley and the new saloon girl, Fannie, are cleaning up the saloon when Calamity Jane stumbles in. Soon after, a stranger enters and Fannie begins to suspect that the four of them may have more in common than meets the eye.

“Graceful Exit,” written by Amy Pieri, directed by Jane Fromme

Sharon finds herself in an exit interview with Josh, a corporate cog at a conglomerate called Women’s Work. Her identity and life on display, still-feisty Sharon deftly defends her skills and years as a homemaker.

“Made from Scratch,” written by Marty Rapp, directed by Joye Levy

Four “ladies of a certain age” gather for their Neighbors without Fences meeting, an opportunity for wine and conversation. When a new, much younger, neighbor attends her first meeting, they’re challenged by how much being a housewife has changed.

“Titters,” written by Jennifer Caress, McKay Jacobsen and Michelle Hoody White, directed by Eve Tilley

In the 1800s, three women sit in a parlor and drink tea while discussing using the diagnosis of “hysteria” to their benefit.

“The Laundry Monologues,” written by Lisa Siebert, directed by Lynne Hastings

A mother’s private thoughts about the life cycle of a family — and herself — are shared through various mediums of laundry.

Other pieces:

“Travel in Your Twenties? Joy in the Journey,” dance choreographed and performed by Anastasia Keating

Both traveling and living in your twenties are exciting, challenging and unpredictable experiences that provide opportunity for love, growth and surprises.

“Do,” performance piece written and performed by Carla Brown

An Army medic on maternity leave is spending a quiet afternoon when an emergency shatters the calm, and she becomes the only one willing to act. The piece reframes “women’s work” as both domestic caretaking and emergency labor.

“Just One More Thing,” film by Tiffany Tinsley Weeks

About the balancing act of “women’s work,” it captures a woman’s task of balancing on one high-heeled foot while handling a variety of props that represent different aspects of life.

“The Secret Life of a Poet,” poem written and performed by J. Claire

This work strips away the scripted, filtered response and reveals the true depth of a woman and a poet.