by Zoe Kamil

On Friday, November 20th, 2015, friends and supporters of Works by Women gathered on the Upper West Side to see Antu Yacob's thought-provoking new play, Mourning Sun.

Rarely does one have the privilege of seeing a performance that serves as a powerful educational experience, as well as a piece of art. Witnessing protagonist Biftu's journey from an abused child bride, to a self-empowered American immigrant was a stark reminder of how vital it is for women all over the world to understand the plights of their sisters and fight in solidarity for their well-being. 

Though the intense weight of the subject matter was undeniable, the piece was also punctuated by a refreshing warmth and sense of humor that brought great depth and relatibility to the characters.   

Personally, Mourning Sun was a wake-up call for me. I believe in a brand of feminism that is intersectional, and inclusive. Yet, I know so little about the oppression of women in cultures and societies beyond my own. This play felt like a healthy challenge - encouraging those of us who are privileged in our abilities to choose who we want to marry, and have agency over our own bodies - to stand up for those who don't. It was a necessary reminder, raising an incredibly important issue.

Check out our live-tweeting from yesterday's Percolating Gender Parity in Theatre Forum in midtown! 

We were thrilled to be part of this fantastic day full of bright minds for and passion for parity.

Thanks to Shellen Lubin (Women Arts and Media Coalition), Martha Richards (WomenArts), HowlRound and everyone else who made it possible. 
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We were thrilled to attend the GOOD TO GO Summit on November 18th

​Check out some of our live tweets!

​by Charlotte Ahlin

Where are all the women* in theatre? On October 18th, 2015, quite a few of them were at TheaterLab in Midtown, Manhattan, partying for gender equality at Works by Women’s first ever Parity Party.

In a world where only 25% of the plays produced in America are written by women, where the 2013-2014 Broadway season featured no new plays by women, it’s easy to see why the push for parity is more imperative than ever. But there’s no reason that we can’t enjoy ourselves while crushing systematic inequality!

That’s exactly what the Parity Party was—a chance to learn more about the lack of opportunity for women in theatre, to contribute to arts advocacy, and to enjoy cake truffles and wine while watching some of the most talented women theatre artists in the industry do their thing. The Parity Party offered guests refreshments from local New York businesses, a silent auction with everything from luxury hotel stays to aerial lessons to feminist coloring books, and exclusive performances from women and women-centric theatre companies. And, for one night only, money featuring men was not accepted. Parity Party guests were asked to exchange their patriarchal dollars for Parity Cash—bills featuring some of the great women of theatre history, such as 20th century American playwright Lorraine Hansberry, 10th century German nun Hrosvitha, and 17th century Japanese dramatist Izumo no Okuni.

Armed with their more progressive Parity Cash, guests were free to explore the sleek rehearsal and performance spaces at TheaterLab, an entirely women-run theatre venue headed by Artistic Director Orietta Crispino. In one room, the silent auction offered guests a chance to bid on a plethora of donated goodies, as well as a buffet of delicious food donated by The Fillmore Room, Jack Doyle's, and 5 Boro Burger. 

​Zoe Kamil: Can you name a moment or experience from your adolescence that made you realize that writing plays was something that you could do?
 
Chisa Hutchinson: Welp, the jury's still out on "could"-- day jobs: making the possible seem impossible since the dawn of civilization-- but I can tell you all about the "should." I was a scholarship kid at a swanky private school where we had an art gallery (I know, right?). And in this art gallery, there was an exhibit by a photographer who took photos of Americans living in poverty. And there was one picture in particular of a woman-- a black woman who looked like she could have been my mama-- sitting next to a huge hole in her wall. And as I'm passing by this picture, one of my classmates, in utter and alarming earnest, goes, "Ew. Why doesn't she just get that fixed?"
 
And I really wanted to punch her in the throat. But I started writing plays instead.
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​Zoe Kamil: Do you think that identifying strongly with a particular racial or gender identity is limiting, or freeing to an artist?
 
Chisa Hutchinson: It's both. On the one hand, I'm never like "Whaaaaat am I going to write about?" You always have something to say when you're poor and black and a woman. On the other hand, it's a tremendous responsibility. You gotta rep hard and rep well and no matter what you write, someone will always be dissatisfied with your portrayal. Take, for example, DEAD & BREATHING. There's a trans character in it who, for this particular incarnation, is being played by a cis-woman. And you have to believe me when I say we resisted that until the very last precisely because we know how important it is to rep the under-repped in an authentic way. We felt like those jokers out in California (California!) trying to justify casting a white guy as the Chinese lead. My hope, though, is that we'll get some trans folks in the audience who are so moved by the story, by this character, that they can't help watching and going, "I could play the shit outta that role." And then maybe actually come out and audition for the next production. Sheeit. We'll do representation in phases, if that's what it takes.


​Zoe Kamil: Your play “Dead and Breathing” is about the "right to die” issue. Has the time you’ve spent with this script led you to a personal conclusion about the issue, or simply raised more questions? Has it caused you to question preconceived thoughts about assisted suicide?
 
Chisa Hutchinson: I'm generally a fan of life. I like living it. I think it's a gift. But I have had some experiences that have led me to understand why some folks might have a harder time feeling that way. My Ma passed of cancer in 2011, and in the end, this woman who had worked sometimes three jobs to make sure her kids were fed, who chased my sisters with belts and slippers when they were misbehaving (never me because I was a good kid-- HA!), who actually physically intervened to protect a friend when her abusive husband went on one of his rampages... this woman was in diapers in the end. She couldn't speak or feed herself or nothing when it got real bad. And it made me question whether or not all life is worth living for sure.


​Zoe Kamil: What do you think is the most aggressive setback to gender parity in theatre right now? How do we overcome this?

Chisa Hutchinson: Maybe this answer is super obvious, but we gotta get some more broads in taste-making positions. On the front-end and the back, meaning as producers and Artistic Directors aaaand as critics. If I read one more tone-deaf, dick-driven review of a brilliant play by a female playwright or hear one more male AD go, "There just aren't any really good plays by women out there," I'm gonna... well, I'll probably punch someone in the throat this time because there ain't no instant gratification in becoming a playwright.

by Charlotte Ahlin
 
Any actress who’s ever been to an open call can tell you that there are plenty of young ladies out there in the theatre world. But where are all the women* playwrights? Directors? Designers? Women* make up most of the theatergoing audience, and a little over half of the world’s population. So why are only 24% of plays produced in America written by women*? How is it that, in the 2013-2014 Broadway season, not a single play was written by a woman*? Isn’t it time to do something about it?
 
Works by Women is changing the game. We’re a non-profit organization with the sole mission of supporting diverse theatrical work written, directed, and/or designed by women*. This month, we’re standing up for equality in style: Works by Women is hosting the industry’s first ever Parity Party, where you, too, can party for gender parity.
 
Come for exclusive performances from Lizzy Bryce, Jody Christopherson, F.A.B. Women, Flux Theatre Ensemble, Honest Accomplice Theatre, Autumn Kioti, Sylvia Milo, National Black Theatre, New Perspectives Theatre Company, and Laura Pedersen. Come for our silent auction, featuring everything from show tickets to luxury hotel stays to aerial lessons—start bidding now. Come to schmooze with cutting edge artists, to enjoy refreshments from local New York businesses, and to stick it to systematic inequality. All proceeds go directly towards advocacy for women* in theatre. We’re raising awareness and funding!
 
Join us at TheaterLab in Midtown Manhattan on October 18th, 7:00 PM for an evening of performances, networking, light food, beverages, and a silent auction to raise awareness and funding toward our goal of reaching gender equality in the theatre by the year 2020. Find your ticket online at Brown Paper Tickets. We also offer an artist ticket, if you’d like to donate your ticket to an artist performing at the benefit. We can’t do it without you!
 
*We use an inclusive definition of “women" and we welcome all who identify with the term.
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1) What do you see happening in terms of challenging the status quo in theatre as we know it as a woman, or more specifically as a trans woman?

As a transfeminist I'm really big on visibility and demystification, which is why I've been so public with the process of my transition. For me the biggest issue right now is representation. What stories are being told, and who is telling them? There's been a great upwelling of advocacy for women playwrights in the past couple years, with the Lilly Awards and the Kilroys, which are both expanding to include transfolk in their mission. I think we need to be doing the same for transgender performers. It's great that more trans roles are being written, but are we seeking out and cultivating trans actors to play those roles? 

2) Who are some of your favourite artists or inspirations?

I think with POST-OP I'm working somewhere between Kate Bornstein's "Queer and Pleasant Danger", Bridget Everett's "Rock Bottom," and Spalding Gray's "Swimming to Cambodia." Of course, in many ways my life choices have been informed by Hedwig and the Angry Inch and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, so there's a little bit of Richard O'Brien/Tim Curry and John Cameron Mitchell/Stephen Trask in what I'm doing, like all the time. Also Cheri Lovedog and Robin Prey's "Prey for Rock n Roll" and Jayne County and The Electric Chairs, the original Transgender Punk Rock Star.

3) What can we expect from your new show Post-Op?

A lot of high belting and graphic over-sharing. 

4) How does it relate to past work and what is different about it?

POST-OP is very much a companion piece to ONE WOMAN SHOW, my last solo piece. ONE WOMAN SHOW covered 33 years of my life leading up to my gender transition, and POST-OP covered the 6 weeks that I spent in Thailand before, during, and after gender confirmation surgery. Both pieces get at the emotional drive, spiritual quest, and political implications of forging a transgender identity. Something I'm really excited about with POST-OP is that, while ONE WOMAN SHOW was a mix of covers and original tunes, POST-OP is all original. It's really a solo musical. I wrote the book and about half of the lyrics, and I collaborated with some incredible composers on the music: Joel Waggoner, Zoe Sarnak, Ty Defoe, Tidtaya Sinutoke, Michael R. Jackson, Sam Salmond, Julianne Wick Davis, Teresa Lotz, Lauren Marcus, Shaina Taub. Julianne, Sam, and Joel also created songs for ONE WOMAN SHOW, so it's cool to have their musical voices back in this piece.

5) What message are you hoping to send?

I'm trying to take something that was both deeply personal to me and very specific my trans experience, and create a story that has a universal point of entry: The quest to become your true self, and to find harmony within your physical body as a spiritual and sexual being. I think a lot of people wrestle this, whether or not they are transgender. I hope people can be inspired by my journey of gender confirmation, and that they can find the courage to venture out in search of whatever they need to confirm within themselves.