Women's Playwriting Festival FESTIVAL51 to Open at Mixed Magic

Festival51, a Rhode Island-based original works play festival focused on developing works for female writers, presents five new plays by women authors and women directors. After sifting through numerous submissions, the plays selected for production are: BONE TO PICK by Eugenie Chan, THE WAITRESS by Ainslie Caswell, HOPE THROWS HER HEART AWAY by Susan Goodell, ECHOES ON THE PEAKS by Deborah DeGeorge Harbin and a short piece by Shannon McLoud called THERAPY. The plays will be presented in rep starting Friday, July 31st, with BONE TO PICK and THE WAITRESS. ECHOES and HOPE will play Sat, Aug 1, Fri, Aug 7th and Saturday, Aug 15th. THERAPY will be filmed and shown during each performance.

With only 17% of plays produced written by women, Festival51 aims to tackle that inequity by presenting up and coming women playwrights and directors a chance to have their work showcased in a theatrical landscape still dominated by male artists. Producers Leann Heath and Terry Shea are working closely with Mixed Magic Theatre to present what they hope will be an annual event. A fundraiser will be held at SEEN Gallery, 38 East Avenue, Pawtucket, RI, on Tuesday, July 7th, with live performances, auctions for arts-related goods and services (including season passes to select RI theaters) as well as special guests.

Festival51 opens Friday, July 31st and runs every Fri-Sat through August 15th. For more information and to purchase tickets to both the July 7th fundraiser and the Festival performances, visit www.festival51.org, send an email to rifestival51@gmail.com or call 401-285-0351.