LENOX, MA (February 24, 2022) — WAM Theatre is delighted to announce a series of workshops to kick off their 2022 Season. Community members are invited to join the company on a journey of empowerment through creativity and education. The first installment of WAM’s 2022 Community Engagement programming includes two FREE virtual workshops: Playwriting with Winter Miller (In Darfur, The Penetration Play) on March 19, and Improvisation with Tatiana Godrey (Improv Cincinnati and Impro Theatre LA) on March 26 and April 2.
“We hope that these workshops will be empowering creative spaces that provide participants of all backgrounds with inspiration and connection,” said Talya Kingston, WAM’s Associate Artistic Director. “So often, audiences only get to experience the amazing work of our theatre artists from the stage in a polished production. These special workshops give you the chance to experience the creative process with two of our favorite Teaching Artists, not to mention they are free and accessible from the comfort of your home!”
These special two hour workshops can be taken over Zoom from the comfort of your homes and are open to all, regardless of experience level. The workshops are expected to sell out, and registration is now open. Visit www.wamtheatre.com/workshops/ to reserve your spot or to learn more. The workshops are free to all participants. Donations to WAM Theatre’s Community Engagement programs are welcomed.
“These workshops are the perfect opportunity to prioritize your creative self,” said Tatiana Godfrey, WAM’s Dramaturg as well as the Co-Artistic Director of Impro Theatre. “Join us for a couple of hours to focus on the free expression of your imagination.”
Playwriting with Winter Miller
Saturday March 19, 2-4pm
Writing strong characters with authentic dialogue is a craft, but it begins with being able to listen and observe. Generally, we are our own biggest obstacles—fear of not knowing, fear of being wrong, fear of committing to something. For two hours, award-winning playwright Winter Miller will lead you through a series of writing prompts to spark inspiration.
“Telling stories is the way we all connect with each other; you can fall in love with a fellow human in an instant,” said Miller. “I think teaching is like that; people in a room together get a chance to feel our collective humanity. We’re all here to tell some story that’s burning a hole in our pocket, and at some point or another, we’re all scared or stuck, but we persist. I respect the desire in all of us to create. I’m thrilled to partner with WAM. The work and the mission of this company are aligned with social justice and storytelling.”
Improvisation with Tatiana Godfrey
Saturday March 26, 2-4 pm SOLD OUT!
Saturday, April 2, 2-4 pm
Improvisation is the art of making up stories in the moment. Tatiana Godfrey, Impro’s Co-Artistic Director and WAM’s Company Dramaturg , will lead you through theater and improv games to create stories. Participants will practice committing to their ideas, deep listening, sharing space equitably, and having fun.
WAM Theatre audiences know Tatiana Godfrey as our Company Dramaturg (ROE, Kamloopa) but she is also the Co-Artistic Director of Impro Theater Company in Los Angeles with considerable experience as an Improvisation teacher and performer.
Winter Miller is an award-winning playwright, journalist, and educator whom WAM audiences might remember from In Darfur (2014) or Colored (Presented by WAM Theatre, as one of six short plays in Facing Our Truth: 10 minute Plays on Trayvon, Race and Privilege).
“For improv workshops, I love the analogy of bear cubs fighting,” said Tatiana. “Any naturalist would tell you, not only are they having fun playing with their fellow cubs, but they’re also learning important skills for survival. This workshop is like playing with other bears. It’ll be fun, and you’ll have the chance to practice some useful social and business skills.”
WAM Theatre’s 2022 Performance Season and additional Community Engagement Programming will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information visit wamtheatre.com
AT A GLANCE
Playwriting Workshop with Winter Miller
Saturday, March 19
2-4 pm
Online, via Zoom
Improvisation Workshop with Tatiana Godfrey
Saturday March 26, 2-4 pm SOLD OUT!
Saturday, April 2
2-4 pm
Online, via Zoom
Free to all participants
Donations to WAM Theatre’s Community Engagement programs welcome.
Visit www.wamtheatre.com/workshops/ to reserve your spot or to learn more.
WAM COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
WAM Theatre empowers community through art. Community engagement is a central part of our activist mission. Each season, in accord with our main stage productions, we present invigorating conversations, workshops, professional development and devising ensembles that are responsive to the needs of the community and the time in which we are living.
WAM SUPPORT
WAM Theatre is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts through the New England Arts Resilience Fund, part of the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund, an initiative of the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with major funding from the federal CARES Act for the National Endowment for the Arts. Recently, WAM was recommended for an American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
WAM’s sponsors include Adams Community Bank, Blue Q., Berkshire Roots, Blue Spark Financial, Downright Pro, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Garden Gables Inn, Guidos Fresh Marketplace, Health Professional Coaching, Heller & Robbins Attorneys at Law, Interprint, Only in my Dreams Events, Onyx Specialty Papers, Outpost Productions, Prix Fixe, RB Design Co., T Square Design Studio, Toole Insurance, a. von schlegell & co, and the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts.
WAM Theatre’s 2022 Season is also supported in part by grants from Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, The Feigenbaum Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), Mass Humanities, Lee Bank Foundation, Scarlet Sock Foundation and U.S. Small Business Administration’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grant; as well as grants from the Dalton Cultural Council, Lee Cultural Council, Lenox Cultural Council, Pittsfield Cultural Council, Northern Berkshire Cultural Council, Otis Cultural Council, Sandisfield Cultural Council, and Washington Cultural Council
ABOUT WAM THEATRE
WAM Theatre is a professional theatre company based in Berkshire County, MA, that operates at the intersection of arts and activism. WAM creates theatre for gender equity and has a vision of theatre as philanthropy.
In fulfillment of its philanthropic mission, WAM donates a portion of the proceeds from their Mainstage productions to carefully selected beneficiaries. Since WAM’s founding in 2010, they have donated more than $80,000 to 23 local and global organizations taking action for gender equity in areas such as girls education, teen pregnancy prevention, sexual trafficking awareness, midwife training, and more.
In addition to Mainstage productions and special events, WAM’s activities include innovative community engagement programs and the Fresh Takes Play Reading Series. To date, WAM has provided paid work to more than 500 theatre artists, the majority of whom are female-identifying.
As a civic organization that embraces intersectional feminism (feminism that acknowledges how multiple forms of discrimination overlap), WAM understands that to address one piece of systemic discrimination means we have to address them all. This is on-going personal and professional work at WAM for the staff and board, detailed in their recently released accountability plan.
WAM Theatre has been widely recognized for having a positive impact on cultural and community development in the region. WAM is the recipient of the Creative Economy Standout Berkshire Trendsetter Award and previously, was named Outstanding Philanthropy Corporation of the Year by the Western MA Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Kristen van Ginhoven, WAM’s Producing Artistic Director, was honored by the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association (BTCA) with the prestigious Larry Murray Award, presented at the discretion of the BTCA Board to a person or theatre project that advances social, political, or community issues in Berkshire County.
For more information, visit www.wamtheatre.com