The question we most often get asked is ‘What does WAM stand for’. At the first WAM Theatre board meeting of 2011 last week there was much discussion about this question. The reason it was a discussion is because WAM Theatre now includes so much more than the original meaning of the acronym. When Leigh and I launched WAM Theatre in January 2010, the acronym stood for “Women’s Action Movement”: Because we were women taking action by joining the movement written about in “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The double meaning for Leigh and I was that we are both lovers of physical theatre, of theatre based in movement, of theatre that is full of action. That original meaning still holds true, we remain “Women’s Action Movement”, but at the board meeting, advisory board member Kevin Craig West said it could also mean ‘Women and Men’ and thus the discussion began…..How many different meanings could WAM have? So, this past week we held a Facebook contest to see what possible meanings there were for WAM, as it relates to WAM Theatre and our mission. The responses were awesome! They are all wonderful and all apply in their own way, we hope, to the work we are doing with WAM Theatre. I’m partial to “Whimsical Art Moment” and “Work + Activism = Metamorphosis”, but I also love “We All Matter” and “Where Art Mesmerizes”.  Kevin’s offer of “Women and Men” still resonates and at that same board meeting, the president of the board, Nick Webb, put it best when he said that the work of WAM Theatre is much more than the meaning of the acronym. I second that.

Thanks to all those who participated in the contest. The winner was selected by a random draw and was Tom Nevels.

Here is a list of all the entries:

‎”Where Art Mesmerizes”
‎”Women’s Art Mecca”
“Wonderfully Altruistic Merriment”
“Work + Activism = Metamorphosis”
“Wicked Awesome Masterpieces!”
“We Are Marvelous!”
“When Art Matters”
“We All Matter”
“Women’s Arts Matter”
“Women Artists Matter”
“Womanly Art Machine”
“Women’s Art Machine”
“Whimsical Art Moment”
“Wickedly Artistic Mamas!”

Written by Kristen van Ginhoven, co-Artistic Director of WAM Theatre. www.kristenvanginhoven.com