After receiving hundreds of submissions from all over the country, Powerstories Theatre is proud to present the second annual Voices of Women Theatre Festival, showcasing eight local and national playwrights to a global audience. The festival is a combination of live-in-theatre plays and virtual productions, both full-length and shorts.

The festival runs from Tuesday, July 19 through Sunday, July 24, 2022; however, guests can begin viewing the opening show on July 17.

Guests have 48 hours prior to the 9pm EST playwright interview to enjoy the six view-on-demand shows prior to 9 pm EST live Zoom playwright interview.  The two live shows will have the live playwright interview directly following the live/live-streamed production.

Although there is a general admission ticket with ticket checkout, please wait for your email from Ticketleap. Save your ticket email from Ticketleap as it contains the video link and the Zoom link for the live interview with the playwright on the night of the show.

Guests have 48 hours prior to the live interview with the playwright and two hours after to enjoy the debut of their original production On Demand. Our playwrights will be logging on to meet you from all over the world. Get your questions ready for a behind-the-scenes, in-depth conversation about the play you’ve watched, its author, and the process of bringing an idea from page to stage. Ask. Listen. Learn. We look forward to seeing you online on Zoom at 9 PM EST beginning July 19 and running through July 24! The Festival opens for viewing on July 17 with the first show. All times are Eastern Standard Time.

Pre-recorded View on Demand

Watch from Sunday, July 17-Tuesday July 19.
Live playwright interview on Zoom Tuesday, July 19 at 9PM EST

Tuesday, July 19 – Runtime 93 min

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The Gentry of Essex by Blaire Baron (CA)

A group of busy do gooders are on a tear to rapidly “improve” their reclaimed neighborhood. Their noble intentions backfire when they create displacement for a handful of vulnerable orginal residents—ending in a tragic sacrifice.

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The Gentry of Essex

Blaire Baron (CA)

Blaire Baron is Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Youth Festival. Award-winning actor, director, and playwright, Blaire launched a trilingual Shakespeare Performing Arts program in Africa. Her play: THE MILK MEETINGS won Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting at The Ophelia (NYC) and an encore run at Studio C/Theatre Row. THE BELOW: Best of Hollywood Fringe. THE BASKET WEAVER: Samuel French OOB. Blaire wrote WOMEN IN BOXES, an award-winning documentary about Magic Assistants. PBS Community Champion Award Recipient. THE GENTRY OF ESSEX: The Blank’s Living Room series. Directed 34 Shakespeare productions reaching 1800 young artists from all walks of life.

Pre-recorded View on Demand

Watch from Monday, July 18-Wednesday July 20.
Live playwright interview on Zoom Wednesday, July 20 at 9PM EST

Wednesday, July 20 – Runtime 60 min

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Catherine by Addison Vaughn (FL)

Marcia, an eight year old girl, decides to run away from her emotionally distant mother with the help of her best friend, Catherine.

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Catherine

Addison Vaughn (FL)

Addison Vaughn is a Sophomore at Southern Methodist University pursuing her BFA in Theatre Studies with an emphasis in directing. Originally from Citrus County Florida, Addison has had a passion for theatre her entire life. In high school, she competed yearly at The Florida Theatre conference, winning All Star Cast and Best Actress. She also has experience in film acting and directing and has recently been in short films produced by the SMU film department. “Catherine” is her first self-written play. Addison is passionate about empowering women with the art of theatre and sharing intrinsically feminine stories with fellow artists.

Pre-recorded View on Demand

Watch from Tuesday, July 19-Thursday July 21.
Live playwright interview on Zoom Thursday, July 21 at 9PM EST

Thursday Night Shorts

Thursday, July 21 – Combined runtime 25 min

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Remembering Morgan by Annie Brown (OK)

Remembering Morgan is a one-act about grief, remembrance, and encountering death too young. Morgan Johnson, a high school student, passes away unexpectedly, leaving behind a journal of letters she has written to every person she wanted to say goodbye to.

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Remembering Morgan

Annie Brown (OK)

Annie Brown, author of Remembering Morgan, loves to write and share stories about how we, as humans, deal with change. Annie’s love for theatre began at a young age as she began performing. As she grew up and got to work with some wonderful role models in her hometown’s theatre scene, she developed a love for every aspect of theatre, playwriting included! ​She currently is studying Musical Theatre at The Jeanine Larson Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre and Dance at Southeast Missouri State University.

Thursday, July 21 – Runtime 70 min

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Not Worthy Enough to Wipe Your Ass by Diana Brown and Susan Jackson (CA)

2016: The Election has caused Lorena (a lesbian) to be disinvited to Thanksgiving and suffer from PTSD–Forced to seek guidance from an uptight expert therapist, she meets with Sophia–once! 2020: They accidentally meet in Whole Foods–friendly food fight ensues.

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Not Worthy Enough to Wipe Your Ass

Diana Brown (CA)

Diana Brown is an actor and improv artist, voiceover artist, playwright, producer and teaching artist. She has appeared in theatre festivals and productions in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Charleston, SC, Washington, D.C., and others. Diana is an Associate Artist with 3Girls Theatre Company. She’s half of the nationally touring comedy duo Bingewatch. Bingewatch has appeared at San Francisco Sketch Fest, Tucson Comedy Arts Festival, San Diego Improv Festival, New York Improv Festival, San Francisco Improv Festival and others. Diana is Senior Producer and Director of Community with Leela Improv Theatre Company in San Francisco. She’s also a teaching artist with Laguna Playhouse. Additionally, Diana is a personal performance coach. She’s also a communication facilitator, working with physicians, helping them to interact with patients in ways that promote empathy and cultural equity for the patient and supports provider wellness.You can watch Diana appearing with Bingewatch on their YouTube channel:https://youtube.com/c/BingewatchImprov

Susan Jackson (CA)

Susan Jackson has been writing award winning plays for over ten years; her first one won the BATCC award for best new play, featuring Diana Brown. From there, the Southern Railroad Theatre Company was formed, (they are co-producers) and they’ve been rocking the theatre world ever since, both independently, and together. Jackson’s work has been Finalists for, among others, Fusion Theatre Company, 3Girls Theatre Company, Henley Rose Competition for Female Playwrights and Creede Repertory Theatre. Her work has been performed nationally and internationally; and published by Applause and Smith and Kraus. She and Diana performed for the DC Capital Fringe and won Best of Fringe, and received a positive review in the Washington Post. They also performed with two International Theatre Festivals: in NYC and with the Red Curtain International Theatre.

Live in Theatre and Livestreamed 8pm EST Friday, July 22

Live playwright interview from theatre following production, Friday, July 22

Friday, July 22 – 8PM EST – LIVE IN THEATRE

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Legal Gringa by Angela Page (CA)

Undocumented young Latina “dreamer” finds sanctuary with a newly widowed attorney who negotiates with her Alt-right bio Dad to avoid deportation.

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Legal Gringa

Angela Page (CA)

Award-winning writer and producer as well as finance professional with multinationals such as Microsoft and Honeywell. Italian and Hispanic origin, a native Spanish speaker and fluent in Italian and Portuguese . She has lived on four continents and a graduate of NYU’s Stern School of Business, The London School of Economics and has studied at the Lee Strasberg Studio.

Live in Theatre and Livestreamed 3pm EST Saturday, July 23

Live playwright interview from theatre following production, Saturday, July 23

Saturday, July 23 – 3PM EST – LIVE IN THEATRE

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my body. my voice. by Deborah Bostock-Kelley (FL)

Three women in different stages of their lives face the consequences of an unrealistic draconian law governing their bodies.

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my body. my voice.

Deborah Bostock-Kelley (FL)

Deborah Bostock-Kelley is a multi-time playwright who’s honored to be selected for the return to Voices of Women for the world premiere of a brand new short play. Her one-acts and full-length plays have been seen across stages in Tampa Bay including Powerstories inaugural Voices of Truth and Voices of Women Theatre Festivals in 2021 and SheVolution, Carrollwood Players’ One-Act Weekend, Tampa Bay Theatre Festival, the 4×6 Festival, and Tarpon Arts. She is a theatre reviewer for Broadway World – Tampa Bay, and Creative Loafing, a freelance writer for Watermark, a reporter for Tampa Bay News and Lifestyles Magazine, and a past journalist for The Tampa Tribune, in addition to running her creative services (graphic design/web design/PR copywriting) agency since 2005. She is a published author of a children’s early reader and teen YA fiction anthology. She won the inaugural Tampa Bay Theatre Festival “Denise Deneen” Award in 2019 for her work in theatre and Theatre Tampa Bay’s 2017 Jeff Norton Dream Grant to produce her show about a school shooting at Straz’ Black Box, winning 2018 Broadway World Tampa, Best Actor and Actress. This play collaboration –updated and expanded – won 2021 “Critic’s Choice” in Powerstories Theatre’s Voices of Truth Theatre Festival and is a winner of 2021 Broadway World’s Best Performer and Supporting Performer in a Streaming Production. Deb is a past educator, Florida native, and graduate of the University of Tampa. www.thewriteonecs.com

Pre-recorded View on Demand

Watch from Thursday, July 21-Saturday July 23.
Live playwright interview on Zoom Saturday, July 23 at 9PM EST

Saturday, July 23 – 8PM EST – Runtime 75 min

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A Good American by Denise David Williams (CA)

Torn between an upstairs/downstairs life of secrets and lies because of her parents’ bitter arguments over their different religions, a young woman desperately tries to discover her own identity and break the cycle of prejudice and religious conflict that has devastated her family and emotionally crippled her. Starring a stellar ensemble of working actors, A Good American is an emotional journey that examines the power of love, the struggles of grief and the resilience of family.
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A Good American

Denise David Williams (CA)

After earning a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Hofstra University and attending the University of Southern California graduate film producing program, Ms. Williams worked as a story editor and development executive at several production companies in Los Angeles, including 20th Century Fox, where her job was to find and develop material for movies and television. After working with many A-list writers and directors, Denise became a writer/producer herself. A Good American is her first play and is autobiographical. Before the Powerstories Theatre production, A Good American had two successful readings, one sponsored by Samuel French in Hollywood, CA. Denise is the writer and producer of the motion picture, John Mack:The Believer and is the co-writer/producer of the movie, Love After, (both in development). Denise’s intention as an artist is to inspire audiences to see life from a higher perspective. We are more than this physical reality, we are not alone, and there is meaning and purpose to our lives, are themes that she is passionate about and that run through her work. Denise is a member of the Dramatist’s Guild and the Writers Guild of America, west, and a script consultant.

Pre-recorded View on Demand

Watch from Friday, July 22-Sunday July 24.
Live playwright interview on Zoom Sunday, July 24 at 9PM EST

Sunday, July 24 – Runtime 75 min

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Reclaiming Grounds by Beth Mahmoud-Howell (WA)

A group of five women embark on a weekend trip in the beautiful San Juan Islands in Washington state. They discover that friendships and family are a complicated mix and “getting away from it all” usually involves bringing it all with you.

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Reclaiming Grounds

Beth Mahmoud-Howell (WA)

Beth Mahmoud-Howell has had a long career in the arts as an activist; directing, designing, producing and writing in the Pacific NW. Struggling to find inclusive shows written by women to direct, she went on to write and produce an award-winning ensemble performance piece. Other produced works have focused on peace and justice, inclusion and diversity. Beth’s current pieces in development are addressing the issues of childhood sexual abuse, the polarity of politics in families heightened during the pandemic and about being a non-traditional Muslim woman. Her passion for social justice and telling women’s stories has fueled her desire to write, and as she continues to grow as a playwright she hopes to inspire other women to use their own powerful voices.

Locations

Here’s where we will be bringing theatre to you next!

  • JANUARY 2025 – JANE: ABORTION AND THE UNDERGROUND
    HCC Mainstage Ybor City
    1411 E 11th Ave, Tampa
  • JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2025 – CADILLAC CREW
    The Studio @620,
    620 1st Ave S, Saint Petersburg
  • MARCH 2025 – VOICES OF WOMEN THEATRE FESTIVAL
    USF College of the Arts,
    School of Theatre and Dance,
    3837 USF Holly Drive, Tampa
  • JULY 2025 – WITCH HUNT
    Stageworks Theatre,
    1120 E Kennedy Blvd., Tampa
  • SEPTEMBER 2025 – ADA AND THE  ENGINE
    Stageworks Theatre,Save
    1120 E Kennedy Blvd., Tampa

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