Women are underrepresented and underpaid in virtually every sector of the arts. Art created predominantly by white men continues to fill museums and galleries, while films with male directors, producers, and lead roles continue to dominate box offices and award shows. The case is no different for the stage.
Most of the plays on ParityFest's program were chosen from the 2015 list, which was just released on June 21 after multiple delays, while the rest were selected from the Kilroys' first list released in 2014. Stanley and Norris say that they wanted to build on the momentum of the 2015 list in order to make it immediately relevant to the community, even though waiting for the list meant that the companies would not have their scripts until shortly before the festival kicks off on July 1.
"Sometimes female-authored plays are just plays that happen to have female authors," says Stanley, "which is one of the great things about the Kilroys' "List"—it has enough plays to provide a broad spectrum of what a female voice means."
ParityFest will take place at various venues and at various times on Wednesdays Through Sundays from July 1 to Aug. 9. For more information, visit cohesiontheatre.org/parityfest.