Mae West Festival
Original Theatre by Original Women

 
     
  The Mae West Fest is an annual festival and celebration of women as
playwrights, producers, directors and performers. We operate on a
shoe-string budget but have big dreams. We began 10 years ago out of the
need for theatre that helped nurture and challenge local women artists and
playwrights. Our work is as diverse as our audience.		  
  The Fest sprang from the need to have more women's work onstage in Seattle. In 1996 founders Heidi Heimarck & Elena Hartwell were discussing the
upcoming season for a small Seattle fringe company and realized that they
had a pile of scripts by written by women, about 10 seasons worth! So from
July 31 to August 3, 1997, Seattle got its first glimpse at the festival
filled with a lot of female artistic power!		  
 

In 2002, we came back bigger and better than ever. We moved away from the
limitations in venue size and availability on Capitol Hill and trucked the
entire fest on over to the Fremont neighborhood. Utilizing a new-forged
relationship with the Empty Space Theatre and the Fremont Unconventional
Centre we were able to bring more performers and performance to more people.
Fremont (also known as the Center of the Universe) has a motto that states
"Freedom to be peculiar." We knew Mae would approve a festival that bears
her name in a locale where individuality is celebrated.

In 2003, we expanded our horizons even further. We performed at Consolidated
Works, a multi-media arts and performance warehouse, which allowed us to
place the entire festival under one roof. We also added a visual art show,
titled "Making Scenes", curated by Jess Von Nostrand.

Our 2004 journey took us to Capitol Hill Arts Center, a new and exciting
space housing not only 2 theaters but a wonderful restaurant and active art
gallery in the lower level. We also accomplished our mission to include
film, curated by Associate Artistic Director Stacey Plum.

After an organizational hiatus in 2005, MWF was produced in 2006 at the
newly developed Youngstown Cultural Center. We wanted to bring our mission
to an audience 'just over the West Seattle bridge', and support this diverse
new venue.

2007 includes a full-run of a full-length play. We are interested in
expanding our mission to include full support of new work as well as
festival opportunities.

The years ahead . . . After consulting with numerous non-profit
administration experts, we are taking the necessary time and effort to
re-structure our organization. It is imperative that we grow in a healthy
manner, especially in these tough economic times for arts organizations.
Our goals include:

• Re-formation of an active, enthusiastic, diverse and properly functioning
Board of Directors

• Board Members we are seeking include lawyers, accountants, business
management professionals, and others interested in the arts, who have
enthusiasm for our mission and a network of associates from whom they might
draw active participation or expertise.

• If you have suggestions, please contact Heidi. heidi@maewestfest.org

• Formation of an Advisory Board

• The Advisory Board is intended to consist of working artists and
professionals who add a bit of " weight" to our presentations; people on
whom we can call to consult regarding specific issues, ideas, and/or those
who will extend our ability to collaborate in other areas of the world.

• example: Lisa Voss, affiliated with Woolly Mammoth Theater in
Washington, D.C., has agreed to be on the panel to advise re: reading
series, development of plays, and possible artist exchange

• Creation of committees

• We have discovered that our limited staff simply cannot fulfill the needs
each of the areas our festival requires. Using the "Committee" format of
14/48 (a local and successful 10-minute play festival of new works), we are
striving to create committees (hoping that some of you will find a niche)
that address:

Board Selection
Marketing/PR
Volunteer Coordination
Office Assistance
Fundraising & Special Event
Hospitality (for visiting artists)
Craft services for festival technicians and artists

Thanks so much for your interest. If you have ideas or would like to
provide input, please feel free to let us know your thoughts.

 

Submissions ? Rules and Deadlines? ~click HERE ~