Lenox — Back in 2010, Leigh Strimbeck and Kristen van Ginhoven co-founded WAM Theatre (Where Arts and Activism Meet). As described on its website, the mission of WAM is to “… create opportunity for women and girls and we do that through our mission of theatre as philanthropy. As we grow, we realize that we are also a civic institution that creates theatre for gender equity.”
On Monday, February 12, WAM announced its 15th anniversary season at a media event at its office in Lenox. The productions for the new season were announced by several members of its staff at a media event, including new Artistic Director Genée Coreno. Coreno was named artistic director in late January, replacing Ginhoven who stepped down last year.
“I am a theatre director, arts manager, and an advocate for girls and women,” Coreno said at the February 12 event. “Throughout my career, I’ve been balancing all of those things. I’ve often looked at WAM as a source of inspiration. WAM really did make me believe that there could be a theater company that cultivates creative belonging amongst girls and women creators, along with this amazing community and these organizations that we partner with. It also made me believe that I could have a real impact on the lives of girls and women in the Berkshires and beyond.”
According to her LinkedIn profile, Coreno is the founder and director of the Fringe and Fur theater company, which she started in New York City in 2012.
“I’m really grateful for Kristin and the foundation she’s built with WAM, along with the staff and the board who have masterfully hired me and transitioned me into this role,” Coreno said. “I feel very welcomed by this community. I also really do admire WAM’s commitment to developing new work and a greater commitment to the theater ensembles that we have. I do think giving artists the time and space to work is inspiring. It’s even more inspiring seeing women at the helm of the craftsmanship of theatre making.”
WAM Associate Artistic Director Tayla Kingston said that in choosing the performances for this year’s season, WAM looked for a diversity of women’s voices. “We were also looking for productions that are right for a year of change,” Kingston said. “This is not only a year of change for WAM, but we also have a presidential election coming up. You’re going to see themes in these productions including mental health, immigration, climate change, and themes that relate to all of these kinds of current events that are happening. It’s important for me as a writer that all of those themes come through a story rather than being dictated to an audience. This way, all of these things are coming through the characters and their relationships on stage. You will see that, during this season, we have also picked a diversity of theatrical themes, from comedy, to suspense, magic, and historical time travel.”
This year’s season includes:
- A staged reading of “Be Here Now” by Deborah Zoe Laufer. The reading will take place on Sunday, March 10, at 2 and 7 p.m., at The Foundry in West Stockbridge. The play is described as a “quirky new comedy” by WAM and is about a worker at a small-town packaging “fulfillment center” who makes art out of garbage.
- A staged reading of “Far, Far Better Things” by Geetha Reddy. The reading will take place on Sunday, April 7, at 2 p.m. The play, which was inspired by Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities,” is about two women separated by class, race, and unspoken rules of modern womanhood.
- In August, WAM will be staging a performance of Coreno’s “Outside.” The play tells the story of “June Ashbury” who returns to a place called “Paradise” following a climate event. The character, guided by a lone wolf, traverses landscapes weathered by time and loss. The time and location for the performance has not been announced.
- In the fall, WAM will be staging a performance of “Galileo’s Daughter” by Jessica Dickey at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theater at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox. The play is about a playwright, rattled by a personal crisis, fleeing to Florence to study the letters between Galileo and his eldest daughter Maria Celeste. The play alternates between the past and present. Dates for the play’s performance have not yet been announced.
WAM also announced that it will hold teen ensemble programs during school spring break this year from April 16 to April 19, and a performance program from May 24 to May 26.
The organization has also developed a paid production apprenticeship program for POC (People of Color) theatre artists.
Coreno explained that, despite global and nationwide division and political tensions, she has not found it hard for WAM to carry out its mission as an organization. “I don’t find it harder because there’s a need for what WAM does,” Coreno said. “When you look at all of the conflicts in the world, women and girls are the most greatly impacted by war and the myriad of other things that are going on right now. Other things that are just at the top of my mind for me are women’s access to healthcare, which continues to be important and improved upon. We also need improved and needed spaces for girls and women to celebrate what they are passionate about, and I think WAM and theatre offers that.”
“I think that theater offers a civic space for dialogue,” Kingston said. “A lot of what we’ve always tried to do is produce plays that will encourage people to have conversations with each other as opposed to being in silos of social media, where people can stay in a little bubble.”
“There is not a policy-making statement inside any of these productions,” Coreno said. “These productions are all about women who are grappling with things on many different levels. I think that is the richness that theater can offer girls and women in the world right now.”
WAM Managing Director Molly Merrihew said that, while she believes that Berkshire County has been a supportive community when it comes to arts and theater, nationally, theater companies are still digging out of the economic turmoils resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re seeing the end of the federal funding of emergency grants,” Merrihew said. “Fundraising and ticket sales are top of mind to us. But I think this has given arts institutions and nonprofits a beautiful opportunity to reimagine what it can look like, how it can be different, and how it can better serve communities. I think the Berkshire community has been really leaning into that. It’s been really wonderful to have conversations with partner organizations and discuss what we can do better, how we can do it differently, and how we can listen to the community’s needs.”
For more information about WAM Theatre, visit its website.
