The Project
We are raising funds to produce the world premiere of PLEIADES, a play about seven sisters in 1971, at the height of the second-wave feminist movement. Moira, Elaine, Teresa, Alison, Kelly, Sarah, and Meredith Attlee are in their teens and twenties, coming of age in an era of great change, trying to figure out their identities within the family and within the world at large. It's a play about sisterhood in the literal sense and the metaphorical sense.
We see our production as part of the ongoing conversation about gender parity and the representation of women in theater. Statistics show that only about 1/3 of plays produced in the Bay Area are written by women, and that the typical play features more male roles than female ones. PLEIADES has a female writer, female-led production team, and 8 roles for young women. We want to tell the stories that have too often gone untold.
PLEIADES will run for 12 performances in August 2014 at the Phoenix Theatre in downtown San Francisco.
The People
- Marissa Skudlarek is the writer of PLEIADES and is the lead producer on this project.
- Katja Rivera (company member of Shotgun Players, PlayGround, and the Custom Made Theatre) is directing the show.
- Our cast includes 9 young Bay Area actors, some of whom are making their San Francisco theater debuts: Monica Ammerman, Erika Bakse, Kailah Cayou, Miranda Hanrahan, Annabelle King, Susannah Lee, Emily Ludlow, Amy Nowak, and Paul Rodrigues.
- We are working with No Nude Men Productions, one of San Francisco's longest-running indie theater companies, to produce the show.
The Price
We're asking for $5000 in this Indiegogo campaign, and that doesn't even cover all the costs of producing a show like PLEIADES in San Francisco for a four-week run.
- Rent of the Phoenix Theatre performance space is nearly $4000.
- Rehearsal space rental costs average $20/hour, 15 hours per week.
- We'll need money for sets, props, and costume pieces that evoke the early 1970s.
- We're offering stipends to all of our collaborators, and PLEIADES is a big show by indie-theater standards; it has 9 actors, in an era when most new plays have 7 or fewer.
The Perks
- The ability to reserve your PLEIADES tickets before they go on sale to the general public! Check out our "Kelly" perk for single tickets or our "Teresa" perk for a pair.
- Out-of-town friends and supporters can get a copy of the PLEIADES script emailed to them ("Sarah") or a copy of the book HEAVENLY BODIES, containing 10 plays based on Greek mythology, including PLEIADES ("Alison").
- Our limited-edition "Elaine" and "Moira" perks allow you to take home a print of the stunning PLEIADES poster art, drawn by Emily C. Martin.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you are unable to contribute at this time, please share our campaign with other people you think may appreciate our goals!
And, you can always visit our website at pleiadessf.wordpress.com for more information about the show.
