MAGDALENA USA is bringing The Magdalena Project to the US in the northeastern city of Providence, RI; July 31-August 6, 2005. Under the artistic direction of Vanessa Gilbert, the festival will bring together international women theatre artists who create and perform their own work, in concert with local and national artists for an intensive seven days of exchange, skills development, critical reflection and performances. According to Ms. Gilbert, "All theatre artists metaphorically weave their experiences into work, and this festival will also weave these national and international participants into our community."In bringing together local and international women theatre artists, Theatre-Women-Weaving builds upon the growing network of The Magdalena Project, which was founded by Jill Greenhalgh in Wales, 1986. The aims for this first USA festival are ambitious: professional training exchange, the forming of local and international connections, and a continuation of the Magdalena focus on the "third theatre", a kind of contemporary work described by Eugenio Barba as a "socially aware, exploratory, actor-oriented form of drama". It's a performance tradition historically less established in the US than in other parts of the world, with a focus not on scripted plays, but on ensemble-based work generated by its practitioners.
Participants in the Magdalena USA festival in Providence will be able to attend all performances, engage in workshops and training led by invited artists, and showcase their own work.
To find out more, visit the Magdalena USA Website