Women Playwrights International Conference

The 9th Women Playwrights International Conference takes place in Stockholm, Sweden 15-21 August 2012.  Women writers are invited to submit play scripts for the event.

The conference 2012 will be hosted by Riksteatern in Stockholm, Sweden. The overall theme is ‘The Democratic Stage’,

The organisers estimate that 400 delegates will attend the conference and will put much effort into giving women from other lingual areas than English the opportunity of attending. Approx. 100 scripts will be presented at the conference.

We ask for scripts within these six themes:

• The individual and society
• Sexuality
• War
• Social equality and poverty
• Work and career
• God/divinity

The conference is an opportunity to meet, to build networks, to create genuine, lasting contacts between women playwrights and theatre professionals. Our aim is to have a supporting impact on cooperations and to build bridges between people from different parts of the world.

1988

• The First International Women Playwrights Conference was held in Buffalo, NY. The Buffalo conference brought together more than 200 women playwrights from over 30 countries around the world.

1989

• International Centre for Women Playwrights (ICWP) established in Buffalo, New York, USA, to continue the work of the conference and serve as a communications center for women playwrights internationally.

1991

• 2nd  International Conference held in Toronto, CANADA.
• International Advisory Committee (IAC) formed as an international committee made up of those who attend the conference, to choose the site of the next conference and to provide advice and assistance to its directors.

1994

• The ICWP-L email discussion List started by Diane Taber-Markiewicz on Tue, 22 Nov 1994
• 3rd International conference held in Adelaide, AUSTRALIA. This was the most successful conference in international attendance.

1997

• 4th International Conference in Galway, Ireland. Role of the International Advisory Committee was extended to bring members into more active roles in planning and supporting the conference. An Organizational Committee with a core committee of 22 women volunteers from 10 countries; AUSTRALIA, Egypt, England, France, Greece, India, New Zealand, the Philippines, Sweden, and the USA was formed to reorganise the organization before the 5th International conference in 2000.
• The International Women Playwrights Centre (ICWP) closed its office in SUNY in Buffalo, USA and became a virtual centre, concentrating its resources on women with Internet access.
• The IAC continued planning for the 2000 conference and became a de facto separate organization, Women Playwrights International, which continues to plan and organize the tri-annual conferences.
• The ICWP and Women Playwrights International exist as complementary and supportive organizations.
• September - Website designed and launched by Sandra Dempsey.

1998

• ICWP continued to develop its membership base and plans to register as a charitable 501 (c) 3 organization in USA.

1999

• International Play Readings 
January – Los Angeles, California, USA – Co-ordinator, Kristen Lazarian
February -- BALTIMORE, Maryland, USA - Co-ordinator Daphne R. Hull
• Regional Conference, Wright State University Campus, Dayton, Ohio, USA, May 21st-22nd
Co-ordinators: Diane Taber-Markiewicz, Sandra Perlman, Linda Eisenstein, Jennifer McClelland, Carla Matteo, Mara Lathrop, Trish Sandberg

2000

• Incorporated as a Non-Profit Corporation in the State of Ohio, USA, February 11.
Agent: Nancy Griffith
• International Play Readings – in association with Mae West Fest – Producer, Mara Lathrop
Seattle, WASHINGTON STATE, USA

2001

• Conference - Portland, Oregon, USA September 6-9
• International Play Readings “For A New Millennium”– in association with Mae West Fest - Producer, Mara Lathrop, Seattle, WASHINGTON STATE, USA

2002

• HER-rah! - Rehearsed readings events to celebrate International Women's Day.
Santa Fé – New Mexico         New York – New York
Grand Forks – North Dakota    Dallas – Texas
• ICWP becomes a member of the organization Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA) and receives pro bono legal advice and representation from the firm of Dickstein Shapiro Morin Oshinsky LLP, Washington, DC, USA

2003

• New Website Launched
• 7-9 November - HER-rah! II  - International Play Readings
Boston, USA     Richmond, Virginia, USA

2004

• 1st  International Playwrights Retreat – Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Facilities provided by the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute – Director, Alan Woods
• Articles of Incorporation Amended, by vote of the Membership, as per legal advice.

2005

• 2nd  International Playwrights Retreat – Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Facilities provided by the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute – Director, Alan Woods

2006

• 3rd  International Playwrights Retreat – Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Facilities provided by the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute – Director, Alan Woods

2007

• January -  Achieved Registration as a not-for-profit organization (501-c-3) with the Internal Revenue Service, USA.
• March 3 – 26 - International Play Readings series to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Boston, USA:  Co-ordinator - Geralyn Horton
Bucharest, ROMANIA: Co-ordinator – Lucia Verona
Columbus, Ohio, USA: Co-ordinator – Alan Woods
Kitchener, Ontario, CANADA: Co-ordinators - Paddy Gillard-Bentley, Jenni Munday
Mesa, Arizona, USA: Co-ordinator -  Marie-Jeanne Pense
New York, USA – Co-ordinator – Rachel Rubin Ladutke
• March, 2008 - Limbo Play Readings, hosted by Alan Woods
• June 21 – 24 - HER–rah! – International Rehearsed Play Readings
Venue: Around the Coyote, Chicago, USA
Co-ordinator – Jill Elaine Hughes