Women Center Stage
Launched in 1996, Women Center Stage (WCS) is Culture Project's longest-running program. It serves as a vital platform for women artists to share their stories, build community, and test new work. The cornerstone of WCS is its annual festival, a month-long event that showcases works in progress by women at all career stages, fostering creative exchange and collaboration.
Beyond the festival, WCS also features full productions in Culture Project’s Off-Broadway season. Nearly 70% of the company's productions are written or co-written by women, with past highlights including Nine Parts of Desire by Heather Raffo, Expatriate by Lenelle Moïse, and Belfast Blues by Geraldine Hughes. Through WCS, Culture Project continues to be a leading force in promoting and producing innovative work by women artists, while sparking important conversations on social justice and women’s issues.
Women Center Stage
Women Center Stage
History of Past Festivals
2004-2005
James Ross, Jasmine Saunise
The 2004 festival, in partnership with Ellen’s Run, featured a powerful mix of performances and social commentary. Highlights included the Lynn Redgrave Tribute honoring the late actress, The Waves, an adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel, A Girl, Joan Erica Berg’s one-woman show about Joan of Arc, and Emmett, Down in my Heart, a poignant play about Emmett Till’s murder. The festival also showcased Fried Chicken & Latkes, Rain Pryor’s exploration of racism, and Urban World, a slam poetry event.
In 2005, co-produced with Planned Parenthood, the festival tackled women’s health and reproductive rights. Notable works included The Scarlet Letter, Carol Gilligan’s adaptation starring Marisa Tomei, Baghdad Burning, an adaptation of Riverbend’s writings on Iraq under U.S. occupation, and Woman Rebel: The Words of Margaret Sanger, exploring the history of reproductive rights.
2007-2008
The 2007 and 2008 festivals solidified Women Center Stage as a vital platform for both emerging and established talent. The 2007 festival featured works like Womb-Words, Thirsting, Lennlle Moïse’s solo performance on identity and sexuality, and Becoming Natasha, a play tackling human trafficking. In 2008, Seven, a collaboration by seven award-winning playwrights, explored the lives of activist women, and the WCS Short Plays Fest showcased emerging directors focused on social justice issues.
2011-2018
Anna Khaja in Shaheed
The 2011 festival featured a Directors’ Weekend, with 16 female directors presenting political theater. It also honored Judith Malina with a tribute celebrating her revolutionary contributions to political theater. The 2012 festival included Shaheed, exploring Benazir Bhutto’s return to Pakistan before her assassination, and Dictee, blending movement and video to explore the lives of historical women.
By 2018, the festival continued to engage with contemporary issues such as immigration and racial injustice. Highlights included White Right: Meeting the Enemy, a documentary examining the rise of far-right extremism, Into the Night: Portraits of Life and Death, exploring mortality, and Moving Bodies, reclaiming the story of pioneering scientist Emilie du Châtelet and the challenges women faced in the 1700s.