Michelle Obama to Chair Women's Voices Theater Festival

Women's Voices Theater Festival organizers announced that First Lady of the United States of America Michelle Obama will serve as Honorary Chair of the Women's Voices Theater Festival, which unites more than 50 professional theater companies in the nation's capital region, September through October 2015. She joins a prestigious group of theater artists and advocates on the Honorary Committee supporting the Festival's mission to celebrate the work of women in theater.

Additionally, eight ancillary events sponsored by The Washington Post have been announced during the Festival, to be hosted by the seven originating theaters -- Arena Stage, Ford's Theatre, Round House Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company -- along with Festival participant Theater J.

These workshops and discussions will feature participation from local and national playwrights, directors, performers, artistic leaders and collaborators and will cover a variety of topics, including the local playwriting landscape, women in musical theater, gender parity, playwrights as hybrid artists, female leaders in the entertainment industry, feminist theater, training for women in stage combat and the historical silencing of women's voices.

Festival-related events are free, but reservations are required. To reserve event tickets and for up-to-date Festival information, including details and ticketing information for all of the world-premiere productions being produced by participating theater companies, please visit womensvoicestheaterfestival.org.

In addition to the First Lady, the Honorary Committee for the Women's Voices Theater Festival has been expanded to include Karen Allen, Paula Marie Black, Lydia Diamond, Katori Hall, Beth Henley, Quiara Hudes, Marsha Norman, Lynn Nottage, Anika Noni Rose, Sarah Ruhl and Paula Vogel, who join the previously announced Jane Alexander, Heidi Lennard Dupler, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Zelda Fichandler, Marg Helgenberger, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, Allison Janney, T�a Leoni, Marsha Mason, Audra McDonald, Senator Lisa Murkowski, Julie Taymor, Kathleen Turner and Mare Winningham. Jojo Ruf and Nan Barnett serve as coordinating producers for the event.

The Women's Voices Theater Festival is an unprecedented two-month effort dedicated to featuring new work by female playwrights with participation from more than 50 theaters throughout the nation's capital region. Each theater will present a world-premiere play or musical that is written, devised or adapted by a female playwright, highlighting the scope of plays being written by women and the range of professional theater being produced in and around the D.C. area.

For more information, visit www.womensvoicestheaterfestival.org