Seven (play)
Seven is a documentary play, first performed in 2008, written by seven women playwrights based on interviews with seven women around the world who have fought for the rights and well-being of women and girls.[1]
The women
The women whose stories form the basis of Seven are all involved in the Vital Voices Global Partnership. They are:[1]
- Hafsat Abiola, Nigeria, who founded the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy and works to improve relations between Chinese and African women; winner of 2016 Global Leadership Award for Leadership in Public Life[2]
- Farida Azizi, Afghanistan, campaigner for women's rights and peace in her country[2]
- Annabella De Leon, Guatemala, congresswoman and campaigner against corruption and for the rights of the poor; winner of 2003 Global Leadership Award for Political Participation
- Mukhtar Mai, Pakistan, survivor of a gang rape and campaigner for women's education; winner of 2006 Global Leadership Awards Fern Holland Award[2]
- Inez McCormack, Northern Ireland, former president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions; winner of 2002 Global Leadership Award for Political Participation[2]
- Marina Pisklakova-Parker, Russia, founder of first Russian hot-line for victimes of domestic violence; winner of 2004 Global Leadership Award for Human Rights[2]
- Mu Sochua, Cambodia, former Minister of Women's Affairs and campaigner against sex-trafficking; winner of 2005 Global Leadership Award for Human Rights[2]
The playwrights
Seven women collaborated to write the play:[1]
- Anna Deavere Smith
- Ruth Margraff
- Gail Kriegel
- Paula Cizmar
- Susan Yankowitz
- Carol K. Mack
- Catherine Filloux
Development of the play
Each playwright worked with one of the women whose stories make up the play over a series of interviews in 2006-2007, and wrote a dramatic monologue based on these. The writers met in February 2007 to read the monologues together, and then worked them into a unified script during a Residency Fellowship retreat at Bard College. The first draft was read in July 2007.[3]
The play was first performed on 21 January 2008 at the 92nd Street Y in New York, directed by Evan Yionoulis. Since then it has been translated into 20 languages and performed in 32 countries, as of May 2016.[3][4]
Some productions have involved well-known professional actors, as when Meryl Streep read the part of Inez McCormack at the Hudson Theatre on New York's Broadway.[5][6] Other productions have involved amateur groups or public figures, as when a group of senior Belarus government ministers performed it in Minsk in 2015[7] and Washington Supreme Court justice Mary Yu read the part of Farida Azizi at Town Hall Seattle in 2016.[8]
References
- 1 2 3 "Seven". Dramatists Play Service. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Past Global Leadership Awards". Vital Voices Global Partnership. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- 1 2 "The Story of Seven". Seven - a documentary play. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ↑ "About Seven". Seven - a documentary play. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ↑ Robinson, Mary (1 February 2013). "Inez McCormack obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ↑ McGarrigle, Heather (2 March 2010). "Why Meryl Streep needs to get an Northern Ireland accent". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ↑ "Belarus' high-ranking officials take part in documentary play on women's rights". Belarus News. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ↑ Gruener, Posey (3 March 2016). "For One Night, A Washington Supreme Court Justice Will Step Into An Afghan Woman's Shoes". KUOW.org. Retrieved 23 May 2016.