Seven
Groundbreaking International Play, SEVEN, Dramatizes the Lives of Women Who Have Triumphed Over Abuse
by Anna Deveare Smith, Ruth Margraff, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Susan Yankowiz,
Catherine Filloux and Paula Cizmar, and new Play, SEVEN IN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY
SEVEN, the internationally acclaimed dramatization of global abuses against women has been performed in 23 countries and in 20 languages. A groundbreaking performance of SEVEN, Dramatizing Global Abuses Against Women, was Performed at State University of New York at Fredonia and Jamestown Community College. The cast for the State University of New York and JCC productions included community and education leaders from the Chautauqua, New York region.
State University of New York at Fredonia, reading of SEVEN by community leaders.
The first act of SEVEN, an anthem to the bravery of seven women from seven different countries was written by seven playwrights (Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff, Anna Deveare Smith and Susan Yankowitz). They composed the seven monologues which are based on interviews of the women from the Vital Voices Global Partnership, who despite death threats and personal abuse, combated sexual assault, domestic violence, sex trafficking and other abuses in their home countries of Afghanistan, Cambodia, Guatemala, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Pakistan and Russia.
The second act, SEVEN IN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, was a staged reading of a new play of seven interwoven monologues of local women who have survived abuses and injustices and have gone on to become agents of change. The play brings awareness of the fight against human rights violations that exist not only globally but in our region.
The regional stories that made up the second act of the play were compiled by LakeArts Foundation, JCC, and SUNY student, Minju Kim. The original play was written by SUNY Fredonia student, Caeli Feisst.
Community service organizations helped identify the women of SEVEN IN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY. They included American Association of University Women, United Way Jamestown, Gateway Center, Mental Association, CASA, W2W, Women and Girl’s Coalition, NCCF, Jamestown Salvation Army, Anew Center, Fredonia University and JCC student run Support groups, YWCA, CAP and International Institute of Erie.
SEVEN was produced by LakeArts Foundation in association with State University of New York at Fredonia, Venture Productions and the Weeks Gallery at Jamestown Community College.
The production was made possible through a generous grant from Cummins, Inc., a donation from the JCC Foundation, support and resources from The Weeks Gallery, Venture Productions, The State University of New York at Fredonia, the Fredonia Arts and Technology Incubator and generous individual donors.