Promoting Women in Performing Arts in Frank Sinatra Park

Coping with a miscarriage, breaking up with an annoying friend, and trying to survive in today's politically correct world were just a few of the storylines in the one-act plays performed at the Lips Living Room Reading Series in Frank Sinatra Park on Friday night.

Presented by _gaia, a Jersey City-based non-profit promoting women in the performing and visual arts, the event featured six original short plays written by artists from all over the East Coast. The plays, which centered on women's issues, were not acted out but read aloud by _gaia actors to a small audience gathered at the park's amphitheater.

"My goal is really to have work heard and seen," said Lillian Ribeiro, _gaia's director of performance and film who was instrumental in organizing the event.

Friday night was the fifth time _gaia held its readings in the Mile Square. Ribeiro said she and another director in the group, Jersey City resident Kathy Stout, selected the plays from quite a large pile. She explained that _gaia puts out a call for plays once a year and sometimes receives more than 100 from artists as far as Alaska. Ribeiro and other directors get together once a month to read the plays and make the selection for the annual performance. Ribeiro also encourages the actors who perform the one-acts and audience members to let her know what they thought of the material, so she can also share that feedback with the playwright.

"A lot of times, what happens in theater is that someone will write their play, they submit it somewhere, and they don't ever know if it's been read, if it's been done, and whether it gets trashed or not," said Ribeiro, adding that this is exactly what she wanted to change in her own organization.

This year's final pieces included "Once removed" by Jamie Brandli of Somerville, Mass., which depicts a couple's first steps after losing a pregnancy; "Turtle Beach" by Aoise Stratford of Ithaca, N.Y., in which two turtles contemplate their annual egg-laying ritual; "Underneath" by Connie Schindewolf of Bradenton, Fla., a plays about a daughter trying to convince her mother to sell property to a developer; "Friendsters" by Nicole Greevy, Uma Incrocci, and Erica Jensen of New York City, a humorous depiction of a woman attempting to sever ties with a friend who's gotten too needy; "Laying off" by James McLindon of Northampton, Mass., in which corporate managers discuss who should lose their jobs; and "Rainbow Sprinkles" by Stacey Lane Smith of Alexandria, Va., which depicts a clown having difficulty with a client obsessed with political correctness.

Ribeiro said she tries to pick pieces she can connect to and that she could really relate to Rainbow Sprinkles, the clown. "I just think that's the kind of world we live in today," she said. "We're always being real careful about what we say and what we do…. It's about being a clown sometimes and having fun. You don't have to clean everything out."

For the last play, Ribeiro called on audience members to do the reading. "Everyone's an actor, even though they don't like to say they act," she said. "I think people like to be a part of things. If they're sitting there watching the play, they might be interested in reading the play."

Audience members said having a young man read the part of the young woman being rejected in "Friendsters" made the play even funnier than originally intended. They also said they didn't mind that the readings required them to use their imaginations. "I liked that they kind of mimicked radio plays," said Anne O'Brien, a North Arlington, N.J. resident who came to support a friend. She added, "There was a lot of acting in their voices and their expressions." Ribeiro said next year, she would like to have the plays actually acted out on stage in a theater somewhere in Hudson County.

_gaia, named after the Greek goddess of the earth, was founded in 2002 by Doris Cacoilo, Amie Figueiredo, and other alumni from Rutgers Newark. The group now has 10 members who share the rent for a small studio in Jersey City and also gets support from Hudson County Cultural and Heritage Affairs. In addition to the reading series, _gaia has organized art and fashion shows and participated in studio tours in town and Jersey City. For more information about _gaia events and opportunities, visit www.gaiastudio.org.