Through workshops and guest speakers, “Fit to Perform” addresses body positivity, self-expression, and writing with elements of theatre, music, and writing, presented by JustArts Fellow Taryn Williamson.
Guest speakers include School of Theatre, Film & Television instructor Roweena Mackay, Arizona Theatre Company member Gretchen Wirges and TFTV Associate Professor Elaine Romero.
This is an amazing networking opportunity for anyone interested in performance, who also believes that all bodies and all abilities are created for expression. The floor will be opened at the end for anyone who wants to perform, whether it’s a song, skit, monologue, dance, or spoken word piece, that speaks to body positivity and inclusivity.
Williamson hopes “Fit to Perform” will evolve into a campus club, fostering positive change around societal views of body types in the arts.
Fit to Perform
Feb. 8, 3-6p
Free Admission
Historic Y Courtyard (738 N 5th Ave.)
Space heaters and free food will be provided.
Free tickets and donations are available through Eventbrite.
3-3:30p … Welcome Dinner
3:30-3:35p … Opening Song / Poem by Taryn Williamson
3:35-4:10p … Guest Speaker – Roweena Mackay
4:10-4:25p … Intermission
4:25-5p … Guest Speaker – Elaine Romero
5-5:05p … Remarks / Song by Taryn Williamson
5:05-5:40p … Guest Speaker – Gretchen Wirges
5:40-5:50p … Break
5:50-6:50p … Open Mic for Attendees – open to anyone who wishes to perform a song, dance, monologue, poem or spoken word story that relates to body positivity or anything they feel inspired to share
6:50-7p … Closing Remarks and Performance by Taryn Williamson
Elaine Romero is an award-winning playwright. As associate professor at the School of Theatre, Film & Television, she teaches screenwriting. Her acclaimed works, including “Graveyard of Empires,” “Ponzi” and “Mother of Exiles,” have been performed at the Goodman Theatre, Alley Theatre, and Borderlands Theater. At ‘Fit to Perform,’ she will present “The Body as Storyteller,” in which participants will locate stories from within the body to begin writing from stored experience.
Roweena Mackay is the area head for Live & Screened Performance at the School of Theatre, Film & Television. She is a professional dramaturg, who has been working in the entertainment industry for 25+ years and holds an MFA in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism from the David Geffen School of Drama a Yale University.
Gretchen Wirges has performed, written and directed plays for most of the Tucson stages. She played Margery in “Hand to God” at Arizona Onstage, Rumpet in “A Desert Carol” at Scooge, and Peppermint Patty in “Snoopy the Musical” at Live Theatre Workshop. She has also directed several of her original plays at Scoundrel and Scamp, Live Theatre Workshop and Tucson Academy
Taryn Williamson is a fourth-year, BA student in music and Live and Screen Performance, with a thematic minor in screenwriting. She recorded a solo album in 2014 and has since released several singles. She produced an independent documentary, “Mind Over Fatter,” which told of her personal weight loss struggles with body positivity and mental health themes.
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