• A Conversation with Adilah Barnes, Co-Founder of the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival

    In June of 1993, after attending a conference hosted by the California Arts Council, Adilah Barnes and Miriam Reed got the idea for the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival. Solo artists themselves, they sensed a desire for other solo artists to have a community where their work could be supported by one another. Inspired by the Women’s Theatre Festival in Philadelphia, which was the oldest of its kind for women in the United States, they introduced this idea to other women at the conference and “knew we were on to something, at that point, that was going to turn into something else.” Eager to create a space where audiences could see an “actor, dancer, storyteller, performance artist all on the same bill” Barnes and Reed began their journey to create this organization. 31 years later, the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival is the oldest festival for solo women in Los Angeles.

     

    Adilah Barnes’ journey in the entertainment industry began when she was 16 in Project Upward Bound at University of California, Chico (Chico State), during which she got her first taste of stage performance. Enthralled by the feeling of being in front of an audience, lights shining on her skin, and the roar of applause confirming a job well done, Barnes was hooked. Though her original career aspiration was to become an English teacher, she quickly let that dream go. After moving from her small town of Oroville to attend UC Santa Cruz, she then landed in the Bay Area.  Eventually, she transitioned from primarily being a stage performer to acting in made-for-TV movies. Her first role was in Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI which starred Lynn Whitfield. From there “opportunities kept coming and I kept accepting them…and that’s what has guided me to where I am now.” Now, she is best known for her role in the sitcom Roseanne, in which she played Anne Marie for six seasons. 

     

    When reflecting on the growth of the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival, Barnes says it’s “grown by leaps and bounds”. The Festival was first produced during Women’s History Month in 1994 at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, without sponsors or members, and Barnes remarks that “looking back I don’t know how we did that.” That year, Angela Bassett had been nominated for, but did not win, the Oscar for Best Actress in What’s Love Got to Do with It, so instead Barnes and Reed awarded her with their own “Oscar”, and that event is what kicked off the first Festival. Now, the Festival has a plethora of sponsors, members, has produced “well over 700 women from around the globe, from six out of seven of the continents”, hosts many events and panels, and is continuing to grow. 

     

    When asking Ms. Adilah what piece of advice she would give to herself if she went back and talked to herself in 1993, she says, “trust that the work you’re doing has meaning; it is a calling”. Though she says there were many times that they thought they weren’t in the financial state to continue producing the Festival, she says “every time that happened, here came a windfall! Some miracle would happen…”​​ Though the growth has not been free of challenges. Because LAWTF is a non-profit, there has been a heavy reliance on volunteers (board members, interns, etc). Ms. Adilah recognizes the challenges of LAWTF, and is grateful for all the people who have given their time and energy to the Festival. Ms. Adilah is also the only founding member still part of the day-to-day operations of the Festival, though she emphasizes that her six Co-Founders have made their presence known in other ways, whether by returning to the Festival, sending gifts and praise, or in any other way still being connected. 

     

    As a Black woman in the entertainment space, Ms. Adilah has had her share of challenges. Though, throughout it all, she has stayed true to her values, sometimes even denying roles that could have been financially advantageous. She says, “One thing that has been a constant for me in my life is a sense of integrity”, and goes on to quote the late, great Cicely Tyson saying, “There are many times I have been broke, but I have never been broken.”

     

    Discussing her journey, Ms. Adilah is most proud that the organization has lasted 31 years, outliving three theatres that they have presented at. In regards to her personal journey, she is “proud of the fact that I have been obedient to my callings. And my callings have included being one of the Co-Founders of the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival, making sure that diverse women’s voices are heard”. She deeply believes that service must be at the core of organizations such as this. She has also obeyed her calling as an actor, reflecting on her one-woman show, I Am That I A: Woman, Black, through which she educated audiences across the globe (40 states, the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe)–her original aspiration of becoming a teacher coming to fruition in a sense. Formally as a teacher she has taught kindergarten through high school by way of after-school programs. Her students have also included Freda Payne, Toni Braxton, Kym Whitley, Benjamin Bratt, Don “DC” Curry, and Chris Brown. She closed out our conversation by saying that she is most proud that she has lived her life on her own terms. 

     

    Ms. Adilah’s titles within the organization include Co-Founder, President of the Board of Directors, Executive Director, and Executive Producer. 

  • Happy Pride Month from Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival!

    Happy Pride Month from Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival!

    As Pride Month nears its end, we here at the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival want to reflect on the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in theatre as well as the community’s impact on theatre as a whole. The theatre has long been a sanctuary for artistic expression, a place where people of all identities can come together and feel safe to share their truths. This type of sanctuary has proven especially important for people of marginalized communities. LAWTF understands the importance of having a safe space to openly express ourselves, especially when we do not often have the opportunity to do so as oppressed communities. This desire for a community of like-minded and supportive individuals is what led our seven co-founders, Adilah Barnes, Miriam Reed, Helene McCardle, Joyce Guy, Judith Heineman, Nina Kaufman, and Phylise Smith, to create the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival. We are living through a time where the rights and lives of LGBTQ+ individuals are constantly under attack, and it is increasingly important to recognize not only the plights this community faces, but also the many triumphs they have had.  

     

    It wasn’t so long ago that queer stories were not able to unabashedly take up space on the stage. Instead, queer actors and stories were forced to be disguised behind heterosexual plotlines, as openly queer stories faced intense criticism and homophobia. Even in the United Kingdom the Stage Licensing Act of 1737 required that all theatrical acts be approved and obtain a license through the Lord Chamberlain’s office from the Examiner of Plays. If the play did not meet the approved standards, often the show was cut and not allowed to be shown in a public setting. Expectedly, plays that mentioned or even alluded to homosexuality were cut. One such play was Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, written by the famous playwright Tennessee Williams. 

     

    In response to extensive criticism on covert queer stories hiding behind heterosexual narratives, a gay playwright, Mart Crowley took it upon himself to create a play more representative of the lives of gay men, entitled The Boys in the Band. While this work faced its own criticisms, it is undeniable that it was groundbreaking in its portrayal of the lives of a group of gay men, gathered together at a party one night. Set against the backdrop of the raging and overt homophobia of the 20th century, this play puts queer men at the center, no more hiding behind a straight facade. This show served as a catapult for other queer stories and queer storymakers to feel validated in their identities and strive to create art that fully represented them. Through the Stonewall riots and the start of the AIDS epidemic to the more contemporary, and continuous, fight for queer rights, the theatre has continually served as a space open to all, where people can come together and create beautiful art, feeling the support of those around them. And it must be clarified that “theatre” is not just confined to the Broadway stage. Queer theatre includes burlesque, cabaret, circus, drag shows, and much more. The art this community creates is too powerful to just be confined to one space. 

     

    At LAWTF, we are continually inspired by the pioneers who paved the way for the LGBTQ+ community to share their truths. Since its conception in 1993, the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival has made itself a safe space for diverse storytellers with various stories. Some of our queer-identifying performers and partners include Lynne Jassem , a self-described “78-year-old tap dancing lesbian performance artist” who, when reflecting on time spent with LAWTF said, “LAWTF brought our shows to the world at large, ripe with our feelings of shame, pride, difference, all honestly portrayed in the safe spaces LAWTF offered to us. I will always love and be eternally grateful to Adilah Barnes.” Dr. Ada Cheng first worked with the festival as a performer in 2018, and from there participated with our organization in different capacities. As an Asian-American immigrant, she takes pride in the intersectionality of her identity. On her experience with LAWTF she says, “Throughout the years of working with LAWTF, I’ve never felt that I can only celebrate one part of me while having to minimize or downplay others. The welcoming atmosphere from the organization is absolute and holistic in every way.” Our 2024 Integrity Award Honoree Carolyn Ratteray said, “As a BIPOC queer performer it has been crucial to discover spaces that embrace, amplify and celebrate the breadth of our community’s wonderfully diverse narratives. In addition to LAWTF’s incredible history of supporting, producing and mentoring solo performers, I’m grateful to have benefitted from the workshops that have been offered by their members.”

    At the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival, we want to continue to honor those who set the stage–pun intended–for us and our performers. Theatre history is not complete without acknowledging the struggle for equal opportunity that marginalized communities faced and continue to face. It is vital–especially during Pride Month, but every day too–to recognize that queer history is a story that deserves telling and that it is more a part of everyone’s history than usually recognized. 

     

    A very happy Pride Month from the team at Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival!

     

    Lynne Jassem

    Dr. Ada Cheng

    Carolyn Ratteray