Artemisia Theatre has announced casting for its annual WeWomen Play Festival, a celebration of new feminist work featuring six staged readings from playwrights across the United States. This year's lineup includes a first draft of Lauren M. Gunderson's newest play and a new work from I'm Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire playwright Samantha Hurley.

This year's festival features a cast of 16 actors: Courtney Abbott, Brittney Brown, Sierra Buffman, Nina Castillo D'Angier, Carley Cornelius, Victoria Cruz, Elliot Esquivel, Krissa Hosto, Kseniya Janyan, Samie Jo Johnson, Ashley S. Jordan, Michael Lomenick, Shelia-Marie Robinson, Drew Schad, Debra Weiner, and Jackson West.

The 2026 WeWomen Play Festival runs November 16-18 at Bramble Arts Loft. Each evening will feature two staged readings, artist talkbacks, and networking opportunities designed to bring Chicago's theatre community together.

The WeWomen Play Festival production team includes Julia Farrell Diefenbach (Producer), Madison Hill (Stage Manager), and members of Artemisia's Artist Leadership Coalition: Whitney Dottery, Leanna Gianoutsos Oliveira, Samie Jo Johnson, Abigail Karr, Jabari Khaliq, Candice Mason, Grayson May, Dionna Ndlovu, Seoyoung Park, Sydni Charity Solomon, and Jessica Swim.

The festival schedule begins with networking events at 6 p.m., followed by readings and talkbacks at 7 p.m.

November 16

• Woman's Work by Elenna Stauffer
• Paradise by Lauren M. Gunderson

November 17

• COUNTESS JOSEPHINE by Samantha Hurley
• The Tenants by Zeyy Fawaz

November 18

• Holy Smoke by Brandy Victoria
• White Thorn of Color by Sonja Lynn Mata

The 2026 WeWomen Play Festival takes place at Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N. Clark Street, Second Floor, in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood.

Single-day tickets are $23. Three-day festival passes are $48. Tickets are available at Artemisia Theatre.

About the Plays

Woman's Work When an artist discovers her work has gone missing, she confronts the museum curator responsible, uncovering a bitter divide between two generations of women.

Paradise As an online witch hunt spirals out of control, Heaven and Hell become battlegrounds for a darkly comic reckoning with truth, power, and the dangerous human desire to be right.

COUNTESS JOSEPHINE When a party guest drops dead, two aristocratic women attempt a hilariously disastrous cover-up in 18th-century France.

The Tenants A couple's decision to rent out part of their home spirals into a psychological nightmare as their new tenants slowly take over their space, their lives, and their sense of reality.

Holy Smoke A daughter's revelation ignites a fiery confrontation with her devout mother, challenging everything they believe about love, faith, and womanhood.

White Thorn of Color Deep in the Northern California wilderness, two young people working a marijuana harvest discover that life off the grid is far more complicated than they bargained for.

About the Playwrights

Zeyy Fawaz (The Tenants) is a multilingual playwright, actor, vocalist, community organizer, and activist whose work spans theatre, film, television, commercial, and voiceover productions. She also holds a master's degree in International Relations and Development.

Lauren M. Gunderson (Paradise) has been one of America's most-produced playwrights since 2015. Her honors include the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award for I and You and The Book of Will, the William Inge Distinguished Achievement in Theatre Award, and the Lanford Wilson Award.

Samantha Hurley (COUNTESS JOSEPHINE AND LADY PHILOMENA du BOURBON TRY TO HIDE A BODY) is a Chicago-based playwright whose debut work, I'm Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire, premiered Off-Broadway before transferring to London. Her second full-length play, RE(VULVA), received recognition from the O'Neill, Princess Grace, and Relentless Award programs.

Sonja Lynn Mata (White Thorn of Color) is an actor-creator, clown, and playwright from the Chicago suburbs. She trained at Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theater and has worked with both the National Theatre of Ghana and Theater Unspeakable.

Elenna Stauffer (Woman's Work) is a New York-based playwright and actor whose work has been produced and developed by numerous organizations nationwide. She holds degrees from Yale University and Columbia University.

Brandy Victoria (Holy Smoke) is a playwright, essayist, and performance artist whose work has been featured by the Obsidian Theatre Festival, Barter Theatre, and Abingdon Theatre Company. She was named a Hurston/Wright Foundation Fellow in 2023.

About the Directors

Dinah Berkeley directs White Thorn of Color. Their work focuses on clown, mime, puppetry, and dance, with directing credits that include Everybody Thrashing, We Tell Each Other Stories, and the director showcase Direct Address.

Julia Farrell Diefenbach directs Paradise. Recent credits include Sense and Sensibility, The Haunting of Hill House, and One Exit. She also serves as Managing & Marketing Director of Artemisia Theatre.

Kayla Menz directs COUNTESS JOSEPHINE AND LADY PHILOMENA du BOURBON TRY TO HIDE A BODY. Recent directing credits include Radical Futures, The Sporting Life, Lavinia Andronicus is YOUR Spin Instructor, and Lincoln Lincoln Lincoln Lincoln.

Zoë Nisam directs The Tenants. A recent graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University, her recent credits include serving as stage manager for The Snow Queen with The Impostors Theatre Company.

Denise Yvette Serna directs Woman's Work. An award-winning Chicago theatre practitioner, her credits include collaborations with Teatro Vista Productions, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Goodman Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Stephanie "Stevie" Mattos directs Holy Smoke. An actor, fight director, and member of the Society of American Fight Directors, her directing credits include Women of 4G, Lonely Hearts in Lockdown, and Twelfth Night.

About Artemisia Theatre

Artemisia Theatre produces plays that empower women, creating opportunities for women theatre artists of all backgrounds, identities, ages, and abilities. Led by a volunteer coalition of Chicago-based artists and administrators, the company is dedicated to amplifying women's voices, championing diversity and inclusion, and producing work that advances its belief that her story empowers us all.

For more information, visit Artemisia Theatre.