Allison Janney is adding another gig to her jam-packed résumé. The multiple Emmy award-winning actress will serve as the Honorary Chair of the 2018 Women’s Voices Theater Festival. According to a press release from the fest, Janney’s “continued engagement [in American theater] demonstrates a deep and genuine commitment to creating a space in the theater community where the vital contributions of women are recognized and celebrated.”
The Women’s Voices Theater Festival is a collaboration among 26 theaters in and around Washington, D.C. with a mission to “highlight the scope of plays being written by women and the range of professional theater being produced in the nation’s capital region.” The event features world, national, and regional premieres of women-penned plays. Janney previously served on the Festival’s Honorary Committee in 2015.
Actress Danai Gurira (“The Walking Dead,” “Black Panther”), playwright Sarah DeLappe (“The Wolves”), and “Smash” creator Theresa Rebeck will be among the 2018 fest’s participants.
“I was humbled that the organizers of the inaugural Women’s Voices Theater Festival invited me to join the initial Honorary Committee and I’m happy to lend my support again. Theater nurtured my career — it’s where I came into my own as an actor, and of course, Washington is a very special place for me, because of my time on ‘The West Wing,’” Janney explained. “I’m very glad to be a part of this project, and proud to be helping the Festival advocate for women writing for the stage, new plays, and the sharing of diverse stories.”
“Allison Janney was one of the first women to lend her support and name to the Women’s Voices Theater Festival in 2015,” added Nan Barnett, the fest’s Coordinating Producer. “We are thrilled to have her step into this leadership role for the second iteration, and delighted that one of America’s most talented and versatile artists will be helping us celebrate these plays and playwrights in 2018.”
Janney has been receiving rave reviews for her supporting turn in “I, Tonya.” She portrays Tonya Harding’s (Margot Robbie) abusive, alcoholic mother LaVona Golden. She’s already received an Indie Spirit nomination for her turn and is a frontrunner in the supporting actress Oscar race. Janney will also be honored with the Spotlight Award-Actress at the 2018 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
No stranger to the stage, Janney has earned Tony nods for “9 to 5” and “A View from the Bridge” and starred in this year’s Broadway revival of “Six Degrees of Separation.” She’s won Emmys for “Mom,” “The West Wing,” and “Masters of Sex.” “Juno,” “Tallulah,” “Spy,” and “Drop Dead Gorgeous” are among her many feature film credits.
The Women’s Voices Theater Festival will run January 15 — February 15, 2018 in D.C. Visit the fest’s website for more information.
