Queer Soup Playwright and Producer, Jess Martin, has been selected as one of the seven playwrights chosen to receive the Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grant.  Her full length play “My Yolanda Love,” which delves a little into magic, a lot into the landscape of New Mexico, with a touch of identity theft, is the
recipient of a $5,000 grant to fund the play's development to the stage.

Jess commented, “This play explores passion in women, from an affair with a college professor to the dangerous desire of those women who like to drive too
fast, and then how being passionate about someone or something isn’t always the best thing, especially as it spins out of control in a pink motel room off of Route 66.”

Martin’s previous productions include “Lipstick Cigarette,” “Girl Crazy,” “Thursday Night Theory” and “Tomboy” (which was featured in the 2000 New York International Fringe Festival) as well as collaborative productions (with Queer Soup) of last summer’s hit “Invasion of Pleasure Valley” and the sold-out “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s High School Reunion.” Her productions have been staged in Boston, New York and Houston, Texas. 

She has a Masters in Playwriting from Boston University where she studied with Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott. She also holds an undergraduate degree in Creative Writing from the University of Houston where she studied playwriting with Pulitzer-prize winning playwright Edward Albee.

“My Yolanda Love” will have a staged reading this August at Boston Playwright's Theatre as a part of Queer Soup’s Summer Simmer. Following this, audiences will be able to tune in to a Summer Creature Double Feature of her plays, "Interview with a Fifty-Foot Woman" and "Revenge of the Fifty-Foot Woman: Journey to the Center of Canada!"  

The MCC Artist Grant Program has been created to meet the needs of many working artists whose time is one of the most precious things money can buy. The development of any artistic discipline takes years of dedication, determination and a lot of positive reinforcement.

The Artist Grants Program provides direct assistance to Massachusetts artists, recognizes exceptional work and supports the further development of their talents. Artist Grants give individuals the financial ability to hone and deepen their craft. They also provide artists with recognition and affirmation from their peers and the
public.  Fellowship grants of $5,000 are offered in discipline categories which rotate according to the fiscal year.

Boston Playwrights’ Theatre is at 949 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston.

-- OnStage Boston

06/10/05