Promoting women playwrights since 1995, Perishable Theatre has chosen from 190 submissions the winners for the International Women’s Playwriting Festival October 2-November 2. All three groundbreaking playwrights will have their new works produced and fully staged at Perishable Theatre and are presented with performances by other local artists. Each performance will include a post show talk back.

• October 2-October 5:  Lazarus Disposed by Desi Moreno-Penson
• October 9-October 12:  Lizzy Izzy by Holly Jensen
• October 16-October 19:  Biography of a Constellation by Lila Rose Kaplan

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[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5RVRbLgGo0]

[via Wooster Collective]

I saw a blurb about this video by Will Braden on CNN, and I couldn’t resist the allure of pretentious French pussy. But who can, let’s be honest?

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M7ibPk37_U]

Sure, the French is atrocious, but the cat looks EXACTLY like my cat Sebastian. My deepest apologies to the dog lovers out there.

OH MAN this month is BUMPING, if you missed the free open workshop last saturday you totally missed out, and it’s probably my fault for forgetting to post it…

BUT ANYWAY, THIS Saturday, September 20th @ 6:30 there will be two amazing guest lectures starring Gretchen Wagner, curatorial assistant for the museum of modern art (MOMA!)’s department of prints & illustrated books and printmaker/educator (associate professor in the printmaking dept. at RISD) Mr. Andrew Raftery!

This is part of the AS220 community printshop’s one-year anniversary celebration!! The event is totally free and EVERYBODY IS WELCOME!!!

It’ll take place at AS220’s performance space (115 Empire St. Providence, RI 02903) @ 6:30 on september 20th, 2008 (to be intentionally redundant)!  For a slightly more detailed & coherent official press-release sort of situation, see the printshop website.

ALSO DON’T FORGET to buy your ticket for the print lottery before they run out!!!!!! tickets are $75, all proceeds benefit the printshop, and EVERY TICKET is guaranteed a print! You can buy tickets online here or at the bar at 115 empire st. from 5pm-1am! and to see all the prints you COULD win, stop by 115 empire st. and check out the show that’s up in the performance space from now til sept 27th!!!!!!

hope to see you!! <3<3

The second annual Canstruction Rhode Island competition is on view on the concourse between the Westin Hotel and the mall. (Pictured here is one of last year’s entries ‘In a Stewie over Hunger’.) The show will be up through September 26th. The sculptures will be dismantled and the cans distributed on the 27th. This is to benefit the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. More in ProJo.

Note from the editors: We’re gonna actually be selling actual ads soon. But until we do, I guess you can have freebies, Downcity merchants:

In an effort to lure new college students off campus, and into the larger Providence community, the Downcity merchants are teaming up and offering discounts this Saturday, September 13th.

The deals are good for everyone, so if you’re not a student, don’t fret. This is an opportunity for those of you who frequently walk by the Westminster St. shops admiring the beautiful things, but shuttering at the prices. Clothes to couches, its on sale for Saturday only. Come support the local stores and get a deal while you’re at it.

This is all part of this broader ‘Downtown Student Experience‘ thinggy that’s going on all day:

Get to know the heart of the city you’ll call home for the next few years! On Saturday, September 13th, The Providence Foundation and Downtown Improvement District welcome local college students back to Providence for the Downtown Student Experience, in partnership with CW28 and WBRU.

A slice of presidential politics will play out in Rhode Island this afternoon and you are invited. Five presidential hopefuls will find out where they will appear on November’s ballot.

Secretary of State Mollis has scheduled a ballot placement lottery for 5 p.m. in the State Room. We will borrow a machine from the R.I. Lottery to determine the order in which the third-party presidential candidates will appear on the ballot in the state’s November 4 election.

Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party, Cynthia McKinney of the Green Party, Ralph Nader of the Independent Party, Bob Barr of the Libertarian Party and Roger Calero of the Socialist Workers Party amassed enough signatures to appear on the November ballot along with Barack Obama and John McCain

By state law, third-parties appear on the ballot after Rhode Island’s two recognized political parties. As a result of a ballot placement lottery held July 18, Democrat Barack Obama will appear first on the ballot and Republican John McCain will appear second.

In a scene familiar to Rhode Islanders who watch the state’s daily lottery numbers selected on television, each candidate will be assigned a numbered, white plastic ball. Candidates will appear on the ballot in the order that the balls float to the top of the machine.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWmiO4SavZI]

WHERE: On the corner of Union St. and Westminster St. in Downcity Providence

WHEN: The film starts at dusk, or when it gets dark, these days its getting earlier.

Okay, so we’ve all seen it, and loved it, right? Forrest Gump is this Thursday’s movie. Come hang with friends at this fun, free Downcity movie and don’t forget to bring the blankets to cuddle up with your honey..we were voted the Best Place for a Date by Rhode Island Monthly after all. Grab some food and drinks at Tazza and settle in for the evening with Tom Hanks and your sweetie. Enjoy the last days of summer weather at Movies on the Block this Thursday.

As we’re all now painfully aware, RIPTA’s growing budget crunch will likely lead to massive service cuts next year. But other than cutting costs, nothing going on at the state level right now is addressing the key question of how to pay for stable, reliable transit.

Today’s ProJo reports several possible answers posed in Sierra Club’s recent transit study. Many of these ideas could work in Rhode Island.

If you have never been to Etsy, you are in for a treat. Whether you create handmade goods, need a little inspiration to get your own creative mojo going, or just love the idea of owning handcrafted items, you’ll find a lot at Etsy to love.

From bags to clothing, jewelry and fine art, finding things to love is half the fun. You can search by the item you are looking for, by things that have just been posted, or showcases with items chosen by other Etsy members.

For the crafter, Etsy offers an inexpensive way to get your items seen by a larger and more focused audience than other sites. Listings are only .20, and there is a 3.5% fee after an item sells. You can involve yourself in the Etsy community by participating in the forums, chats, and blogs devoted to all things Etsy. Even Martha Stewart loves Etsy-she will have a segment on her show February 29th all about it!

Proposed transit cuts go right to the bone, but RIPTA really has no choice. On the one hand, RIPTA is beset by high fuel prices to run the buses. On the other, the money to pay for that fuel comes from a fixed per-gallon sales excise, which accounts for 70-80% of RIPTA’s revenue, yet does not automatically adjust for price rise. When gas prices go up and people drive less, RIPTA loses vital revenue, both to cover their own rising fuel costs, and to accommodate the added demand of people hoping to ride instead of drive.

Already on the brink, RIPTA now faces a severe shortfall — right when we need them most. With no love from the state, and having already shaved costs to the bone, RIPTA now has no choice but to cut the bone itself, and soon. Current proposed cuts will eliminate a fifth of all service, starting with service to those riders who are known to have cars: park-and-rides and far-flung daily commuter services are first on the block, eliminating service to four towns, including all of Burrillville. Next up are local routes past the city line, infrequent route spurs and detours, and lower-volume night and weekend service.

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Worth watching:  As usual, Comedy Central is the only “network” doing any sort of research.

How did you spend your summer?

A couple lucky Brown students made a cool ten bucks an hour working with the University and Wal-Mart to install CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) lightbulbs for FREE all around the city for middle and low income households.

It’s called project 20/20, and you might be able to still get in on the action. Tipster J writes:

i got it done and it was RAD. also the number is 401 863 7976 or email them at proj2020@gmail.com

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so, ok. Print month at AS220; it’s actually more like printmake month, printmaking month, printshop month, printlotto month, raisefundsforyourlocalnonprofitcommunityprintshopmonth. anyway, we’ve got a lot going on. there are some SERIOUSLY brutal events this month, all of which are pretty much free, so keep your eyes peeled. here is some info below, and i’ll be sure to keep you informed.

of course, there’s always the monthly classes! you can check those out at the as220 shop: as220.org/shop

Monday, September 1st
Extra Special Open House & Shop Orientation

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…and she sounded great in an interview with Bill Rappleye on the 6pm news. Matt Jerzyk hovered in the background and RIFuture got a mention, but Kim got herself some real face-time talking about how the blogging scene helps fill the void in a one-paper town, and general comments about the Obama candidacy. Channel 10 hasn’t got that video up yet — maybe it will be repeated on the news at 11pm. Nice to see Mr. Rappleye getting out of his motel room.

Don’t forget to head down to Local 121 on Washington Street if you want to watch Obama’s speech with like-minded people.

If you love Movies on the Block and you love James Bond, Tazza and the Downtown Neighborhood Alliance is the place to be next Thursday Night for fun and free snacks for the movie!