HERETIC

WEEKEND

Heretic Weekend is back for its second season.

This year's mini festival explores the life and legacy of Jane Austen, inviting playwrights to respond to her world through original short plays inspired by her life, her novels, and her enduring cultural impact.

Heretic Weekend champions emerging and established female playwrights, creating a space to reexamine the women of history through bold new work.

Submissions are now open. Submit your play here.

Heretic Weekend 2025

June 21, 2025
Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn

Heretic Weekend is the inaugural event in RJTheatre Co.’s annual series dedicated to reclaiming and reimagining the stories of misunderstood women throughout history. This first edition centers on Anne Boleyn, explored through theater, visual art, and historical scholarship.

PROGRAMMING

Staged Reading: Heretic

A time-jumping historical drama by Emma Tadmor reframing Anne Boleyn as a radical thinker—silenced by power, yet unwilling to disappear. The play challenges traditional narratives of Anne as seductress or victim, and instead positions her as a woman of fierce intellect and dangerous ambition.

Short Plays Series

A curated lineup of new short works by emerging and established playwrights. Each piece offers a distinct feminist lens on Anne’s voice, mythology, or historical legacy, presented in partially staged readings throughout the day.

Featured Artwork: Alma Gershuni

A contemporary portrait of Anne Boleyn by international artist Alma Gershuni was on display alongside a written reflection on the creative process. The work offered a striking visual reinterpretation of Anne’s image and was available for purchase in support of the company’s fundraising efforts.

Keynote Lecture: Dr. Lynsey Wood

Tudor historian Dr. Lynsey Wood presented a live lecture on Anne’s education, political influence, and the threat she posed to Tudor power structures—offering a deeper historical context to the day’s artistic programming.

Two women in white dresses stand indoors near a wooden table with a carved lion sculpture. One woman has long dark red hair, and the other has red hair styled in an updo. The background has a pinkish hue.
Two women in vintage dresses talking indoors with microphones and lion statues in background.
A woman in a long white dress stands with her back to the camera in a warmly lit room with vintage furniture, a lamp, and a Persian rug. She appears to be in a recording or practice space with microphone stands around her.
A woman with curly hair and glasses sitting cross-legged on a rug, smiling in a warmly lit room, with two people and television screen in the background.
Three women in vintage white dresses, the woman in the center holding a silver mask and the woman on the right holding a purple feathered mask on a stick, in a dimly lit room.
A woman with long, wavy red hair standing in a dimly lit room with red lighting, facing to the right, next to a person wearing glasses and dark clothing.
A person standing on stage in front of an audience, with ornate chairs and a grand piano to the side, in a dimly lit room with warm lighting.
A woman sitting cross-legged on a patterned rug, writing in a notebook with a pen. She has curly hair, glasses, and is wearing a white shirt. The room has vintage furniture, including chairs and lamps, and warm lighting.
A woman playing piano, a woman standing holding a paper, microphones, chairs, and decorative items in a room with warm lighting.
Three women in vintage white dresses stand in a dimly lit room, seemingly engaged in conversation. The room has antique furniture and decor, including a lamp and wooden chairs, with a horse statue or carousel element in the background.
Two women in a dimly lit room, one standing and the other seated at a piano, with a man using a microphone and wearing over-ear headphones in the background.
Four women dressed in vintage or period clothing on stage, with one woman seated wearing a mask. The setup suggests a theatrical performance or scene.
Three women in vintage dresses in a dimly lit room, with one standing and two seated, one of the seated women touching the standing woman's waist.
Woman wearing a silver masquerade mask and a beige vintage dress, sitting on a velvet antique chair during a costume event or masquerade ball.
Four women dressed in white vintage-style dresses are on stage during a masquerade-themed event. Two women are seated on a vintage sofa, wearing elaborate masks; one is adjusting her mask, the other is smiling. The other two women stand beside them,
Poster for Heretic Weekend event featuring a portrait of a woman with dark hair and jewelry, with a blurred effect, promoting Williamsburg Art & Historical Center with contact email and website.