Atalanta
Atalanta was left in the woods to die as a child by her father but was instead nursed and raised by a family of bears. She became a fierce hunter and swore an oath of virginity to Artemis, goddess of the hunt. She killed would-be rapists. She drew first blood in the hunt of the Calydonian Boar. She won wrestling contests. She became the only female Argonaut. She was an all-around badass babe. She achieved so much that her father forgave her for not being a son and allowed her to return home where she promptly refused to wed anyone who couldn’t beat her in a footrace. Many men died in the attempt. Eventually, one man managed to win the race but only with the help of the goddess Aphrodite and three golden apples. Unfortunately, he failed to follow through with his end of the deal with Aphrodite and both he and Atalanta were turned into lions.
On the night of The Crew’s short plays, Steven invites you to join Atalanta in modern times as she visits the southern city of Atlanta to interrupt a Segue tour and correct some misconceptions.
ATALANTA by Steven Westdahl
Directed by Steven Westdahl
Staged Reading on November 11, 2015
Steven Westdahl is a fifth-generation Californian who began a life in the theatre at the age of 9 with the Alameda Children’s Musical Theater. He went on to graduate from Emory University with degrees in English and Theatre & Film. While living in Atlanta for 17 years, he co-founded the multi-media production company Collective Works and co-created shows like The Wide Open Beaver Festival and The Invisible College. His work has been seen in Indonesia and Russia, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and The Second City Chicago, and onstage and on screen as an actor, playwright, improvisor, clown, mime, puppeteer, DJ, musician, magician, singer, dancer, sideshow freak, and award winning competitive eater. He is one of the founding members of the San Francisco Neo-Futurists (voted Best Theater in SF, 2014, SF Weekly, and Best of the Bay, 2014, Bay Guardian) as well as one of the playwrights in the PlayGround SF competitive writing pool. He lives in Oakland, CA with his partner, Megan Cohen, and his pit bull, Zoe. You can follow him on Twitter: @swestdahl