New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Montclair's Barbara Ward Thall Selected To The Writers Lab

originally published: 08/31/2020


(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- The Writers Lab has selected Montclair resident Barbara Ward Thall is one of its 12 participants, its most inclusive class ever, with half its winners identifying as diverse, and half its projects identifying as "genre" for its 2020 script development lab. For 2020, its sixth year, rather than a physical retreat, The Writers Lab will pivot and build a rich virtual experience for its twelve winning writers with intensified focus on pushing drafts across the finish line.

The virtual program takes place October 1-4, 2020. Additionally, in 2020, The Writers Lab extends its support to its entire pool of applicants with new online resources, including podcasts and recorded talks with lab mentors and supporters, curated links, and more.

Launched in 2015, the program is the only lab in the world devoted exclusively to script development for women writers over the age of 40. The Lab is produced by co-founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon and New York Women in Film & Television, and supported by Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and Oprah Winfrey.

Thall’s Western genre screenplay Little Sister was selected for the highly competitive program. The story takes place in 1849 Missouri, in which a gender defiant farmgirl drags her flighty mother along on a rescue mission to save her abducted sister from escaped convicts. Prior to screenwriting, Thall developed brand marketing programs and advertising campaigns that connected with consumers on a cellular, emotional level. She has 20+ years of digital and global brand marketing strategy, operations, and creative solutions in senior roles at Audible, The Publicis Groupe, Razorfish, and RadicalMedia.

“I'm an ex advertising and marketing exec turned screenwriter, who channels my sorrow, rage, and overall bewilderment about life to write highly personal, female-led stories which aim to uplift and provide hope,” said Barbara Ward Thall. “Although I never realized my childhood dream of becoming a cowboy, my selection for The Writers Lab 2020 with my period western, Little Sister, is the next best thing.”




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



In these shifting, challenging times, audiences are savvier, and hungrier for new perspectives, especially narratives shaped by women. Amidst the global pandemic, submissions to The Writers Lab for women over 40 went up by 25%. Clearly, demand persists for this dynamic, prolific network of industry veterans and ground-breaking creatives that launches the work of women screenwriters in their prime.

The 12 participants of The Writers Lab 2020 are:

Nichole Abshire, Imposter Impersonator (family dramedy)

Charlotte, Cameron, Throw Money (thriller)

Elisa Greven, Silent Spring (science biopic)

Joey Day Hargrove, Highway to Heck (comedy)

Christine Hoang, Fly Girl (comedy)




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



Christine Autrand Mitchell, The Field (horror)

Carolyn Saunders, Island West (sci-fi)

Kelly Yoon Strathmore, Wing and A Prayer (coming of age)

Barbara Ward Thall, Little Sister (western)

Victoria Thomas, Street Food (drama)

Sandy Thomson, A Sharp Arrow (historical thriller)

Julie Zografos, Dark Quarry (mystery)

 

The Writers Lab also announced an expanded roster of influential, experienced filmmakers to mentor participants in development sessions, panels, and story-breaking workshops. Mentors include producers Anne Carey (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Susan Cartsonis (What Women Want), Shruti Ganguly (The Color of Time), Mary Jane Skalski (Hello I Must Be Going), Frida Torresblanco (Pan’s Labyrinth), Jamie Zelermyer (NYWIFT Board President and former Focus Features VP), and screenwriters Mara Brock Akil (The Game), Pamela Gray (A Walk on the Moon), Lisa Jones (Disappearing Acts), Gina Prince-Bythewood (Beyond the Lights), Theresa Rebeck (355), Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), and Pat Verducci (True Crime).

“I’m excited by this year’s inclusive group of women screenwriters and the diversity of their stories. I look forward to seeing these films - from science fiction to horror, mystery to westerns - come to fruition. The more women's stories we see, the more women are empowered," stated Lab supporter Nicole Kidman.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



“Now more than ever, we must all answer the call to be more inclusive, to reflect the totality of human experience,” said The Writers Lab co-founder Elizabeth Kaiden.

“Despite the challenges this industry is facing, the appetite for fresh, smart content is growing, and we have a proven track record for finding stellar storytellers to meet that demand,” added The Writers Lab co-founder Nitza Wilon.

“The challenges of COVID-19 also offer tremendous opportunities to collaborate creatively and explore new ways to engage with the writers,” said New York Women in Film & Television Executive Director Cynthia Lopez. “NYWIFT remains committed to supporting The Writers Lab participants throughout their careers and we look forward to exploring these new virtual experiences together.”

Partners include the Writers Guild of America, East, The Black List, Falco Ink, Film Fatales, Filmarket Hub, Relativity Ventures, Roadmap Writers, Stony Brook Manhattan Center for Creative Writing & Film, and Untamed Stories. A special thank you to Final Draft for their product contribution.


Founded by Kyle Stokes with Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon, and produced with New York Women in Film & Television, The Writers Lab is dedicated to developing narrative feature screenplays written by diverse women over the age of 40. We are industry veterans who elevate the work of women screenwriters in their prime through mentorship, advocacy and exposure.



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Tuesday

Tuesday Night Book Club - Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Tuesday, July 08, 2025 @ 7:30pm
VIRTUAL
category: community

Click here for full event listing

 

MMA

MMA Pro League Fight Night

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJ 07008
category: community

Click here for full event listing

 

MMA

MMA Pro League Fight Night

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJ 07008
category: community


Click here for full event listing

 

Summer

Summer Brew Fest 2025

Friday, July 25, 2025 @ 6:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJ 07008
category: community


Click here for full event listing

 

Miss

Miss Republica Dominicana of NJ US - Gala Final

Saturday, July 26, 2025 @ 6:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: community


Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Newark

Newark to Celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride Week July 7-13

(NEWARK, NJ) -- Mayor Ras J. Baraka, the Newark Municipal Council, the City's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Advisory and Concerns Commission, Newark Pride, Inc, and other organizations and partners will hold Newark Pride Week from Monday, July 7, to Sunday, July 13, 2025.



Six

Six Flags Great Adventure presents Star-Spangled Nights July 4-5

(JACKSON, NJ) -- Celebrate America's birthday in spectacular style at Six Flags Great Adventure during Star-Spangled Nights presented by M&M'S®, a two-night Independence Day celebration filled with fireworks, live music, festive characters, and all-American fun.



Creativity

Creativity Deep Dive: Class for Adults at Vivid Stage

(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, is offering a new creative class especially for adults over the last weekend in July. Creativity Deep Dive, taught by professor and playwright Phoebe Farber, is an opportunity for grown-ups to have the fun of exploring their own imaginations and creative potential. The class is offered from 10:00am-2:00pm on July 26 and 27; lunch will be provided.



Carteret's

Carteret's Civic Center Park Hosts New Jersey's Most Popular Latin Fest on July 26th

(CARTERET, NJ) -- New Jersey's most popular Latin Fest will return on Saturday, July 26, 2025 to Carteret, but this year in a new location: the Borough's accessible Civic Center Park and Sports Complex at 272 Pershing Ave. The venue change is due to ongoing construction improvements to Waterfront Park, the home of Latin Fest since 2018.



Dining

Dining Out Jersey's 5th Annual Foodie Expo features Special Guests David Burke and Produce Pete

(PARAMUS, NJ) -- Dining Out Jersey presents the 5th Annual Dining Out Jersey Foodie Expo on Thursday, July 17, 2025 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at The Terrace at Biagio's in Paramus. This year's event will feature special guests David Burke and NBC's Produce Pete.