Aug. 15—Rep Stage, the regional professional theater in residence at Howard Community College, will host its seventh annual free and virtual conference dedicated to women-identifying, transgender and gender nonconforming theatre practitioners from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 20.

The conference provides professionals working in theater the opportunity to network and share experiences of the joys and challenges of returning to live performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the conference focuses on the theme of re-engagement and hosts keynote speaker Peggy McKowen, artistic director of the Contemporary American Theater Festival.

In addition to the keynote address, the conference will feature a session in which participants can share their re-engagement experiences in discipline-based breakout rooms. Shirley's Speed-Networking Session, dedicated to the memory of committee member Shirley Basfield Dunlap, will again be offered, as well as a panel of designers. The day will conclude with virtual staged readings of the 10-minute play contest winners, followed by a talk-back with the playwrights.

The conference is free, but registration is required. To register for the conference, visit https://bit.ly/witconference. For further information, visit repstage.org/WIT.