'Pinned' Table Read

How do you carve out your identity?

McCarthy-era 1954, when being different was dangerous: After her father's death, obedient misfit Elinor must find her place between her mother's debutante society and a bohemian artist counterculture.

Exploring female relationships, resilience, and the power it takes to become yourself despite societal pressures, Pinned is an intimate, uniquely feminine coming-of-age story. And it's on the road to becoming an independent feature film.

Join us for an evening of community, conversation, and a staged reading of Pinned.

Share your feedback on the story as it moves into the next stage of production.

Please note:

• Seating is "first-come" and will reach capacity — Please join early!
• If you cannot attend in-person, there is an alternative Livestream.
• Content Warnings: Coercive Sex, Grief, Abortion, Suicide

What does a uniquely feminine coming-of-age story look like?

It is characterized by observation and exploration, by choices made in powerless positions. It prioritizes female community, but can also include men as part of a pastiche of relationships. Its structure might be untraditional, with plot as a journey, a recipe for an arc. It is told sincerely, authentically, thoughtfully.

What makes this story important now?

The expectation for women to fit a certain “ideal” is just as strong today as it was in the 1950s. While there may be more options for women to choose their own path now, the prevalence of influencer culture, the conservative tradwife movement, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade continue to drive home the message that the safest route for women is conformity and submission.

Pinned questions the influences that make up that message: media, family, religion, society — and explores what happens when women craft their identities because of or in spite of them.

Who is the writer-director?

Seeking to be a small force of earnestness in the powerful film and television industry, Julie Haberstick started working on set in 2009. Her credits now include Homeland (Showtime), Bones (Fox), and many more. Haberstick runs streaming platform Mason Arts Amplified for George Mason University, and Citric Focus Consulting, a creative support service. Her short films — and most of her work — can be described as “intimate journey stories.” Pinned will be Haberstick’s feature debut.

Questions? Want to learn more about the story?

Contact us here, or email [email protected] for more information.

Info: Will begin promptly. Includes 10-minute intermission.

Host or Publisher Julie Haberstick