MARCIA MILGROM DODGE: A DIRECTOR’S STORY
Marcia Milgrom Dodge has been working as a theatre director for 30 years. This past year she made it to Broadway for the first time with the critically-lauded production of Ragtime. The show did not make it, but Milgrom Dodge and the production received multiple Tony nominations. In this interview with PBS’ Need to Know, Milgrom Dodge talks about making a career as a working director around the country. Here’s to hoping it doesn’t take another 30 years for her to make it back to Broadway. Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know. A Broadway director’s unexpected date with Tony and#40;PBS- Need to Knowand#41; [Read More]published June 23, 2010 at 3:35pm EDT
published June 14, 2010 at 12:08pm EDT
THE LILLY AWARDS — KRISTIN CHENOWETH’S STATEMENT
On Monday night a packed house gathered at Playwrights Horizons people in NYC to celebrate women working in theatre. A bunch of people including playwrights Theresa Rebeck and Marsha Norman who call themselves the “Committee for the Recognition of Outstanding Women in Theater,” pulled together an awards ceremony in a couple of weeks to celebrate the great women working in the theatre who seem to constantly be overlooked at awards time. I’m going to do a longer piece next week for The Women’s Media Center on the awards, but I wanted to share Kristin Chenoweth’s statement on her award. Rob Ashford read her statement because she was under the weather. and#40;Chenoweth was overlooked this year for her performance in Promises, Promises.and#41; I’ve asked Rob to speak in a higher voice so it’s almost like I’m there. It of course kills me that I’m not. I’ve been out 2 shows with a trachea infection. Sucks! You see, when I was first told that I, along with Mary Rodgers [Read More]published May 28, 2010 at 8:17pm EDT
THEATRE WOMEN CREATE AWARDS IN HONOR OF LILLIAN HELLMAN
This year a bunch of very high profile theatre writers and others decided that they were tired of women’s work being constantly unacknowledged, so they created The Lilly awards which will honor 17 women theater artists, as well as Mary Rodgers who will receive a Lifetime Achievement Awards, whose work has been produced in the past year in New York City. They call themselves the The Committee for Recognizing Women in Theater and#40;how much do you love that name?and#41; and include Julie Crosby, John Eisner, Gary Garrison, Tina Howe, Julia Jordan, Marsha Norman, Theresa Rebeck, Susan Rose, Tim Sanford and the Dramatists Guild of America which was created “out of a desire to celebrate the work of outstanding, successful and up-and-coming women playwrights, directors, designers and advocates in the theater.” They named the award for the amazing Lillian Hellman and#40;if you have not read any of her plays, you mustand#41; and here is one reason why this honor is most appropriate for Hellma [Read More]published May 21, 2010 at 5:17pm EDT
THEATRE WATCH: LIFE PRETTY MUCH SUCKED FOR WOMEN ON BROADWAY THIS YEAR
Even though women buy the lion’s share of theatre tickets, it still seems that it is virtually impossible for women playwrights to get their shows mounted on Broadway. Usually there are great roles from women in male written shows, but this year there seemed to be a dearth of even those types of roles. And the strongest female performance in a play this year — Cate Blanchett in A Streetcar Named Desire — is not even eligible for a Tony because it was performed at BAM in Brooklyn and not on one of the Broadway stages. The NY Times on a day in and day out basis does a disservice to women in theatre in general and#40;ask any female playwright and she will go into a diatribeand#41; due to their lack of employing a female reviewer with any gravitas in the business. It matters that the Times doesn’t give a shit about the fact that its theatre reviewing ranks is dominated by two white, gay males. Look at their film reviews. The diversity of opinions and experiences of the two [Read More]published May 17, 2010 at 5:57pm EDT
WATCH AMERICAN IDOL VIDEOS, WIN A FORD FIESTA!
Are you a fan of American Idol? An automotive enthusiast waiting for the release of Ford's highly anticipated Fiesta? Well, this is just for you: Watch the Ford American Idol Music Video http://www.americanidol.com/ford/challenge/ of the week and answer a few trivia questions. That's all you have to do for your chance to win amazing weekly prizes, including: *2011 Fiesta, featuring the custom design of your choice by a Top 12 American Idol contestant *VIP trip for two to L.A. *Trip for two to the set of a Ford Music Video shoot *Two tickets to an American Idol show *$500 cash *Total approximate retail value of each weekly prize is $33,500! By entering, you'll also have a chance to win the grand prize: a custom-designed, Idol-inspired Fiesta and a trip for two to the Season Finale. and#40;Total ARV of Grand Prize is $33,000.and#41; Tune in to FOX every Tuesday and Wednesday at 8/7c to catch all the American Idol action.A total of eight w [Read More]published May 4, 2010 at 3:03pm EDT
SAD BROADWAY NEWS: THE MIRACLE WORKER TO CLOSE
Just read the news that The Miracle Worker starring Abigail Breslin and Allison Pill is going to close next Sunday. It didn’t get the greatest reviews, but a friend who saw it said the audience was full of girls who adored it. I think it was hard to get people to flock to this show even with the whole “girl power” thing going for it. It would have been great if people could have seen it as this year’s Wicked. But there are no flying witches, no great musical numbers and it’s an especially hard sell when the star doesn’t talk. But it’s still sad when one of the only shows that is about girls and women can’t cut it on Broadway especially because women are the ones who buy the lion’s share of tickets. On a side good note, Next to Normal an unlikely Broadway success because it is also about a tough subject, mental illness, has recouped its investment. Huge big deal. Closing Date for the Miracle Worker and#40;NY Timesand#41; [Read More]published March 29, 2010 at 2:51pm EDT
AWARDS WATCH: THE SUSAN SMITH BLACKBURN PRIZE
Enron by Lucy Prebble The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the most prestigious international prize awarded to a female playwright and#40;for writing in Englishand#41; has named the ten finalists for the 2010 award. The award is basically the Pulitzer for women. It raises the profile of female playwrights, and seven of the former Blackburn winners have also won the Pulitzer. The 2010 finalists include: The Aliens” by Annie Baker and#40;U.S.and#41; “The Language Archive” by Julia Cho and#40;U.S.and#41; “This” by Melissa James Gibson and#40;U.S.and#41; “it felt empty when the heart went at first but it is alright now.” by Lucy Kirkwood and#40;U.K.and#41; “The Shipment” by Young Jean Lee and#40;U.S.and#41; “The Nature of Love” by Rebecca Lenkiewicz and#40;U.K.and#41; “East of Berlin” by Hannah Moscovitch and#40;Canadaand#41; “The Swallowing Dark” by Lizzie Nunnery and#40;U.K.and#41; “Enron” by Lucy Prebble and#40;U.K.and#41; “Strandline” by Abbie Spallen and#40;Irelandand#41; The $20,000 wi [Read More]published January 19, 2010 at 2:22pm EST
GREAT OFFER FOR WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD READERS TO ATTEND LET ME DOWN EASY BY ANNA DEVEARE SMITH
I had the chance to check out Anna Deveare Smith’s play on health care issues courtesy of the folks at Second Stage Theatre. If you have never seen Anna on stage doing her interpretations you are really missing out. Her Ann Richards’ piece was amazing. A Special Offer for Women and Hollywood: $49.00 TICKETS TO SEE ANNA DEAVERE SMITH’S NEW SHOW! and#40;Regular price $70and#41; “A continually engaging and engrossing collection of testimonials about life experienced at its extremes.” - The New York Times “FASCINATING! Anna Deavere Smith’s remarkable show is a joyous celebration of human perseverance.”- Associated Press “Thoughtful, vibrant, elegantly directed by Leonard Foglia, Let Me Down Easytraces a graceful arc from lighthearted and funny to downright philosophical.” - New York Post “RUN – DO NOT WALK – TO SEE THIS PLAY!” - The Today Show Now playing through Dec. 6! LET ME DOWN EASY Conceived, written and performed by ANNA DEAVERE SMITH Directed [Read More]published November 16, 2009 at 11:05am EST
PLAYWRIGHT MARSHA NORMAN TALKS ABOUT GENDER INEQUITY IN THE THEATRE
Marsha Norman is one of our best known female playwrights. Her play ‘night Mother won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983, and she has also written the book for the musicals The Secret Garden and The Color Purple. She recently went out on a limb and talked about the gender inequity in the theatre world. This piece, Not There Yet, was published in American Theatre and is now online and must be read. It takes a lot of guts to stand up and call a spade a spade. While this piece might just be about theatre in particular, it reflects the wider problem. Norman challenges the literary departments, the artistic directors, the funders, the critics, the newspapers who employ the critics and the writers themselves to do things differently, to think about this as a crisis, to make change before things get even worse. Here’s her challenge to women writers: As women writers, we must demand the best of ourselves. We must travel and learn and listen. And then we must claim our place on the Americ [Read More]published November 10, 2009 at 7:30pm EST