Theater as activism is not a modern invention, nor is the need for pro-active civic engagement to sustain it. In 425 B.C. when Athenian playwright, Aristophanes, called out the bumbling power plays of magistrates and war mongers in his play, Archarians, he was essentially the (documented) founder of activist theater. The first documented public poet, … Continue reading
Author Archives: LPTWAdmin
Grace and Wisdom
The Return of In-Person Oral History The League of Professional Theatre Women’s first Oral History Project of the season celebrated a return to in-person events on Monday October 17, as producer Pat Addiss shared wisdom and humor with two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, television anchor and theatre critic Roma Torre at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. … Continue reading
Julia Miles: Making Theatre for the Women’s Century
By Alexis Greene The twentieth century in America was the women’s century. The century opened with the ascendance of what the media at that time called the New Woman. The New Woman didn’t yet have the right to vote, but she was out there: getting jobs, so she could support herself; organizing unions; establishing settlement … Continue reading
THE FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
CELEBRATE! 2022-2023 marks the League of Professional Theatre Women’s 40th Anniversary Season: Dedicated to celebrating its diverse and accomplished membership, its rich history and its vision for a future in which women play an ever more central role in American theatre. At this year’s season launch, we were thrilled to see so many next generation … Continue reading
The State of Native Theater by Amanda Nita Luke
I see a bright future for Native Theater in this country. A future where theater telling Native stories is a regular occurrence in communities around the country. Where communities can come together to experience each other’s stories to gain empathy about each other’s struggles and encounter each other’s joys onstage. Sharing lived experiences is a … Continue reading
Finding Meaning – The Art of Translation by Martine Sainvil
American audiences don’t get access to many contemporary plays originally written in another language despite the burgeoning number of talented playwrights in the US and around the world who are creating work for the stage in languages other than English. Traditionally, classic European plays such as those written by Moliere, Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov … Continue reading
CELEBRATING 1,000 YEARS OF WOMEN WRITING PLAYS
by Alexis Greene Hrotsvitha and Alice Childress; Rachilde and Zora Neale Hurston; Ana Caro and Mrs. Harlow Phibbs. They lived centuries and continents apart, but they shared two enticing characteristics: they were women and they were playwrights. And now they are among the 250 dramatists who constitute “ON HER SHOULDERS: Celebrating 1,000 Years of … Continue reading
Alexis Greene’s New Biography EMILY MANN: REBEL ARTIST OF THE AMERICAN THEATER
A woman of the Theater takes on the patriachs and carves out her place. By Kate McLeod and Martine Sainvil Playwright, Stage Director, Producer, Artist are just a few titles that Tony®, Drama Desk, and Obie Award-winning Emily Mann has earned over her long career. The creator of Annulla Allen: The Autobiography of a Survivor, … Continue reading
Combating Global Narratives by Ashley Hajimirsadeghi
In a world filled with anxiety and fear due to the ongoing pandemic, as theatres remained shuttered and the future seemed uncertain, a group of women from all over the world started an online project. These women met virtually during the League of Professional Theatre Women’s Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award 2020 event week. Initiated and … Continue reading
An Exceptional Oral History with Micki Grant Closes an Historic Year
A historic pandemic could not derail The League of Professional Theatre Women’s ongoing Oral History Project. The League of Professional Theatre Women’s ongoing Oral History Project, founded by Betty Corwin in partnership with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, has for 26 years preserved the legacies of great theatre women, across all … Continue reading
WIT journal 