The first known appearance of the story of Robin Hood with most of its familiar elements (stealing from the rich and giving to the poor; Sherwood Forest; evil sheriff; band of Merry Men) can be found in a mid-fifteenth-century English ballad. The origins of the myth itself date back to the 1300s. The tale …
On February 12th, Ms. Lee was the subject of the League of Professional Theatre Women’s Oral History at the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Robert Viagas conducted the interview. Baayork Lee has performed in over a dozen Broadway shows. For the original production of A Chorus Line, she created the role of Connie, while serving as …
The purpose of theatre is to wound our memory. — Paula Vogel Paula Vogel, Tony-nominated playwright for Indecent, was interviewed by Linda Winer, in an Oral History presented to League members and their guests at the NY Library for the …
I’m lying on my new acupuncturist’s table and she’s taking my pulse for the third time when she tells me, “You’re on the veranda.” How’s that? “You’re not sick, but you’re not well, either.” OH in so many ways, lady. The rejection letter that told me I scored very well with readers but not just … Continue reading
As Director of Labor Relations for the Broadway League, Producer Elizabeth McCann and I used to joke during negotiation sessions we would know we “made it” when the day came we would clinch a deal while in the ladies room! The male negotiators would always emerge from the men’s room proudly announcing they “sealed a … Continue reading
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock (beneath the root of a tree, at the bottom of the ocean), you know that sexual harassment in the workplace has been a topic in the news lately. What performers and other theatre professionals may tend to forget is that while they are artists, they are also “acting” … Continue reading
In October 1978, the Feminist Theatre Study Group picketed five shows on London’s West End, handing out leaflets that began with a few questions. To wit, Did the characters in this play imply that: Blondes are dumb? Wives nag? Feminists are frustrated? Whores have hearts of gold? Mothers-in-law interfere? Lesbians are aggressive? Intellectual women are … Continue reading
What does it mean to describe a play as feminist? What are you looking for when you put out a call for feminist scripts? This is the second in a series exploring possible answers from different angles. What is: too often, women are not assessed as fully human people. What should be: our humanity and personhood should … Continue reading
“Figure out what makes you nervous and take care of it….What do you need?… I need quiet. I need to prepare. I need good coffee.” Laura Linney, Golden Globe, SAG and Emmy award-winning actor who alternates as Regina and Birdie with Cynthia Nixon in the Manhattan Theatre Club production of THE LITTLE FOXES, opening in … Continue reading
This is the thirteenth installment of the blog series Submitting Like A Man (SLAM), created by writer Mya Kagan and published on HowlRound. The project examines what happens when the author resubmits scripts to previously rejected opportunities using a man’s name. But ten weeks ago, in response to our times, she launched an offshoot of this project … Continue reading
