Dear Members,
As we prepare for the holiday season, we want to wish you the happiest of holidays on behalf of the Board. We look forward to seeing you at our annual holiday festivities at the Players Club on December 11th where we will honor Martha Swope, Gigi Bolt, and our very own Debra Ann Byrd; sing along with Nancy Ford at the keyboard; hold a silent auction for tickets to London; mix and mingle. Be sure to call the hotline (212-501-6667) if you plan to attend.
We are pleased to include you among our membership and trust the League can provide new contacts with women in the industry to support you in your endeavors. You should have received your new membership directory to utilize as a resource for contacts. Just reading the bios alone should make you marvel at the level of professionalism among us.
As promised, our website—www.theatrewomen.org will be launched as of January 1st. This should further enhance your familiarity with our mission and our many activities. Our busy lives leave us little time to realize the exciting work being created by our members. Just glancing at this month’s FLASH gives you a glimpse of the myriad of activities, and we urge you to support our member’s work. For example, Julia Miles, founder of the Women’s Project and of our organization has a production coming up in January. Member Julie Crosby is currently managing director and has offered a special price for League members and an outing is being planned in January. Emily Mann has a new play premiering in the spring. Those of you who attended the playwrights’ panel will recall her telling of the struggles of Elizabeth Packard, who in 1861 was incarcerated in a lunatic asylum, which is the story told based on historical events. The League will be organizing a trip to the McCarter Theatre in May or June for this production. You will be sent further details about both events.
As we move into the new year, we will be completing our fifth season of television tapings of WOMEN IN THEATRE on Channel 75 on CUNY-TV to be aired in 2007. Thus far we have taped Natasha Katz (lighting designer); Anne Cattaneo (drama-turg); Blanka Zizka (artistic director of the Wilma Theatre in Philadelphia); Carole Rothman (artistic director of Second Stage); Jo Bonney (director); Nancy Ford and Gretchen Cryer (composer and lyricist); La Chanze (actress); Cynthia Nixon (actress); Daphne Rubin Vega (actress); with more to follow. All of this would not be possible without funding from the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Lucille Lortel Foundation, and the Edith Meiser Foundation. In addition, many of you have made contributions to the League which help us in our efforts to give greater visibility to the work of women in theatre. It is much appreciated. We value your participa-tion and remind you to check on your membership status—paid up member-ships are what drives the organization and its many programs.
Mark your calendars now for the Leadership Luncheon on February 22nd, honoring the theatre community’s greatest advocate, Alliance for Resident Theatre’s (ART/NY) Executive Director, Virginia Louloudes.
Hope to see you soon!!
Joan and Harriet, Co-Presidents