LPTW News

Annual Meeting 2026

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:51:08 GMT

Join us for the LPTW Annual Meeting & Meet our Prospective Board Members

The Annual Meeting will take place

Date: Saturday, May 2nd

Time: 3:00 PM-5:00 PM

Location: A.R.T 520 8th Avenue 3rd Floor (btw 36th and 37th Street)

Conference Room

Please bring an ID to enter the building.

Potluck We kindly invite everyone to contribute to a potluck for our upcoming meeting. While we’ll be providing some tea and sweets, your favorite dish or snack to share would be greatly appreciated! If you are unable to be with us in person we hope you will join us digitally on ZOOM! Register for the link.

We look forward to talking about what's to come and meeting our Board Candidates!

Click HERE to RSVP/Register by Wednesday, April 29th

Upcoming JRR

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:58:35 GMT

Join us for Julia's Reading Room this week and next!

Julia's Reading Room presents Julia's Reading Room presents

Ring Around the Peonies Pet Peeves

written by Karen Campion written by Julie Wienberg

directed by Kim Jones directed by Susan Izatt

Friday, April 17th at 6 PM Sunday, April 26th at 3 PM

Venue: Studio 353 - 353 W 48th St 2nd floor, Venue: Playwrights Horizons Downtown -

New York, NY 10036 440 Lafayette st. NYC, studio 4A, 4th fl

Free Admission: RSVP to KJDINGA814@gmail.com Free Admission: RSVP to JRR@theatrewomen.org

LPTW - TRU Town Hall

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:50:47 GMT

Women Warriors, Then and Now: How the Voices of the Past Inform Today’s Battle for Equality

Thursday, May 7 - networking at 6:30 pm, open forum starts at 7:00pm ET
Polaris North Studio, 245 W. 29th Street, 4th floor, NYC

Co-hosts to include: Jane Bergère , a multi Tony and Olivier Award winning producer for Broadway, London, Australia and Asia, currently represented on Broadway with Dog Day Afternoon staring Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as well as Death of a Salesman, starring Nathan Lane; Cheryl L. Davis , Kleban, Larsen and Audelco award winning playwright/ librettist/lyricist, award winning TV soap writer, general counsel for the Author's Guild and co-founder and vice president of TRU; Lynnie Godfrey , actress, singer, dancer, director, producer, dramaturg/sensitivity consultant and former president of the League of Professional Theater Women. Moderated by Bob Ost of TRU and Cynthia Straus of LPTW.

LPTW is excited to partner with TRU for this month as they continue conversations about issues of current cultural significance. Strides towards equal rights have been made thanks to the dedication of fearless women throughout history. Women won the right to vote, and yet the Equal Rights Amendment is still in limbo. Cultural shifts moved women from second-class citizenship under the thumb of a patriarchy into something that resembles equality. But is it? Women have populated leadership positions in the business world, and yet equal pay is a challenge to this day. Compassion and common sense brought women a little closer to bodily autonomy until the political pendulum made a steep swing in the other direction. Given the challenges women are faced with today how do we up the ante in order to navigate the sweeping tide of patriarchal backlash and adjust to the current demands? How can we get equal rights for women – and for all – back on track? Are the methods of our past warriors still effective today? What can we learn from them and how can we apply it effectively in today’s world?

TRU offers this as an opportunity for everyone to learn from actual experiences and find ways to support each other while exploring initiatives that might bring us closer to genuine respect and acceptance. All attendees are encouraged to participate in this conversation. Doors open at 6:30pm for networking and roundtable introductions of everyone in the room – come prepared with your best 20-second summary of who you are, and what you need. The Open Forum will start at 7:00pm. Free for members of TRU and League of Professional Theatre Women; $15 for non-members (with a $5 ticket option available to anyone who needs it). Please use the bright red reservation box at the site below, or email at least a day in advance (or much sooner): e-mail TRUStaff1@gmail.com

When registering, please note there are options to buy either a live or a virtual ticket. Please let us know if you are attending live or virtually.

Visit https://truonline.org/events/women-warriors/ to register today! 

Enhanced Oral History featuring Alexis Greene

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 23:48:04 GMT

LPTW Presents an Enhanced Oral History Program Featuring excerpts from Alexis Greene's Work

January 27 at 7:00 PM | 60–75 minutes

Featured Guests Include:

Kathleen Chalfant, Dorothea Gloria, Lynnie Godfrey, Yvette Heyliger, Gwynn MacDonald, & Emily Mann

Developed in collaboration with Cindy Cooper and Ludovica Villar-Hauser, the program will feature curated excerpts from Alexis Greene's books, performed by LPTW actors: Kathleen Chalfant , Dorothea Gloria and Lynnie Godfrey. Digitally produced by Tamra Pica . These readings will be thoughtfully woven throughout the Oral History interview.

Additionally, the evening will include reflections from Yvette Heyliger, Gwynn MacDonald and Emily Mann who have worked closely with Alexis Greene.

This innovative program celebrates Alexis Greene's impact on theater.

THE 2025 INAUGURAL RECIPIENT OF THE LPTW BILLIE ALLEN AWARD

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:51:54 GMT

The members of LPTW are pleased to award the 2025 Billie Allen Award to the amazing trailblazer, artist and playwright

Michael Angel Johnson

Ms. Michael angel Johnson’s plays have been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, Amherst, New Haven, and other places across the U. S. The Price of Solitude was a finalist in the National Ten-Minute Play Contest at Actors Theatre of Louisville. The Apartment earned Michael angel the honor of special participant at the O’Neill Theatre Centre. Her screenplays: Seasons-semi-finalist in The Chesterfield Film/Writer’s Project, The Letters-semi-finalist Writemovies.com, The Tower- Honorable Mention Los Angeles Film and Script Festival, and Wild Fires- finalist at the Hollywood Black Film Festival. Her stories and essays: “The African American Woman Who Shaped the Future of Art” (On The Issues Magazine), “The Echo” (Persimmon Tree), “ and A Basket of Biscuits” (On The Issues Magazine). Michael angel has worked with the 52nd Street Project as a director, writer, and dramaturge. She is a member of The League of Professional Theatre Woman and a member of New York Women in Film & Television. She is an Associate Professor at New York University and the Fashion Institute of Technology (New York) where she developed and teaches their AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE course. She is a graduate of The Yale School of Drama in Playwrighting.

LPTW Lucille Lortel Award 2025

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 01:41:28 GMT

THIS YEAR WE HONOR

Claudine Cassan Jellison

Claudine has performed in national tours, in regional theatre oB- broadway, and

internationally, including Maltby & Shire’s, Closer Than Ever at Cherry Lane, Godspell

National and Italian tours, Paquette in Candide at Arena Stage, Berlin to Broadway with Kurt

Weill, Anna Held in Tintypes, Petra in A little Night Music, Julie in Showboat, Anne in

Shenandoah, Meg in Brigadoon. She performed Peter in the musical Peter Pan in Moscow,

a cultural exchange, put forward by the United States State Department. She received

outstanding notices and the praise of Raisa Gorbacheva who attended one of her

performances.

At the same time Claudine worked to promote literacy and arts education as a teacher and

administrator for 25 years with the NYC Department of Education nurturing school

partnerships with Teachers College, City College f New York, The Lincoln Center Institute,

The New Victory Theatre and the Lucy Moses School. She was dedicated to making the

Theatre a part of young people’s education.

Then tragedy struck, Claudine was diagnosed with essential tremor. It becomes worse with

age. It’s neurological and aBected her vocal cords, pharynx, even tongue, and soft palate.

There is no cure, only experimentation. Claudine’s love of the theatre did not allow her to

give up. She developed a one woman show: Idol Curiosity, a tribute to her singing idols,

Mary Martin, Mable Mercer, and Edith Piaf. It was successfully received, and she was

honored and encouraged by the prestigious O’Neil Cabaret Conference. She developed

Just Visiting, the journey of a first generation American, Packing Orders, packing up and

downsizing memories and, Hey Frenchy, stories and songs from the pantry.

Sherry Eaker, former LPTW Board member honored Claudine with a Bistro Award for Hey

Frenchy for Outstanding Achievement and in addition, Claudine received a 2022 Broadway

World nomination. She continues to develop her one woman shows even though she only

has an octave range and much of that is speaking. Claudine is currently planning her next

one woman show. Her dedication to the theatre on and oB stage is remarkable, and is

deserving of the Lucille Lortel Award

RSVP information for the award ceremony to follow.

LPTW Hosts Inaugural Ceremony Announcing the LPTW Billie Allen Award

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 06:10:23 GMT

The League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW) recently gathered with theatre professionals and supporters at The Lambs in New York City to celebrate the newly established LPTW Billie Allen Award. While no awardee was named this year, the award will serve as an important recognition of theatre artists who embody Allen’s pioneering spirit and dedication to the arts in the years to come.

The event celebrated Allen’s lasting impact on the performing arts and her unwavering dedication to creating space for underrepresented voices in theater. The heartfelt tribute to the late, great Billie Allen included a lineup of speakers and special guests who shared personal reflections on Allen’s trailblazing career, highlighting Allen’s contributions to the stage and her profound influence on the artistic community. Attendees had the opportunity to connect, reminisce, and reaffirm their commitment to the values she championed throughout her career. Allen's legacy continues to inspire generations, from her groundbreaking work as an actress and director to her advocacy for equity in the arts.

LPTW remains dedicated to honoring the contributions of women in theatre, and this tribute to Billie Allen was a testament to the power of storytelling, representation, and perseverance.

About Billie Allen

Billie Allen was a trailblazing actress, director, and advocate for diversity and inclusion in the performing arts. She broke barriers as one of the first African American women to appear on Broadway and television, paving the way for future generations of artists. In addition to her work on stage and screen, Allen was a passionate director and mentor, dedicating her career to uplifting underrepresented voices in theater. Her advocacy and leadership continue to inspire and shape the industry today.

Thank you for a Great Event!

LPTW Lucille Lortel Award 2024

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 18:53:50 GMT

THIS YEAR WE HONOR

Celeste Bedford Walker

Celeste Bedford Walker’s award-winning canon includes over forty plays, videos, documentaries, and films that have been performed and viewed in major venues across the country. She has received numerous commissions to write dramas, comedies, and musicals for theaters, schools, museums, and organizations.

Recognized by the U.S. Congress for her historical contribution as producer and author of works that bring to light lost stories of African American history, Walker has received several honors and awards in theatre.

Awards include the 2023 Guggenheim Fellows; finalist in the international Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for outstanding work by a female playwright; the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Theatre Awards for Best Playwright and Best Play for positive portrayal of Blacks in the media; the National Black Theatre's August Wilson Playwriting Award for significant contributions to Black and American Theatre; finalist in 38th Annual Samuel French OOB Short Play Festival; the Houston Ensemble Theatre's Salute to Texas Playwrights; New York's AUDELCO nominations and awards; the Memphis Tennessee's Gyneka Award, and others.

Celeste was commissioned to write a play as part of the BOLD Theater Women's Leadership Circle grant under the leadership of Ensemble Theatre's artistic director Eileen Morris. Her historical drama, "The Red Blood of War," was selected to participate in the 39th Annual Wm. Inge Theatre Festival New Play Lab in Independence, Kansas. But due to COVID-19, it was postponed to spring 2021.

Walker's work is also featured in the anthology "Acting Up and Getting Down," published by the University of Texas Press, and " Sassy Mamas and Other Plays ," published by Texas A&M University Press.

A proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Mrs. Walker is also a council member of the Texas Institute of Letters, a distinguished honor society founded in 1936 to celebrate Texas literature and recognize distinctive literary achievements. Plus, Celeste is a member of Honor Roll! , an advocacy and action group of playwrights over forty and their allies whose goal is their inclusion in the theater.

Her plays, universal in theme, come out of the Black experience, embracing the sacred and the mundane, the serious and the comic, with an awesome delight in the wisdom and the witlessness of the human condition.

For more information and to RSVP visit the LPTW Lucille Lortel Award page here

LPTW Annual Meeting

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 03:54:35 GMT

The Annual Meeting will be Saturday, May 3, 2025.

Please Save the Date!

Book Reading Club of Plays

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 01:58:42 GMT

Join LPTW's Book Reading Club of Plays to virtually discuss Heidi Schreck's play "What the Constitution Means to Me" on Thursday , February 20 at 7:00 PM EST

For more information and to RSVP click here

Annual Meeting 2025

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 04:20:01 GMT

LPTW FALL 2025 ANNUAL MEETING

Join us as we gather to discuss the prior year, and we are adding panel guest speakers and a themed Annual Meeting for women working in theatre.

Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025

Time: 11:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.

Location: Houghton Hall (Banquet Room)

22 East 30th Street

New York, NY 10016

WOMEN STAGE THE WORLD...RESCHEDULED!!!

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 04:23:53 GMT

After much thought we regret to inform you that WSTW March will not be on September 28, 2024

We have scheduled the RAIN DATE FOR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5 ...THE SAME SCHEDULE

Schedule:

11:30 A.M. - Members of LPTW will gather at the Signature Theatre Cafe

12:00 P.M. - March will commence
After the march is concluded, we will reconvene at the Signature Theatre for celebratory drinks.

RSVP HERE

Oral History

Fri, 31 May 2024 18:58:33 GMT

Join us for an Oral History event on June 3rd at 6:00pm

For more information and to RSVP, visit our Oral History page here

LPTW 2024 Annual Meeting

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 02:47:22 GMT

Date: Saturday, May 4, 2024

Time: 11 AM to 3 PM

Details: A meeting of the entire membership to review the work of the 2023/2024 Season.

Attendees: Active members, Committees and Board Members.

Breakfast and Lunch: A light breakfast will be served. Following our discussions, a luncheon will be served featuring a variety of sandwiches and salads.

Mode: In-person and Via Zoom

*Location is listed on the Google Group. (You may access the Google Group via the Member Portal.)

**The meeting will be streamed over Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent on Friday, May 3, 2024 via Google Groups.

Careers in Theatre

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 21:16:36 GMT

LPTW to Present at "Careers in Theatre" Panel at The University of Oklahoma

The League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW) and University of Oklahoma's (OU) drama department will be hosting a live, online panel presentation for the students at the University of Oklahoma.

The event is open to all OU Drama students but the focus of the panel is for graduating women who are looking for networking connections and female mentorship in the first years of their career.

Students will be able to ask questions about best practices for network building and meet professional theatre women from LPTW.

The event will be held on Zoom, April 24th at 6pm EST /5pm CDT.

LPTW Members are welcomed to attend. Details to attend the event will be sent on the internal Google Group email.

The LPTW Members presenting panelists are:

Lynnie Godfrey

Pat Addiss

Patricia Snyder

Illana Stein

Lorca Peress

The event is coordinated by Seth Gordon , OU Professor - Directing & Theatre Management.

Stage Manager: Zija Lubin-West

In Memoriam: Carrie Robbins (1943 - 2024)

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 21:00:48 GMT

In Memoriam: Carrie Robbins (1944 - 2024)

The League of Professional Women in Theatre mourns the passing of Carrie Robbins, a unique luminary whose distinctive contributions to costume design and playwriting have left an indelible mark on Broadway and beyond. With a career spanning decades, Robbins was celebrated for her unparalleled ability in character drawing.

As a costume designer, Carrie Robbins designed over 30 Broadway productions with her artistry, collaborating with legendary talents such as John Travolta, Lauren Bacall, and Meryl Streep. Her work graced stages from New York to London, earning her two Tony nominations, five Drama Desk Awards, and numerous other accolades, including the prestigious TDF Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.

Beyond her achievements on Broadway, she was a dedicated educator. She served as the Master Teacher of Costume Design at the Tisch School of the Arts and was extremely proud of the huge successes of her many graduates.

In addition to her illustrious career in costume design, she was a playwright whose works captivated audiences at venues such as La MaMa and TACT-The Actors Company Theatre. Her double-bill production, Sawbones & The Diamond Eater, garnered critical acclaim and multiple nominations at the Innovative Theatre Awards.

Carrie Robbins' impact extended beyond the stage, as she curated exhibits and authored catalogs showcasing the rich history of women in theatrical design. In 2008-09, Robbins was co-curator with the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center of the exhibit Curtain Call - Celebrating A Century of Women Designing for Live Performance. Her dedication to preserving and celebrating the contributions of women in the arts leaves a profound legacy that will continue to inspire future generations.

She was a longtime active member of LPTW, serving on the board. In 2004, she received the LPTW Ruth Morley Design Award and curated Round Up , a publication of LPTW co-sponsored with the New York Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.

Carrie Robbins will be remembered not only for her extraordinary talent but also for her generosity, passion, and unwavering commitment to her craft. She leaves a legacy that will continue to shape the theatre landscape for years.

Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and many LPTW friends, as well as with the countless lives she touched throughout her remarkable career.

A note from our Co-Vice President of Membership, Patricia B. Snyder

I felt most fortunate to work with Carrie Robbins. In 1983, Carrie designed costumes for Joe Raposo and Bill Gibson’s Rag Dolly directed by Pat Birch that I produced at the Empire State Institute for the Performing Arts ESIPA which toured to Moscow in 1985. Her NYU student,Greg Barnes assisted her. The production was the first cultural event that resumed the cultural accords between the United States and the Soviet Union after a 7 year hiatus. Carrie also designed costumes at ESIPA for Louis St Louis’ Sugar Hill directed by League member Billie Allen. She enthusiastically consulted on costumes for the staged reading of League member Gail Kriegel’s Sweetee for the League’s 30th anniversary at Signature Theatre. Rest in peace dear dear Carrie. You will be greatly missed.

Three Keys to Crowdfund Like a Queen with Melissa Center

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 05:43:14 GMT

Join us for the next Professional Seminar:

Three Keys to Crowdfund Like a Queen with Melissa Center

Monday, April 8, 7-8:30 PM ET

(Visual description: graphic flyer: A woman with shoulder length curly brown hair sits on a stool against a computer generated pink and white background. Her right ankle rests on her left knee as she smiles warmly, her chin in her hand. The words "Three Keys to Crowdfund like a Queen" are in the center of the image. There is an orange crown drawn above the woman's head. She wears a black blazer, a black and white striped T-shirt, jeans and black ankle boots with a large ring and bracelet on her right arm.)

Join LPTW for our next LPTW Professional Seminar where the Crowdfunding Queen herself and LPTW Member, Melissa Center, will lead you through Three Keys to Crowdfund like a Queen .

Through this hands-on seminar, you will learn how to set yourself up for success, walk away with practical tips, and be inspired to create (and fund) your own art. There will be a Q&A at the end of the program moderated by LPTW Board Member Illana Stein.

This seminar is FREE for Members and $10 for Non-Members. This program is produced by Illana Stein and the LPTW Professional Seminar Committee.

The last Professional Seminar Working with Disability: Part Two on February 12 was moderated by Gwynn MacDonald with Guest Panelists Quinn O’Connor and Dr. Catherine (Katya) Vrtis. If you were unable to attend the program, for a limited time, you can watch the recording here .

The League’s Professional Seminar Program is where experienced guest panelists lead seminars for members and guests focusing on a wide range of topics relevant to having a successful theater career through a moderated Q&A.

The LPTW Professional Development and Heritage Programs are made possible, in part, with public funds from the NYS Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the NYS Legislature and from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council. It is further supported by The Waldman Foundation and our Brava Sponsor, SHOWTIME.

Date/Time: Monday, April 8, 7-8:30 PM ET

RSVP HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/three-keys-to-crowdfund-like-a-queen-with-melissa-center-tickets-862329529837

In Memoriam: leslie Shreve

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 05:14:09 GMT

Honoring LPTW Member leslie Shreve

leslie Shreve was a bright light, a perpetually radiant spirit, who never lost her joie de vivre or her huge smile, even as she valiantly stood by her husband as he slowly lost his battle with Parkinson's (he died almost exactly four years ago), and then herself battled cancer the last few years.

A graduate of the Theatre Department at Ithaca College, leslie received an outstanding actor award from Business Week for her portrayal of Harpo Marx. She also played Mabel in The Pajama Game; Mrs Diana Trapes in The Beggars' Opera; Eva Tanquay in A Salute to the Palace Theatre; Rossignol in Marat/Sade, and Mrs Banks in Sunday in the Park - where she "rolled 'em in the aisles with laughter." A cable television pioneer with her award winning children's program, Leslie the Shreve, she also played Kay Sybers in HBO's Autopsy 8.

She was primarily known for her announcing and voiceovers. She narrated an exhibit for the Smithsonian; created sounds for many furry and oddball characters; and doubled voices in re-creations of programs from radio's Golden Age for the Friends of Old Time Radio.

leslie served long term as National Chair for the Women's Committees for both AFTRA and SAG, and then for SAG-AFTRA. In that capacity, she was one of the earliest board members of the Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, and served three different terms as Co-President. She was the first, and thus far only, Past President to be named as Special Advisor to the Coalition. Her activism included serving on the National Boards of SAG-AFTRA and AFTRA; the Council as well as the Grants Committee for the Episcopal Actors Guild; and the steering committee for the St. Lukes/Roosevelt Hospital's Crime Victims Treatment Center.

Along with being a member of LPTW, she was a Lamb; a member of the Dutch Treat Club; ATAS; the Blue Hill Troupe; The Village Light Opera Group (Lifetime Honoree), the Original NYC Bad Girls, and The Group. Because of all these associations, her circles of friends and colleagues was enormous, and so many are hurting now, and already missing her.

A natural born multi-tasker, leslie was a recipient of the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding MakeUp Design and also served the members of IATSE 798 as their Television Trustee. She designed make-up for stage, film, daytime and primetime TV, rock shows, industrials, commercials, news, sports, press junkets, archival interviews, and was the contributing author on this subject for The Handbook of Private Television (McGraw-Hill).

She also directed the Documentary Healing Ground Zero, which included a night time tour in the pit.

Celebrate Black History

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 22:41:03 GMT

Honoring the former Black Presidents of

The League of Professional Theatre Women

A Dedication from the current President, Lynnie Godfrey

12th Night Party!

Sat, 06 Jan 2024 18:50:04 GMT

A Great TIME was had by ALL...LIVE and VIRTUAL at our 12th Night Party!

♩♪♫♬ WE HAD A PARTY! ♩♪♫♬

Despite MOTHER NATURE !

THANK YOU ALL FOR WEATHERING THE STORM...WHAT FUN!

Professional Seminar: Working With Disabilities

Sat, 06 Jan 2024 15:04:43 GMT

Professional Seminar: Working with Disability

Join us Feb 12th, 7pm EST on Zoom , for our second Professional Seminar in the series “Working with Disability” devoted to bringing disability more intentionally into our conversation and practice as theater makers. This three part introduction will be a broad but rigorous exploration of topics that include expanding your creative collaborative network and identifying / or not as disabled in the theatrical workplace. Disability is the largest minority group in the nation and the least represented in entertainment. It is the most diverse minority group -- cutting across lines of age, ethnicity, gender, race, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status -- and the only one which anyone at any point in their life might become a member. It's part of our lives and if that's not reflected in our work and our working lives we are not reaching a vibrant audience or our potential as professional artists. This seminar is for theatre artists who consider themselves non-disabled, disabled and everything in between. Register and read more about the panelists below.

Conversation Facilitators – Gwynn MacDonald, Dir and Gabriella Balsam, Playwright

Stage Manager -- Jessica Dell Beni (she/her)

Produced by the League of Professional Theatre Women: Professional Seminar Committee -- Christine Cirker, Illana Stein, Gwynn MacDonald

Panelists: Quinn O’Connor—Stage Manager, Production Manager; Madeline Charne – Dramaturg; and Dr. Catherine (Katya) Vrtis – Lighting Designer and Theater Educator

Registration: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwtcOyvqDIpEtMaZ3DkXQ7toCKC_PJUqPW9

For more information: https://www.theatrewomen.org/seminars

This event is open to the Public.

January Power Play Book Club

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 17:33:56 GMT

Registration will o January 31st Power Play Book Club on 1/15/2024

Join your fellow LPTW'ers to read and analyze plays book club style.

In January, we will read Fleabag by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

We meet virtually so all members can attend. Get more information and register here!

December Julia's Reading Room

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 01:52:10 GMT

MARRYING JAKE GYLLENHAAL by Melissa Center, December 19th at 6pm

MARRYING JAKE GYLLENHAAL by Melissa Center

Tuesday, December 19th at 6pm
Jefferson Market Library

425 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011

Director Round Table Registration

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 17:05:44 GMT

December Director Roundtable is 12/18

The monthly roundtable for LPTW directors and members who want to meet directors will be on December 18th at 6:30pm. Register now to receive the zoom link!

Join us for our Town Hall with Anne Dunning!

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 19:54:08 GMT

Join us in person or virtually, this evening!

Join us for the Town Hall on December 4 to hear what we’ve learned from eight months of surveys, interviews and conversations and to help us shape the exciting possibilities coming out of that work.

Get more information and register here!

Event Recap for November Julia's Reading Room

Wed, 29 Nov 2023 01:40:43 GMT

THE CHANGE YOU WANTED by Faith Catlin, directed by Jacob Basri

THE CHANGE YOU WANTED by Faith Catlin, directed byJacob Basri

Tuesday, November 28th at 6pm
Jefferson Market Library

425 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011

The reading was a great success. There were 24 people in the audience. Although handling serious themes, the play was fun to watch and received multiple laughs. It was very well read by the actors. The room was already set up by the library when we got there. It wasn’t a literal table read, but an informal first time out loud reading where the actors used music stands.

Giving Tuesday 2023

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 17:48:11 GMT

There's still time to donate for #GivingTuesday .

The League of Professional Theatre Women has been championing women in theatre for 41 years.

Stand with LPTW to bring parity and self-agency to theatre women everywhere by donating this #GivingTuesday .

LPTW supports theatre women across all disciplines from emerging professionals to high profile leaders. We encourage theatre companies and theatre makers to hire women at all levels. We fight against sexual harassment, gender and economic inequality, racism, ageism, and ableism in our industry.

On this #GivingTuesday, please click here to make a 100% tax-deductible gift.

LPTW is hiring!

Sun, 12 Nov 2023 17:14:32 GMT

Photo credit by Marco Verch Professional Photographer

2 Positions available

League of Professional Theatre Women seeks part-time administrative help. These are a part-time office management/light record/bookkeeping and a part-time administrative director.

Part Time Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper

Weekly:

Pay all bills/invoices
Record all transactions and share with Bookkeeper with all items labeled as to program and expense category
Produce weekly financial reports to monitor cash flow
Maintain records for member dues
Track your own time sheets so that salary/consultant payments may be allocated either to program work or administrative tasks (submitted bi-weekly to the bookkeeper)

Monthly:

Review Quickbooks for accuracy
Present updated budget (monthly tracked changes) to the Treasurer
Track Members on Monthly payments
Monitor bank accounts for accuracy
Manage relationship with landlord (Quarterly payment schedule; Spearhead any issues pertaining to the office space)

Annually:

With bookkeeper, review list of independent contractors, employees for accuracy (January)
Work with Treasurer to create annual budget

As Needed:

Collect W9/1099s for all consultants, upload to bookkeeper portal
Send out annual dues invoices to members
Issue Thank You letters to all donors, and ensure proper acknowledgement of gifts and grants
15 hours/week. Flexible schedule. WFH is acceptable for a portion of each week.

Qualifications:

Previous experience in accounting, finance, or other related fields
Ability to prioritize and multitask
Strong organizational skills
Deadline and detail-oriented
Minimum of 2 years of experience in bookkeeping or accounting role
Strong knowledge of technical accounting procedures and standards
Experience with general ledger reconciliation and account analysis
Familiarity with budgeting processes and financial reporting
Excellent understanding of debits, credits, and account reconciliation
Proficiency in using accounting software (QuickBooks)
Strong attention to detail and accuracy in data entry and record keeping
Ability to work independently as well as part of a team

On site work required only twice per week.

Non-profit experience is a plus. Theatre experience not necessary.

Salary: $21 - $23.00 per hour

Please send a resume and cover letter to Executive Vice President, Christine Cirker, at executivevp@theatrewomen.org.

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Part-time Administrator/Board & Project Liaison

Manage Board Business

Liaison with Board re: scheduling of meetings, distribution of minutes
Organize annual Board vote in consultation with the Nominating Committee
Filing of Board Minutes
Manage Member Inquiries
Handle member questions. Reply or forward emails to board members or co-chairs
Manage all Insurance Policies
General Liability: annual policy, may require completion of a questionnaire for renewal
D&O (Board Officer) Policy: annual policy
Workers Compensation
Some venues for outside events may require a Certificate of Insurance; this can be requested from the Broker

LPTW Project Coordinator

Function as the liaison between different Project Chairpersons and the League board.
Will vary from event/project needs
Attend all events as administrative support
Make suggestions for budgeting events/activities for the coming year.
Maintain the website (Not the “webmaster”, but someone who will train on NEON and be able to navigate calendar and simple edits when needed.)

Communications & Newsletters

Design & Send monthly newsletters (2)
Collect editorial and announcement for the news & events
Send info and/or assets to Social Media Manager in a timely fashion

Qualifications:

Self-motivated
Ability to prioritize and multitask
Strong organizational skills
Deadline and detail-oriented

20 hours/week

WFH is acceptable for a portion of each week. Must be onsite for live events.

Salary: $21 - $23.00 per hour

Please send a resume and cover letter to Executive Vice President, Christine Cirker, at executivevp@theatrewomen.org.

Recap: Oral History w/ Alia Jones Harvey

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 17:09:29 GMT

The LPTW Oral History Project: Lynn Nottage Interviews Alia Jones-HarveyBy Yvette Heyliger

Originally posted on 6/30/2021

On Monday, May 24, 2021 League members, as well as the theatre-going public, once again gathered for The Oral History Project, a longstanding program of the League of Professional Theatre Women. This program, in partnership with the New York Public Library, chronicles and documents the contributions of significant theatre women in all fields, and this second installment of the season did not disappoint. Olivier Award Winning and 4-time Tony Award-nominated producer Alia Jones-Harvey was interviewed by a former interviewee of The Oral History Project, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage.

The significance of the Jones-Harvey/Nottage interview post-George Floyd/Breonna Taylor, the resurgence of Black Lives Matter, and the emergence of We See You White American Theatre and other groups fighting to disrupt racism in the American theatre, was lost on no one. As Ms. Nottage begins, “You have carved a space for yourself in the industry which has been traditionally white and traditionally male. And having dipped my toes into the Broadway waters, I can attest to the fact that it can be cold and unwelcoming sometimes to be the only woman of color sitting at the table”. Indeed. So, how did Jones-Harvey end up with a seat at the table?

Suffice it to say, Jones-Harvey’s story at the outset seemed improbable. She attests to the fact that despite producers who were visiting lecturers to her arts administration classes at business school, she did not envision producing as a career path. But those of us listening to Jones-Harvey recount her journey, could see the stars were all aligning to make her the only lead black woman producer on Broadway and one half of the only black producing team on Broadway, Front Row Productions.

Stephen Byrd, a mentor at NYU’s Stern School of Business, asked Jones-Harvey to partner with him to raise money for a revival of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, re-imagined with an all-black cast. At that time, Jones-Harvey worked raising money for a hedge fund and it seemed like a transferable skill, so she said yes. She saw Byrd’s proposition as, “an opportunity to start a business and raise the money for what I thought was a great idea”. The new producing team attracted the interest of Nina Lannan, the then-chair of the Broadway League. This subsequently led to an introduction to Gerald Schoenfeld of The Shubert Organization who took Jones-Harvey under his wing, inviting her to sit in on his class at Columbia University.

It was on-the-job training for Jones-Harvey whose partnership with Byrd and his grand vision for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, led to the highest-grossing play of the season. Who would have thought that Byrd’s decision to take on this white classic would be the best decision for their debut on Broadway as producers? Jones-Harvey explained that Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a well-known play with a proven track record and brand recognition which provided a much-needed safety net for Front Row as new producers. And the rest, as they say, is history—a history which included the production of Eclipsed, their first production with a living playwright, which Nottage noted was historic “with five black women on the stage, in a play written by a black woman, and produced by a black woman”.

But it has not exactly been a “Cinderella” story for Jones-Harvey who readily admits that when it comes to the need to have more inclusivity on the Great White Way, “Front Row has been on this crusade the entire time that we have been on Broadway… Our eyes were opened once we started developing [Cat on a Hot Tin Roof]. All of the management was white; all of the advertisers, all of the accounting team and legal team… Once tech rehearsals started and we moved into the theatre, all of the stage hands were white”. Front Row recognized that there was an opportunity to try to affect the kind of change that was within their limited control as new producers. They insisted on a black stage manager, production assistants and interns of color in the general management office and at the advertising agency. It was not until A Street Car Named Desire that they started “to see the faces around the table take on more color”.

Jones-Harvey goes on to say that by the time they did Eclipsed, “we were in a much stronger position to identify early on where we could actually affect the diversity on the management team, on the design team, on the creative team and in the theatre… Today, this is what we are sharing with other producers... ways that they can start to do the same thing. As the producer, the buck does stop with you and you do have the agency to say, ‘There are no account managers of color in your agency. That’s a problem. You are not going to win this contract otherwise’”.

Ultimately, it is about getting more producers of color working in the commercial theatre. "The producers are going to decide what comes onto Broadway and what gets seen. If we had two or three more producers of color on Broadway, it would be significantly different." To this end, Front Row has partnered with Columbia University to announce The Front Row Productions Fellowship. This fellowship is designed for producers of color with an entrepreneurial spirit and the and grit necessary to take the helm of a startup company; with a project in hand, ready for development that could benefit from the commercial theatre connections the fellowship provides. Applications are available now. For more information contact: https://frontrowfellowship.com .

Yvette Heyliger is a playwright, producing artist, activist, co-chair of LPTW’s Rachel Crothers Leadership Award and longtime LPTW member.

NEW ON OUR WEBSITE!

If you enjoyed the Alia Jones-Harvey Oral History Project interview with Lynn Nottage consider watching past interviews with Billie Allen, Tyne Daly, Carmen De Lavallade, Judith Light, Laura Linney, Bebe Neuwirth, Lynn Nottage and Lois Smith.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PAST INTERVIEWS

HAVE AN IDEA FOR A FUTURE INTERVIEWEE?

Thank you to everyone who completed the Oral History interviewee survey. Magnificent suggestions were made. We have several years worth of wonderful interviews ahead of us. If you missed the opportunity to submit and have an idea for a potential future interviewee, please feel free to complete the survey here. Please note that if someone you have suggested has been honored by the League in the past 5 years we will need to wait until that period has passed.

Recap + : Theatre Connections with Luna Stage

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 15:46:02 GMT

Theater Connections on ZOOM with Luna Stage

Originally Posted on 6/14/2021

Luna Stage partnered with the League of Professional Theatre Women for the Spring Theatre Connections program, 2020-2021 season. Led by Cindy Cooper, Theatre Connections is a forum by which members LPTW members connect with artistic decision makers and leaders; this one was held on Zoom.

Malini Singh McDonald, former Co-VP of Communications for LPTW, moderated a discussion with Luna Stage’s Artistic Director, Ari Laura Kreith, and Liz Amadio, Treasurer for LPTW, moderated a Q and A session afterward.

Founded in 1992, Luna Stage has contributed to the development of over 100 new works for the stage. Luna develops and produces plays about local and global experiences, bringing communities together for artistic events that spark conversations and create understanding and change. Through innovative performance and education, Luna seeks to celebrate diverse voices, eliminate barriers to participation, and nurture the next generation of audiences and artists.

Cindy Cooper, Program Director for Theatre Connections, spoke briefly about the history of this LPTW program as a way for members to pull back the curtain and get an insider’s view of the vision, plans and opportunities in theatre organizations directly from the artistic director or other decision makers. Previous Theatre Connections programs have been at The Public Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, Manhattan Theatre Club, the Vineyard, the Atlantic, WP Theatre (formerly the Women’s Project) and HERE Arts Center. Programs are generally held twice a year, and this is the third on Zoom.

Ari Laura Kreith is the Artistic Director of Luna Stage, a theater director and the Artistic Director of Theatre 167. At Luna, she recently directed the World Premiere of Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, Heartland (a NJ Star Ledger Top 10 Production of 2019) and Pirira. She co-created The Voting Writes Project at Luna Stage, and recently mounted Vaccine Monologues and #RIFT, a play presented through text messaging. Ari received the 2016 LPTW Lucille Lortel Award in recognition of her work as a director. She has a BA from Yale University and an MFA from UC Davis.

Summary of Questions from Malini:

MALINI: How do you get to a season?

ARI: Our vision of season coalesces. We look at the question a play asks and where does that lead us. For example, we’re coming out of this pandemic moment and we want to make sense of what just happened. So those questions are what I’m focused on when we review the submissions for next season. #RIFT (a play on now being presented that is delivered by text messaging to people’s cell phones) is going to have a culminating experience in the fall. So with this ‘text- message’ play, we needed other plays to complement it. Basically, our seasons are organic.

MALINI: That’s a fresh approach to curating a season.

ARI: I’m interested in the importance of the question. I’m interested in dangerous plays.

MALINI: Who are the artists that you tend to work with?

ARI: That process is organic. When I began to work with Jenny Lyn Bader, we met and started to work on small projects. It’s a matter of an artist showing up, and for us to get to know your work. Some of the selections for one of our virtual series were commissioned; others were from people in a class. We have a lot of openness as to who has exciting ideas.

MALINI: Do you take cold submissions or is it only through an agent?

ARI: Reading happens a lot of different ways. We are curious to hear from people that respond to the work. If someone is affected by the piece, then we may look at another piece of that person. We’re not the theater that reads looking for one thing. There’s a conversation when a work comes through the door and that is often seen in the context of previous work that the playwright has done. We resonate with plays that look at existential global questions.

MALINI: I want to quote from the mission of your company: “My first day that I was on the job, I got a tour of the community. I was driven down the street and someone said this is the most dangerous street in Orange. Two people were shot.”

ARI: I said, “I think there should be a play about gun violence this season”.

MALINI: Theater is how we reconstruct the world the way it wants to be.

ARI: We want to make it so people want to come into the building. So, we started doing site-specific work, and we wanted to make the process transparent. We felt that it was important to discuss the rise of fascism in America today.

MALINI: Do you program classes? Festivals? Musicals?

ARI: We’ve presented solo works, cabaret, readings and development, but, as of yet, no musical production. Perhaps we may present a two-person musical.

MALINI: Like much of the theatre community, Luna has been actively programming online. Will you continue with virtual programming?

ARI: That’s complicated. We’re moving into production with #RIFT. We are looking at how can we keep people online. Classes are one way, as is summer camp. Last year in our virtual summer camp, we had kids from Panama. We don’t believe that in order to have a theatre experience you have to walk through our front door.

MALINI: If one wanted to submit a piece to you, does it have to be a brick-and-mortar piece?

ARI: Absolutely not. However, we are not inclined to be a film company. But we are open to it.

MALINI: How can professionals get involved if they are directors or writers? What are your suggestions?

ARI: We don’t know what our process will be next season. In terms of writers, if what we do speaks to you, reach out. Send a synopsis and the reason why you think we might want to read it. For directors, if there is work you want us to see, please forward it to us. Designers, please reach out. For anyone submitting, a good question to ask is: ‘why does Luna interest you?’

MALINI: Do you have a company of actors?

ARI: We’re on an SPT2 contract (ed: Equity – Small Professional Theatre). So, we have a percentage of actors that do not have to be Equity. Some work with us and then are able to get their Equity card.

MALINI: I see you program classes year-round.

ARI: We teach acting and playwriting. Feel free to pitch us with your class proposal.

MALINI: Concerning rentals, do you work with other producers?

ARI: Sometimes we rent our space, but we are programming a lot so it’s not always available.

Q and A Session:

LIZ: How has your experience with virtual programming informed your creative vision in getting back to the real world?

ARI: We love the expanded sense of access. What’s evolved for us is an appreciation of using technology to support people accessing theatre. Using technology to support their experience is one piece. Geographic freedom is another piece.

LIZ: Regarding the play by text-messaging -- how does that work? Is the play texted to the audience?

ARI: Initially, people sign up with their cell phone number. The arc of the play is eight weeks, but you’ll receive something every day. Three to four times a week, you’ll get a text to your phone. Sometimes it’s a link to SoundCloud. Sometimes it’s a personal message. A group can sign up in a cohort and each person has a piece of the experience. As we’re developing the piece, we’re asking for responses from the audience and we’re going to use them in the piece.

LIZ: So each person is getting a unique version of this.

ARI: Yes.

LIZ: Are you willing to do a workshop about writing a text-messaging type play?

ARI: We have learned how to do this, so it would be a thing we could do.

LIZ: What has been the response of your community to your programming?

ARI: We have been fortunate to find an eager and enthusiastic audience. People have been showing up, so that has been wonderful.

LIZ: How has your own work with Theatre 167 in Queens, which you guided previously, influenced your work at Luna Stage?

ARI: Luna has inspiration from the crossroads of its community and actors. It was my interest in what would it be like to ask a question in a totally different context. I brought a number of actors with me in this venture.

LIZ: It sounds like content rather than the process is what you were able to continue into another community.

ARI: To me, content and process are active. We ask a set of questions and then look at what comes out of it for that community.

LIZ: Summer camps are coming soon. Is there an opportunity to pitch ideas for teaching? What are the ages for the summer classes?

ARI: Currently, we have classes for grades three to five, middle- and high-school cohorts. We program four 1-week sessions for grades 3-5. Middle- and high-school classes are a 4-week session.

LIZ: Do the attendees of your classes come from diverse backgrounds?

ARI: We have a relationship with an organization that has underwritten our educational program. We have a bilingual Spanish/English teen conservatory. That encapsulates our education programming in that a wide range of kids from English to Spanish speakers, rehearsed the play, which was then offered to other performance spaces, such as libraries, etc. We want to ensure access and let everyone be an expert.

LIZ: Do the kids make up the plays?

ARI: Sometimes young people develop the work and sometimes we commission the work. We are open to doing theatre for young audiences. For example, student matinees.

LIZ: Do you program adult education?

ARI: We program adult playwriting and scene study.

LIZ: Is the summer sublet series already set?

ARI: It is not because it was we weren’t sure how open we would be.

LIZ: Would you be interested in some Italian culture?

ARI: When I was first considering this job, I went to a coffee shop nearby, and it was all Italian, and all men. The men said there was no theater here. But they all told me their stories. I’d like to go and do something with that.

LIZ: How do you handle translation for the audience?

ARI: We look for ways to make the performance accessible. Sometimes audiences don’t understand the language. We think about ‘Where do we lose people?’ ‘How do people understand?’

LIZ: How does collaboration -- like the one with Ping Chong (2.2 Square Miles of Soul: Voices of Orange), just opening -- come about?

ARI: Sarah Katz who was the AD of Ping Chong lived in Jackson Heights when I was working there with Theatre 167, and was invited to see our work. I was interested in the ways our work was intertwined. So we began to see an artistic relationship. We have this ‘Secret Cities’ initiative--stories that are inspired by spaces. We were talking about working together before the pandemic. The Ping Chong company does interview-based work and they perform one another’s stories. That worked for us. But because of Covid restrictions, Ping Chong helped people tell their stories, and we filmed that.

LIZ: Regarding the gun violence prevention play. How was it received by the community? Did it prompt legislative action?

ARI: We didn’t overtly do a gun-violence prevention play. It was about family members who have lost loved ones. We still had a situation one night where the police showed up at the theater, and we had to negotiate with them to leave.

LIZ: Is there a specific demographic to your community that we way may want to pitch to?

ARI: To me the question is: how does this piece illuminate our experience of humanity?

Report created by: Suzanne Willett

Luna Stage
Contact Information:
Ari Laura Kreith (she/her/hers)
Artistic Director
https://www.lunastage.org/

In Memoriam: MILLY S. BARANGER

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 17:08:21 GMT

August, 2023

Milly S. Baranger died on August 21st at the Amsterdam Nursing Home in New York. She was 86; there was no cause given. Milly was an author, educator, and producer who was a longtime member of the League of Professional Theatre Women, serving in many capacities, including on the board in the early 2000s.

Although she had been less involved with LPTW in recent years, a highlight for Milly with our organization was in 2012, when our newly formed Heritage Committee presented at the Cherry Lane Theatre (with thanks to Angelina Fiordellisi and her staff) an evening of conversations with Milly, Julie Gilbert, and Ruth Wolff, produced by VP of Programming Mari Lyn Henry, with scenes from Ruth's plays about historical theatre women performed by Cynthia Enfield and David Spencer, directed by Shellen Lubin. It was a truly theatrical evening as much as a historical one, celebrating the women who cultivated and created live theatre and these three women who write with such care, respect, and eloquence about them. Milly wrote a note to the committee soon after about how important it was to bring these stories of historical women in theatre to light theatrically, and how profound it was that we had presented that evening. Only people who exist in the immediacy of live theatre can truly understand that.

She is survived by her spouse, Liz Woodman. She will be missed by many, including all of us here at LPTW.

In Memoriam: MARI LYN HENRY

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 00:30:32 GMT

June, 2023

By Alexis Greene

Mari Lyn Henry, actor and author, acting coach and casting director, teacher, theater historian, and long-time member of the League of Professional Theatre Women, passed away June 24 in New York City after a long illness. She was 81 years old.

A memorial celebrating Ms. Henry’s life and career took place in the fall of 2023.

Born in San Francisco and raised in California, Mari Lynn Henry fell in love with theater and aspired initially to be an actor. She majored in theater at San Jose State University, and after graduating, she traveled East to the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she entered that school’s Masters Degree program in theater history.

At Catholic University, she continued to act. Among her outstanding roles was Foible, the eloquent former beggar in The Way of the World, a performance for which Mari Lyn won a Gilbert Award. For CUA’s National Players Touring Company she was cast as Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet and Frosine in The Miser. In recognition of Mari Lyn’s talent, Father Gilbert A. Hartke, the founder of CUA’s Department of Speech and Drama, cast her as Lily Miller, the unmarried, childless schoolteacher in Ah! Wilderness. The production, part of a state department cultural exchange program, traveled to Europe and Israel.

But possibly one of Mari Lyn’s most thrilling experiences at CUA happened in 1964 when she was cast, after an open audition, as the young Miss Dove in Good Morning, Miss Dove by William McCleery, a production that starred Helen Hayes. The first lady of the American theater, as Hayes was called, had been born in Washington, and she often said that she made her stage debut there when she was five years old, singing at the Belasco Theatre, across from the White House. For Mari Lyn, appearing on the same stage with Helen Hayes was a joyous experience.

After completing her Master’s in Theater History, Mari Lyn moved to New York City, and there, she told interviewer Martin Bentsen, her goal was to “wow them.” Like thousands of young actors before her, she sought a temporary job to help support herself. But this job hunt eventually led to a career change: it brought her to the ABC television network, where she initially assisted the casting director and subsequently became director of casting, East Coast, for ABC-TV.

While at ABC, Mari Lyn collaborated with Lynne Rogers, a long-time actor on the CBS television soap opera “The Guiding Light,” and together they wrote what became one of the mostly widely read books in the business: How to Be a Working Actor: The Insider’s Guide to Finding Jobs in Theater, Film & Television. Published in 1986, the book was soon applauded for being “The Bible of the Biz.” It has been republished five times, and for each new edition Henry and Rogers updated their book to keep pace with changes in the worlds of theater, movies, and TV. http://www.howtobeaworkingactor.com/

Award-winning actor Rosemary Harris spoke for her fellow thespians: “What a wonderful book to guide you into---and more importantly—out of the theatrical jungle. Tuck it under your arm and set off purposefully on your journey. Bon Voyage!”

Ultimately, Mari Lyn gave workshops and seminars all over the country, helping to prepare young performers for the tough business of show business. For more than twenty years she was on the guest faculty of the Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City and she also taught at the John DeSotelle Studio in New York City.

A feminist as well as a theater historian, in 2013 Mari Lyn Henry founded the Society for the Preservation of Theatrical History. One primary mission: to establish a living archive to educate about and preserve the legacies of women who have acted on our stages in the past. “If you’re an actor,” she told interviewer Martin Bentsen, “I think you should know about your history.” On December 12, 2013, the Society produced a show called “Stage Struck: From Kemble to Kate,” which celebrated Fanny Kemble, Clara Morris, Mrs. Fiske, Alla Nazimova, and Katharine Hepburn. Mari Lyn performed the solo piece about Clara Morris, a popular nineteenth-century Canadian-American actor who also wrote several books.

The Society, whose work continues, has been sponsored in part by the League of Professional Theatre Women, which in 2019 presented Mari Lyn Henry with its Special Theatre Woman Award.

Mari Lyn Henry’s husband, the actor David K. Varnay, passed in 2010. She is survived by several cousins and a niece, Shannon McHenry. Her relatives and many friends will miss her deeply, as will the hundreds of actors and others in the performing arts who continue to benefit from her insightful advice about making a career in show business.

At the time she fell ill, Mari Lyn Henry was writing a book about American vaudeville, based on her Masters thesis at Catholic University. Hopefully the book can be published posthumously. Her writings, her teaching, and the memory of her indelible personality will remain with us for years to come.

In Memoriam: SUSAN L. SCHULMAN

Sun, 02 Oct 2022 00:18:18 GMT

October, 2022

By Lauren Yarger

With the death of Broadway Publicist Susan L. Schulman, we have lost not only one of our best press agents and a trailblazer for women in the industry, but one of the most enthusiastic lovers and supporters that Broadway has ever known. Additionally, I have lost a good friend.

Born and raised in New York City, Susan was a graduate of New York University and Columbia. She began her career at Lincoln Center before beginning a career working with theatrical publicists Bill Doll, Mary Bryant, Arthur Cantor, Frank Goodman and Merle Debuskey. Among the shows she worked on in the 1970s were the original productions of Applause , Company , Sly Fox , Follies and Dancin '.

In the late ’70s she decided to go out on her own and opened her own theatrical press office in the Paramount Building in Times Square. Her clients included Karen Akers, Jack Gilford, Carlin Glynn and Peter Masterson, Garrison Keillor and A Prairie Home Companion, Manhattan Theatre Club, the Broadway productions of Crazy For You and State Fair, as

well as various national tours. As a member of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers since 1973, she trained a number of the press agents now handling Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.

She did publicity for television and film and represented individual clients as well, like Karen Ziemba, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Karen Mason, Kathleen Chalfant and Steve Cuden, all of whom she called friends and endlessly praised. In fact, I can’t think of anyone who wanted others to succeed more than Susan Schulman. She used to wait at stage doors, not for autographs, but to tell actors how they had enhanced her life. That’s a rare quality in this business.

Always a delightful storyteller, Susan shared memories of her experiences (both good and bad) in her book, “Backstage Pass to Broadway.” She tastefully recounted experiences dealing with artists like Lauren Bacall, David Merrick, Zero Mostel and the thrill of watching Yul Brynner perform. I was always kidding her that she had met everyone who was anyone in this industry, and for me, the most exciting of the stars she counted among her friends was John Cullum. I had fallen head-over-heels with the actor when he was in Shenandoah, where Susan met him while working the show’s press.

She enjoyed my weak knees and jellied brain any time I met my favorite star and made sure I had a chance to meet him whenever she could arrange it. Susan could work any room and made sure that everyone felt comfortable, had what they needed and that your good side was facing the camera. And for me, she made sure that I didn’t faint and make a fool of myself while in John’s company (and I mean she quite literally held me upright on one occasion all while carrying on a delightful conversation so that no one was the wiser that I was about to hit the deck). Attending shows with Susan in which John starred are some of my happiest theater memories.

We enjoyed each other’s company. She was a favorite plus-one whenever I attended any theater and she returned the favor, inviting me to many interesting events that she was publicizing or to join her when her friends were performing.

When I wasn’t joining her, I was living vicariously through her as she did exciting things like attend a gala at the Downtown Abbey mansion with friend Susan Hampshire or chat with former boyfriend and still good friend, Henry Winkler. She was a frequent speaker and panelist. She had a home up in Connecticut and was a former member of our Chapter. Here she served on a panel for us and was always ready to help get the word out about any projects that the chapter, or I personally, had in the works.

We kept in touch via email and Zoom during the pandemic. Conversations became more serious, especially after she received a life-threatening diagnosis. It was a thrill when we reunited in person last February for what was her first re-entry to the theater post Covid: Broadway’s The Music Man. What a delightful time! She was like a schoolgirl, so delighted to be back at live theater and so complimentary of the performances of Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, the set design, the costumes, the orchestra – as always, finding ways to praise and bring attention to every effort.

I recently remembered collaborating on a project together, but we just couldn’t get it off the ground. We laughed as we decided if the two of us couldn’t do it, it couldn’t be done. She was the kind of person who it was fun to be with even in failure. I am glad we spent the time together that we did. Our last show together was Company. I have a show coming up which I would have invited her to and we would have enjoyed discussing it after. Don’t take your friends for granted. Enjoy them while you can.

In Memoriam: ELSA RAEL

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 00:55:26 GMT

December 2020

ELSA OKON RAEL (October 22, 1927-December 24, 2020) received a NY State CAPS Grant for Playwriting and First Prize in the Atlanta Theatre Guild Playwriting Competition. She has nine plays produced in regional theatres that are still periodically running. Two have been published by Samuel French.

In 1985, in partnership with Joseph Papp at the Public Theatre, she founded and produced POW - Professional Older Women’s Theatre - a festival of 33 plays in which the main character was a women over the age of 50. For this project, the Governor of New York State presented Rael the Eleanor Roosevelt Centennial Award.

She has written special material for Walter Cronkite, Kaye Ballard, Christine Andreas, Marsha Mason, Beatrice Straight, and a book commissioned and published by the State University of New York - (SUNY) - Women in a Changing World.

Invited to the White House by President Clinton for three successive Easter celebrations, Rael read her book, Marushka’s Egg, to children. Three additional books for young readers, written to highlight Jewish ethics, published by Simon & Schuster, received multiple awards, two of which received First Prize in The Sydney Taylor Librarian Award. Both of those books, What Zeesie Saw on Delancey Street and When Zaydeh Danced on Eldridge Street, have become musicals written with Shellen Lubin (lyrics) and Matthew Gandolfo (music). When Zaydeh Danced on Eldridge Street was presented at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in 2022 with a LMCC Creative Engagement grant.

Rael’s play, The Secret of O-Sono , written in haiku, linked renga, and choka Japanese poetic forms in English, was produced Spring 2009 by Pan-Asian Rep, Off Broadway in New York City. At the same time, she contributed material to On the Line written by six LPTW playwrights and directed by Shellen Lubin at 78th Street Rep, and has been included in festivals at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, 13th Street Rep, the Lambs, and more.

In 2014, the Women in the Arts & Media Coalition (which Rael co-founded in 1990 as the New York Coalition of Professional Women in the Arts & Media) named an award for her: the Elsa Rael VintAge Award - for Advocacy for Women Aging in the Arts and Media. She has also served on the board of the League of Professional Theatre Women, which is the founding organization of the Coalition.

She was married to Sol Rael, who died in 1997, and is succeeded by her two sons, Jonathan (Jody) Rael and Matthew (Morgan) Rael, her grandchildren Rebecca, Galadriel, and Benjamin, and her great grandchildren; by her adopted son, Gerard; and by all of the theatre women who have collaborated with her and been her friends and allies.

In Memoriam: DEBRA KOZEE-HJELM

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 23:46:35 GMT

April 2020

Debra Kozee-Hjelm, 64, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, wife of Roy E. Hjelm into eternal rest Monday, April 27, 2020 at home. Services will be private. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Mount Pleasant Chapel.

Debra was born June 11, 1955 in Staten Island, New York, daughter of the late James Kozee and the late Agnes F. Sypniewski Kozee. She owned C & S International Insurance Brokers, Inc., specializing in media and entertainment clients. Debra enjoyed traveling, boating, cooking and good times spent partying with family and friends. She was a life long learner and devoured information on many different topics.

She is survived by her husband, Roy Hjelm of Mt. Pleasant, SC; step-children, Michael Hjelm of Kentucky, Roy Hjelm of Louisiana, Sherry Lerme of North Carolina and Kristin Hjelm of California; brother, Robert Kozee of New Jersey; sister, Donna Sharpe of North Carolina; aunt and uncle, Hank and Rita Osowiecki of New Jersey.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to East Cooper Meals on Wheels, P. O. Box 583, Mount Pleasant, SC, 29465 or the Salvation Army, P. O. Drawer 70579, North Charleston, SC, 29415.

In Memoriam: LYNNE ROGERS

Sun, 01 Sep 2019 23:41:05 GMT

September, 2019

From LPTW Special Award-Winner Mari Lyn Henry

“To me, fair friend, you never can be old… So sweet your hue, which methinks still doth stand, hath motion and mine eye may be deceived, for fear of which…thou age unbred, ere you were born was beauty’s summer dead.” Shakespeare, Sonnet 104

Our friendship was as lyrical as the ‘perfect blendship’ of backgrounds, experiences, a marriage of minds, a shared authorship of five books, adventures, social engagements, a genuine admiration for each other’s talents and an appreciation of all the arts.

Before I met Lynne, she was as she wrote in her bio, “a familiar face to millions of TV viewers during her many years as a leading lady of CBS’ Guiding Light and an ailing heroine on NBC’s The Doctors.” I knew her before I met her because I had been an avid watcher of GL and The Doctors in my early life. The camera loved her face. A petite figure with a beautiful face, eyes that were constantly expressing a range of emotions, grace in her every step and a resonant speaking voice which could be heard in numerous radio dramas. Her resume was filled with voice-overs and appearances on other TV shows, films, Broadway, regional theatres and summer stock. She had also authored The Love of Their Lives , a behind- the-scenes story of soap opera through interviews with leading players.

We met when she auditioned for commercials at the ad agency where I was a casting assistant. We scheduled lunch dates or I would be invited to one of her soirees. She loved to entertain, cook and bake. She collected Mistinguett posters by Geismar; er bookshelves contained hundreds of books which she had read on the theatre and the arts.

In 1985 we spent three months writing an outline for the first edition of How To Be A Working Actor . Lynne took it to her literary agent and the agent sent it to our first publisher] a contract was signed, and nine months later the first book debuted in 1986. The fifth and final edition appeared in 2008. We always shared the chapters in the book and her “Understanding the Unions’ section was outstanding. For American Heritage Magazine she wrote the ‘turbulent history of the founding of Actors’ Equity.’

She wrote the introduction to every edition of the book and here is a brief excerpt of her inspirational words.

“You are about to enter a strange and wondrous land. You are approaching that singular community of theatre-film-TV that lies somewhere between the Twilight Zone and the Land of Oz and is known as the ‘Business’, a world of lights and of frenzy, crowded with inhabitants who love what they do with a fervent passion that sustains them, often for years, and enables them to exist under primitive conditions, working frequently for no compensation other than the thrill of participating in each endeavor and the shimmering prospect of future greatness. There is always room, at least on the outskirts, for a newcomer, the primary requisite is dedication. It is the devoted ones who eventually make their way toward the centers of recognition, money, and power.”

A native New Yorker, she graduated, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Queens College. She wrote and produced her own radio show while an undergraduate there. Between semesters at the Yale Drama School, she auditioned for and won the lead on a radio soap opera which began her life as a working actor.

She found time to serve on the national and local boards of AFTRA and on the Board of Governors of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, earning their medal for Distinguished Service and was a lifetime member of the Episcopal Actors Guild. She was the Co- President of the League of Professional Theatre Women (2007-2009).

Move over Shirley Temple: Lynne’s mom entered her in a lookalike contest complete with her hair in ringlets. There was a striking resemblance to ‘Bright Eyes’ which this picture reveals when we invited the fabulous talent agent Peg Hadley to join us at a promotional event and book signing for the fourth edition in 2000.

In Memoriam: BETTY CORWIN

Sun, 01 Sep 2019 23:33:08 GMT

September, 2019

From LPTW Member & Producer of the Oral History Project, Ludovica Villar-Hauser

The incomparable Betty Corwin passed away after a short illness. She was 98-years-old and a strong, vital, inspiring presence among us to the very end. Betty will be missed for many reasons, not least her great courage, imagination, wit and intelligence.

Betty Corwin conceived, founded and produced the LPTW Oral History Project, a series of three annual interviews –– informative, illuminating and intimate –– with truly great theatre women for 26 years until she retired at 97. Betty was co-producer of the CUNY’s Women in Theatre television series, and founded the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive (TOFT) at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. TOFT has the world’s preeminent collection of videotaped live theatre performances.

Berry Corwin received a Tony Award for founding TOFT, was a recipient of an Outer Critics Special Award, a Broadway Theatre Institute Lifetime Achievement Award, a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of New York, an Obie Award, the Westport, Connecticut Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement, and awards from the Drama Desk, Women in Communications and The Villager.

Betty Corwin was a juror for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a member of the Tony Awards Nominating Committee. Articles by Betty were published in P erforming Arts Resources, Variety and League Line.

Betty taught us all so much. The importance of preserving our legacy –– our history and our stories. We learned from Betty the gift of foresight, which Betty had in abundance. League member Paul Ewin put it best: “Betty gave us consciousness ,” an awareness of how important the preservation of theatre history is for the theatre artist and the art of theatre.

Betty’s service to women in theatre and to our industry was inestimable — it was also unique. Because of Betty’s foresight, dedication and love of theatre over 5,000 productions are now available for study at Lincoln Center’s Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, and more than 100 interviews with women theatre artists have been preserved through the Oral History Project and CUNY’s Women in Theater series.

Betty and I worked together for seven years on the Oral History Project, co-produced by the League and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. It was my great honor to present Betty with the League’s Special Lifetime Achievement Award on November 8, 2017 at the Awards Luncheon produced by Pat Addiss. In closing, I said to Betty:

With the League’s Special Lifetime Achievement Award, we not only recognize all you are — all you have given — all you have done, but also that we love you.

We still do, Betty, and always will. Thank you. Brava. Well done!

In Memoriam: MEGANNE GEORGE

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 23:16:31 GMT

August, 2019

From LPTW Treasurer Melody Brooks:

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of LPTW member Meganne George.

Meganne was a supremely talented designer whose award-winning work was seen in numerous productions in NYC, regionally, and internationally for over 25 years. Meganne was especially dedicated to helping small and/or emerging companies to make maximum use of minimal budgets, and using her creative genius to push design boundaries in service to quality productions. She was a long-time collaborator with Bronx Opera Company, Mabou Mines, New Perspectives Theatre Company and Parity Productions, providing scenic, costume, prop and projection designs for multiple productions spanning a 20-year time frame. Notable projects include the Actors Fund Broadway Benefit A Wonderful Life , Mabou Mines Doll House (Elliot Norton Award nomination), Cara Lucia (ATW Hewes Nomination; Best Design First Irish Festival), Sesame Street 10th Anniversary Celebration Parade at Beaches Resorts in Jamaica/Turks and Caicos, to name a few. In her early career, Meganne also worked with a wide variety of avantgarde and creative companies, including adobe theatre company, Chain Lightning, and And How. With these and many other groups, Meganne collaborated on some of the most exciting, challenging, and entertaining productions presented to New York audiences over the past quarter-century. In addition to her professional design work, Meganne was formerly an adjunct professor at Hofstra University and worked as a teaching artist and mentor for multiple programs. A memorial service is in the planning stages. In the meantime, condolences and memories may be shared with Meganne’s family at https://remembr.com/meganne.george

In Memoriam: ANNE STEWART FITZROY

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 23:11:31 GMT

July, 2019

From Past President Harriet Slaughter:

When I was first elected Co-President of the League, Anne assumed the office of Treasurer and how lucky we were to have her. The Lucille Lortel estate had recently bequeathed a trust to the League, and Anne assisted in setting up the accounting and investments for this Fund, which continues to give a stipend to our LPTW Lucille Lortel Awardee each year. In addition, we were constantly seeking support from various foundations to fund our Women in Theatre television

series, which ran for five years. This involved submission of financial reports and detailed analysis of the League’s activities which Anne prepared diligently. She was always there to assist in the League’ s financial endeavors, including several exhibitions at the NY Public Library at Lincoln Center. She was a true theatre colleague, with a welcoming smile. Her door was always open to us. She will be missed.

From Past President Joan Firestone:

When a professional assumes a role as a volunteer in the non-profit world, the positive impact on the mission of the organization is immeasurable. Anne Stewart FitzRoy brought her educational background, CPA license, and Broadway credits to the League of Professional Theatre Women, and devoted many years to keeping us economically and legally viable. Her commitment to ending gender bias in the theatre community was unflinching and she contributed to it in many ways. On a personal note, Anne was a joy to work with and together we enjoyed many of the benefits of being part of a creative theatre community. She will be greatly missed.

In Memoriam: KATHI E.B. ELLIS

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 23:08:48 GMT

July, 2019

From LPTW Member Robin Rice.

Sometimes a person comes into your life and before you realize what’s happening you are changed. Kathi Ellis did that to me. Kathi died July 15 from metastatic breast cancer. She was so much more than a theatre director. She was an advocate for unheard-voices, a promoter of women in theatre, and one of the most organized, creative, collaborative, community-minded people I have ever known. Kathi didn’t like the spotlight for herself. In photographs, she always

looks like she’s trying to be somewhere else. I met Kathi when my drama A lice in Black and Whitev was chosen by Lilith Theatre Company for a production at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. When I saw the production I was blown away.

Kathi had infused the narrative with choreographed movements, lifting up the (true) story from the realm of day-to-day to the place where imagination lives. The characters were alive and enchanting. Kathi had enhanced what I had seen in my magically-realistic mind when writing the play. It was perfect. It was beautiful.

Kathi went on to shepherd this play (with Lilith) to Off-Broadway at 59E59 Theatre in 2016, and to a second production at the Kentucky Center. Over the years Kathi and I spent many hours talking about theater when I went to Louisville for the Humana Festival and when she came to New York. Whenever I was in Louisville she invited me to tag along to other productions in town. She was a clear-eyed reviewer and an avid theatergoer and supporter of local theater companies, writers and actors. I don’t believe she ever missed a production in Louisville. Kathi didn’t talk about herself — her daughter Stephanie sometimes, and her life growing up in Middlesex, England, a little — but she preferred to talk about making

theatre. She lived and breathed theatre, sometimes directing multiple shows at the same time. Friends in Louisville tell me that she actually persuaded the staff to allow her to hold rehearsals in the hospital during her final weeks.

In March, Kathi traveled to New York City with Haydee Canovas and her play Just Like Us for a reading at LaMama. I met them for supper before the reading and clearly Kathi wasn’t at all well. Still — she traveled all that distance and even read the stage directions because she was not a woman who would let a little thing like cancer slow her down. In her matter-of-fact, delicate English accent she explained to me that the disease had metastasized. When we hugged goodbye I pretty much knew I’d never see her again.

When I’m undecided or in a pickle with a director or producer, my mantra now will be “What would Kathi do?” She was a consummate professional and strong as steel, but always kind, always looking at the big picture. We have lost one of our shining stars.

In Memoriam: DOROTHY OLIM KRONE

Wed, 01 May 2019 23:02:06 GMT

May, 2019

From APTAM: https://www.atpam.com/post/in-memoriam-dorothy-olim-krone

It is with sadness ATPAM announces the death on May 13 of Gold Card Manager Dorothy Olim Krone in New York City. Sister Krone was 85 years old and had been a member of ATPAM since 1967. She was inducted in 2017 into ATPAM’s Diamond Club, honoring members who’ve carried their cards for 50 years or more. Dorothy served as Secretary-Treasurer of ATPAM from 1987 to 1991.

Even after retirement, Dorothy remained interested and active in ATPAM affairs; she recently successfully lobbied the Board of Governors to increase the Union’s death benefit, which had remained static for many years.

ATPAM Memb er Albert Poland recalls: “Dorothy was one of the founders of the modern Off-Broadway theatre movement, having begun her career in 1960 as an associate producer on the original production of The Fantasticks.” Other notable Off-Broadway productions Sister Olim General Managed were: MacBird, American Hurrah, Fortune and Men’s Eyes, The River Niger and We Bombed in New Haven. She and partner Gerald Krone were co-founders and co-general managers of the Negro Ensemble Company. They also operated a theatrical advertising agency: Krone-Olim Advertising, Inc.

On Broadway, Dorothy was the General Manager of Bob and Ray – The Two and Only, The First Breeze of Summer, The Runner Stumbles, The November People, A History of the American Film, The Curse of an Aching Heart, Solomon’s Child and The News. One of the founding members of Broadway Cares – before the merger with Equity Fights AIDS – Dorothy was also a long term advocate for women’s health issues in the industry.

She was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the League of Professional Theatre Women.

Dorothy is survived by her brother David and wife and by several nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

Plans for a memorial service will be announced.

She will be missed.

In Memoriam: LAUREN SCOTT

Wed, 01 May 2019 22:47:32 GMT

May, 2019

From LPTW Member & Travel Committee Co-Chair Mary Miko

The LPTW Travel Committee mourns the loss of Lauren Scott (Cascio), who chaired this committee since its inception, along with the recently deceased Dorothy Olim.

Both women combined their love of theatre and a desire to learn about the cultures of women in

other parts of the world.

In addition to the League, Lauren was a long-standing member of SAG, AFTRA, AEA and the New York Film Society. Many a rainy day she could be found with her dear companion, Ed Schultz, in a dark theater, critiquing a movie. Sometimes, all day long.

Aside from acting, her real passion was singing. She was a member of the New Amsterdam Singers since 1996. Once again combining travel with her career, they spent many summers singing across Europe and the Eastern block countries. She began this association as a chorus member, which segued into an administrative position, and eventually sat on their board until her passing.

The League’s January London trip was an annual event for Lauren and she encouraged many members to fly with her across the pond.

The Sardi’s Dinner Group which met once a month on a Tuesday was a regular event she always looked forward to.

A memorial service will be held in the fall. Information and details to follow.

In Memoriam: ARLENE EPSTEIN

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 21:52:07 GMT

January, 2019

Theatre critic and LPTW member Arlene Epstein passed away on January 6, 2019 at the age 82. She wrote the weekly “Critic-at-Leisure“ column for the South Shore Record for 30 years and also wrote for the Nassau Herald.

Arlene was a member of the Drama Desk Awards, which named her a Lifetime Distinguished Service Member in 2018, and for which she served as a board member. She was a member of the Events Team for the organization and helped present a number of panels, networking socials, educational opportunities, and other events, including the organization’s 75th Anniversary Jubilee Gala.

Arlene was also a member of the Outer Critics Circle, the American Theatre Critics Association, and was a Tony Awards voter for many years. There was no one who loved theatre more or who was a greater supporter of those who make it. She will be sorely missed.

In Memoriam: PAULA J. RILEY

Sun, 01 Jul 2018 20:49:35 GMT

July, 2018

Beloved LPTW member Paula J Riley passed away on July 1st, 2018. Her work as an actress, director, and acting coach helped shape the careers of so many that came her way. In 2013, Paula founded The Spiral Theatre Studio, which, within a year, became home to five equity showcase stage productions, six readings, and three fundraisers. The Studio went on to become a premier incubator for Off-Off-Broadway plays, offering artists around the world an innovative space to grow sustainable theater in New York City.

Paula was a warm and dedicated member of the League, often welcoming new members at LPTW events. Fellow member Denise B. Flemming was mentored by Riley for many years and shared the following story about their introduction: “As an actress and playwright, I’m always looking for a connection. In December 2014, I emailed Paula J, Riley. I spoke with her about my one-woman show and told her that I was looking for a theatre and director. On 12/12/14, she responded about the piece, ‘Very powerful writing and performing of terrible facts. I am a believer in the use of theater as a means of imperative communication about the world we live. We are like-minded. Please stay in touch.'”

Later that year, Flemming pursued a membership with the League. She attended a mixer at which she met Riley in person for the first time. Flemming reflected, “As I made my way into the crowded room, I noticed a woman walking towards me. She had a beautiful smile. I extended my hand and introduced myself. She extended her hand and said with a warm smile ‘I’m Paula J. Riley.’”

Riley went on to sponsor Flemming’s application for membership to the League, and the two became lifelong collaborators and friends. Flemming wrote, “We shared wonderful conversations. And working with Paula as a dramaturg

and director on my one-wman show was an experience I will always treasure. We were destined to meet and share as artists. I will keep that beautiful smile in my heart…. forever.”

From everyone at the League who knew you, Paula, thank you for kind heart, generous spirit, and passionate soul. Your work and dedication to your craft was a true inspiration. You will be greatly missed.

In Memoriam: JOANNE JACOBSON

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 20:45:38 GMT

June, 2018

It’s difficult to convey the feelings that swarm into one’s head upon learning of the death of a friend. Joanne Jacobson was not only my friend, but she had a family of friends in the theatre community whose lives she touched in innumerable and profound ways. Her generosity of spirit, her sparkling smile and lilting laughter provided a warm breath of companionship.

Joanne and I became acquainted on our League of Professional Women sojourns to London and the Humana Festival in Louisville. Upon our return to New York, we continued the English tradition of having afternoon tea in the Palm Court at the Plaza or convening with mutual friends for a “healthy” lunch and laughter.

I remember her devotion to playwrights and her quest to encourage contemporary dramatic literature. New Dramatists President Emerita, Isobel Robins introduced her to this organization where she served on the Board with distinction for many years. “She was there for every playwright and forged relationships with them,” Isobel recalls.

Perhaps playwright, Kia Corthron describes Joanne best. “I couldn’t possibly express in a few words what a dear friend Joanne Jacobson was to me. She absolutely adored playwrights: providing a retreat in her Key West home (and fully subsidizing the associated travel and expenses), funding commissions and fellowships, offering her beautiful presence at readings and productions. I’d written my play (because I’d gone several times, our running joke was to call it “Kia West”). Afterward she wanted to read it, and she loved to tell the story of how she tried to print it but the pages went flying everywhere and she could never figure out the order because I hadn’t numbered them. (I had.) I could share a thousand funny playwriting anecdotes like that but our relationship went far beyond the theatre. We were close. We shared our personal stresses and our personal joys. My heart aches to know I’ll never again hear her latest Emma story or her protective scolding or her laughter. There will never ever, ever be another Joanne and I am so so lucky to have called her my friend.”

Joanne F. Jacobson (née Joanne Louise Fox) was born December 19, 1932 in Cambridge, MA and raised in Lowell. She moved to NYC in 1952 where she studied at Barnard and then the Actor’s Studio. Her theater credits include and The Crucible , Uncle Vanya and Naomi Court ; film credits include Midnight Cowboy, Falling From Grace, and Desirée .

She is survived by her daughter and son, Jennifer and J.R. Hellman, step-son, James Jacobson Jr. and her grandson, Dexter Jerome Nicholson. The date of her passing was June 8, 2018 in NYC.

~ LPTW member Harriet Slaughter

In Memoriam: SHARON B. RUPERT

Tue, 01 May 2018 20:36:25 GMT

May, 2018

Sharon B. Rupert (Sherry) daughter of J. Fredrick Rupert and Carolyn B. Rupert, was born May 21, 1938 in Toledo, Ohio, and passed away on May 12, 2018 in her home in Sag Harbor, New York. She graduated from Maumee Valley Country Day School in Ohio in 1956 and Wheaton College in Norton, MA in 1960.

Immediately after graduation she set forth to New York, living in the city for 42 years. She worked in financial and theater management at Circle in the Square Theater, Martinique Theater, APA Phoenix Repertory Company, Queens Theater in the Park, Wagner Festival Theatre, City Center and Guild Hall of East Hampton. She was also Vice President and Treasurer of Brooklyn Academy of Music and managed several summer theaters in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.

She was a lecturer and panelist, a member of the Junior League of N.Y. and on the board of The League of Professional Theatre Women, The Hampton Day School, Maidstone Regional Theatre and Technical Assistance Group. Her heart was always in the theater and she was always involved with her animals. Lucky, her horse joined her from the Midwest and was boarded in East Hampton and seven Golden Retrievers, beginning with Queenie when Sherry was eight, followed by Antigone, Timber, Quincy, Rupert, Clara, and Roman until 2018. She opened her home to many friends and family;

and made their children a big part of her life.

She loved giving parties. Her Kentucky Derby parties were an annual celebration. She was also known for her many hats and scrapbooks.

Survivors include her brother, John (Bonnie) of Goleta, CA, and her sister Joan of Littleton, CO. Nephews, Shawn, Michael, Francis (Jamie), Mara (Nick), and great nieces Emily and Natalie. A celebration of her life was held in her back yard on May 21, 2018, which would have been her 80 birthday. Memorial contributions may be sent to the American Kidney Foundation or the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons.

In Memoriam: BILLIE ALLEN

Tue, 01 Dec 2015 21:24:19 GMT

December, 2015

Billie Allen, a beloved co-founder of The League, passed away from us a few days ago. We recently experienced her wonderful energy and wisdom as a founding President in the Networking Committee’s “Meet the Presidents” session. She began the discussion by explaining why we need a supportive League of our own in a world that doesn’t recognize women in theatre sufficiently.

She spoke with a verve and commitment that clearly hadn’t flagged, and a message that was remarkably sharp and on target today. Billie was interviewed for our Oral History at the NYPL Bruno Walter Auditorium’s first standingroom-only event. She filled the stage with the grace of an actress who understands and appreciates the love of an audience, come to see her on stage.

Betty Corwin, a long cherished member of The League and the curator and founder of our Oral History Program and of The New York Public Library’s Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, said the following when she heard the news of Billie’s passing:

“I am devastated. Billie was a dear friend and a remarkable woman. She was dedicated, giving, active, liberal and her mind and memory were as sharp as someone half her age. She was so pleased to be interviewed for our Oral History which is preserved for posterity and captures her grace and warm personality… oh how she will be missed.”

We all miss you, Billie! We all appreciate who you have been and what you have done to inspire us to be the best we can be.

~ Maxine Kern, former Co-President of the LPTW

In Memoriam: MARGERY KLAIN

Tue, 01 Sep 2015 19:26:48 GMT

September, 2015

Margery Klain, 80, passed away on Friday, September 11, 2015. An Indianapolis native, Margery

was a 1953 graduate of Shortridge High School and 1955 graduate of Stephens College and

devoted her life’s work to the Fine Arts. During her extensive career Margery worked for the

Indianapolis 500 Festival, Starlight Musicals, Indiana Repertory Theater, Royal Winnipeg Ballet,

Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Pops. She also served as Lead Producer on

four Off-Broadway shows and was owner of Theater Four in New York City for nearly a decade.

Margery served on the boards of the League of Professional Theatre Women and the New York

Theatre Workshop. She is survived by her son Mark Silbermann, daughter Leslie Silbermann, son

and daughter-in-Law Larry and Sally Silbermann, granddaughter Hattie Silbermann and sister

Sharlette Mordoh.

A family visitation will be held on Friday, October 9 at 10:00am followed immediately by a

celebration of her life at Flanner and Buchanan: 2706 Kessler Blvd. West Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46228

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made in her name to either Penn

Wissahickon Hospice (3535 Market Street, Suite 750 Philadelphia, PA 19104) or the League of

Professional Theatre Women (520 8th Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10018).

In Memoriam: SONDRA GORNEY

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 19:24:56 GMT

August 2015

Sondra Gorney was an actress, author, and beloved member of the League of Professional

Theatre Women. She will be deeply missed.

Sondra began her acting career in Chicago in theatre, radio and the Federal Theatre; then in New York and Hollywood. She was also an editor for Pic, a national news magazine and covered

Hollywood where she married Jay Gorney, a film and stage composer. They co-produced several musical revues including “Meet the People.”

In New York, they established the first musical play department at the New School and the

American Theatre Wing professional training program. Then she had a career as a Public

Relations Executive for non-profit organizations, as well as top corporations.

Her return to theatre was via the Off- Broadway route before performing in Equity productions, as well as films and TV. Her most recent performance was as Mrs. Hobson in Stuart Vaughan’s

“The Scarlet Letter” at the Gene Frankel Theatre. Other credits include “Mind Tricks” (Vital

Theatre), “Aunt Vanya” (78th St. Theatre Lab), and “Grandma Sylvia’s Funeral” ( Soho

Playhouse) for a four year run. Earlier various productions were at the Vineyard Theatre ,

Westside Repertory, Duality and Ubu Theatres; seven feature films including “The Producers” ;

and in TV’s “Law and Order.”

Sondra was the author of two books: “After Forty, How Women Can Achieve Fulfillment,” and “

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? The Life of Composer Jay Gorney.”

In addition to her membership in Equity and SAG/AFTRA, she was a proud member of the

League of Professional Theatre Women, the New York Sheet Music Society, and on the board of

the New York Coalition of Women in the Arts and Media.

In Memoriam: LAURIE JAMES

Wed, 01 Jul 2015 19:21:30 GMT

July, 2015

Laurie James was born in Portland, Oregon on January 31, 1930 to Vernon and Welles Harper, with sister Gwen. From an early age Laurie was modeling and acting with The Portland Children’s Theatre and at school.

Following High School came to New York to pursue her dream of acting, and attended the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts. She also attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland where she studied poetry and drama (she later received an honorary degree.in the Arts). She then returned to the East Coast where she apprenticed and then starred in many Summer Stock productions. It was there that she met Clifton James, her future husband. Summer ended and she returned to New York, married and had 5 children: Mike, Winkie, Hardy, Lynn and Mary, and stepdaughter Cory . While raising five children she continued her creative ambitions including creating her own program called “Poetry Listen-In” which brought poetry to life for the children and which she performed it throughout New York.

A historian and researcher in heart she focused on women’s neglected place in history, notably Margaret Fuller but all women s place in shaping our society and world. Years of research and study produced a wealthy body of work on the forgotten life of this historic figure by Laurie. Four books: “Men, Women, and Margaret Fuller”, “The Wit and Wisdom of Margaret Fuller Ossoli”,

“Why Margaret Fuller Ossoli is Forgotten” and “How I Got to Harvard, Off and On Stage with

Margaret Fuller”. She also wrote “Outrageous Questions, Legacy of Bronson Alcott and America’s

One-Room Schools.

Across the country and Asia she offered her award-winning one woman presentation about the

life and influence of Margaret Fuller entitled “Men, Women, and Margaret Fuller. Other plays Laurie wrote and performed are: “Yellow Wallpaper”, based on an early feminist work by Charlotte Gilman, “O, Excellent Friend” on the friendship of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller, “Winter Wheat” an original work on Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Many other plays, including “Numb is a Freezing Point”, were written. Her final work “Heartblood” being one she was most proud of, dealing with the human rights issue of female genital mutilation was presented by the Actors’ Chapel at St. Malachy’s Church in June with a fall production scheduled for London.

Many will remember Laurie’s gifts as an actress, playwright and historian as well as her warmth,

creatively and caring presence. She was a member of The Dramatists Guild, The Actors Studio

P/D Unit, The American Renaissance Theater, The League of Professional Theater Women and

the UU Women Organization.

Laurie passed away in her beloved New York City on July 22, 2015, leaving a rich legacy of a

brilliant body of work, and a beloved family including her husband, her children, 14 grand-children and 4 great-grand-children who are blessed with the gift of having shared their lives with her.

In Memoriam: MARTHA COIGNEY

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 20:28:24 GMT

April, 2015

Our dearest Martha was the Queen of International Theater, as well as a devoted member of The League of Professional Theater Women.

She was invited to reign at every International Festival or conference that I ever attended, and I often wondered who she was and why she was so revered. That question was answered by speaking to her personally and hearing her vibrant and enthusiastic support for theater “heroes,” which she called all theatre artists. But also hearing how she shepherded ITI, the International Theater Institute, into an ongoing bridge between countries, even during the Cold War days of the Iron Curtain. Martha made sure that fellow artists on both sides of the curtain could be recognized and connected in spite of heavy censorship and surveillance. Her gifts of heart, tact and intelligence have served artists worldwide in spite of dangerous politics, while we at the League have benefitted from her steadfast presence among us, as a glorious hostess of meet-ups and a supporter and founding member of the LPTW Gilder/ International Award.

~ Maxine Kern, former Co-President of the LPTW

In Memoriam: MARGARET CROYDEN

Sun, 01 Mar 2015 20:32:51 GMT

March, 2015

Margaret Croyden was a distinguished journalist, theater scholar, a long-time Drama Desk voter, and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women. died last night.

At the Annual General Drama Desk Meeting on November 12, 2014, Margret was honored for

her contributions to arts, journalism and to The Drama Desk organization. Similarly, as a long time member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, Margret was most recently our

recipient of a LPTW Life Time Achievement Award.

Over the years, Margaret’s articles and criticism have appeared in The Village Voice , The Nation, New York Times, TheaterWeek, and American Theater Magazine , among other publications. Her books include and the groundbreaking 1974 study Lunatics, Lovers, and Poets: The Contemporary Experimental Theater . During the 1970s, Margaret was host of the television arts program “Camera Three” on CBS; and, for the past 17 years, she contributed a regular column, “Croyden’s Corner,” to New York Theatre Wire. Her collected works, including over 50 taped interviews with Peter Brook and other theater figures, to original manuscripts, have been archived in Yale University’s Sterling Memorial Library.

Information about her background and about her life as an actress and a journalist as described in her recently published book, The Years In Between , can be found at http://margaretcroyden.com.

Margret was a true theatre pioneer and a women warrior for experimental theatre.

~ Maxine Kern, former Co-President of the LPTW

In Memoriam: MARION SIMON

Sun, 01 Dec 2013 20:01:36 GMT

December, 2013

Born in Philadelphia, Marion lived in Providence 25 years working in various administrative

capacities at Trinity Rep under the Artistic Direction of Adrian Hall. Among them: Education and

Humanities Projects, Equity contracts and negotiations, casting and company management,

touring, fundraising, subscription, public and press relations. Taught Theatre Management at

Rhode Island College chaired the Langston Hughes Center for the Arts, was a member of the R.I.

Film Commission and R.I. Committee for the Humanities, translated L’Atelier for Trinity Rep and

Crystal Night for UBU. She lived in NYC and volunteered at the Actors’ Work Program of the

Actors’ Fund and was a trustee of the Wellfleet Harbor Actors’ Theatre on Cape Cod. She held

degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (BA), Brown University (MA), and Rhode Island

College (Honorary), and received the 2001 Adrian Hall Award at the Pells Award for Excellence in

the Arts in Rhode Island. She was instrumentally involved in the LPTW International Committee,

and served on the LPTW Board for many years.

In Memoriam: HONEY WALDMAN

Sun, 01 Dec 2013 20:00:32 GMT

December, 2013

HONEY WALDMAN was involved with just about every aspect of theatrical activity. Starting with

being an apprentice at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine, graduating into her first paid position

working for Miss Duffy at the Shubert office ushering! During spring break On the Town, during

Christmas break Othello, saw each show 12 times, and was paid for it. Glorious! Then to actress,

prop girl, backstage technician, stage manager, producer, and theatre owner, having built and

owned the Tappan Zee Playhouse (now the nonprofit theatre in Nyack, known as the Helen

Hayes Performing Arts Center). The Playhouse established a national reputation for professional

productions and all-star casts that included Jack Benny, Helen Hayes, and Liza Minnelli. She built and operated the Off Broadway Bouwerie Lane Theatre, and produced the highly successful Family Business at the Astor Place Theatre, as her own theatre was fully booked. Honey established the Honey Waldman Fund at the League of Professional Theatre Women as a special fund for members in need. She majored in English at Emerson, with a minor in speech and drama, and established the Waldman Chair in Theater Arts, in the Emerson Department of

Performing Arts in 2007, funded by Honey Waldman (Emerson ’46) and her sister, Gladys

Waldman Brownstein, in honor of their parents, Harry Waldman and Dora Winiker. Suzan Lori

Parks is the 2013 Waldman Chair at Emerson.

In Memoriam: SALLY DIXON WIENER

Sun, 01 Dec 2013 19:58:58 GMT

December, 2013

WIENER–Sally Ann Dixon, of Manhattan and Aquinnah, died at her NY home on November 13th.

Born in Burlington, Iowa on September 18, 1926 to George and Ellen Dixon. Sally attended Tucson High School and earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Arizona. Beginning with her “junior year abroad” at Barnard College, she loved New York City and after writing for dailies in the west she returned to work for several papers in New York. She wrote short stories under the name Samuel Devon Warner. She later studied piano and playwriting at the New School and wrote many musicals and plays which were produced at The Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse and Off Off Broadway venues in New York. A member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, The Dramatists Guild, and The Writers Room, she wrote for the Dramatist’s Guild Quarterly and The Best Plays of the Year series. Excellent linguist and fearless traveler, deft artist, endlessly patient mother, Sally was a woman of great humor and resilience. She was predeceased by her husband John A. Wiener and brother George L. Dixon. Sally will be missed,

every day, by her children John Wiener, Ellen Wiener, and Ann Stodder; brother-in-law Geoffrey

Wiener; companion Van Rogers; grandchildren Sophia, Emma, Claire and Samuel; by Michael

and Andrew Wiener and many other nephews and nieces, and by her friends in New York and on the Vineyard. Service at 3pm, December 20. Church of the Ascension, 12 West 11th St., New

York.

Published in The New York Times on Dec. 1, 2013

See more here

In Memoriam: FRANCOISE KOURILSKY

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 19:56:22 GMT

January, 2013

Francoise was the founder and artistic director of Ubu Repertory Theater in New York from 1982-

2001. She also founded with of Joseph Chaikin and Meredith Monk The Center for Theater

Practice. Many knew her as an ambassador of French theatrical culture, introducing many French and francophone playwrights to the US audience by translating and presenting their work.

In Memoriam: BERENICE WEILER

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:31:40 GMT

April, 2012

Berenice Weiler, a producer and theatrical general manager, died of natural causes in Manhattan on April 28. She was 88.

She worked as an advance director for star-package shows on the summer stock circuit, including the resident stock theater in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Later Weiler joined a USO tour to entertain occupation forces in Europe in the wake of WWII.

After returning to the U.S., she eventually found work in live television, first as a casting director

and then as an associate producer on dramas including “Hallmark Hall of Fame.” She was

associate producer of “Sid Caesar Presents” on NBC and later ABC, subsequently taking the

show to London for a season on British TV.

Returning to stage work, Weiler joined the management of the American Shakespeare Festival

Theater in Stratford, Conn., rising to managing producer. She resigned in 1973 to become the

administrative director for Frank Dunlop’s BAM Theater Company.

With Marilyn S. Miller she formed Weiler/Miller in 1978. The New York-based general management firm managed many Broadway and Off Broadway productions, including “Nine.”

Weiler was executive Director of the University/Resident Theater Assn., president and a founding

member of the League of Professional Theater Women, Secretary-Treasurer of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers and the president of the National Theater Conference.

She was also adjunct professor at the U. of Miami.

Weiler was a lifelong resident of Manhattan and attended Hunter College.

Donations may be made to the Actors Fund.

(Via: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118053635)

In Memoriam: NORMA LANGWORTHY

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:27:43 GMT

January 2012

Norma Langworthy passed on Saturday, January 28th, 2012. Norma was a producer with a shining resume of Broadway and Off-Broadway credits. Her Broadway credits included: Gore Vidal’s The Best Man (winner of Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Revival of a Play and a Tony Nomination for Best Revival of a Play); Sweet Sue, Getting and Spending, The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Off-Broadway: Cliffhanger, The Perfect Party, The Road to Mecca, and The Springhill Singing Disaster. Contributions can be made in her memory to the Roundabout Theatre, and condolences can be sent to one of her daughters, Mrs. Leslie Beller, at 867 Presidents Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

In Memoriam: MARY C. HENDERSON

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:25:36 GMT

January 2012

Mary C. Henderson, a scholar of the theater whose interests as a historian and curator spanned centuries and as a Tony nominator and critic were up to the minute, died on Jan. 3 at her home in Congers, N.Y. She was 83. Ms. Henderson’s most important work, “Theater in America: 250 Years of Plays, Players and Productions” (1986, revised in 1996), is a concise history, valued by

students and teachers, that tells the country’s theatrical tale in chapters that focus on individuals and individual professions: producers, playwrights, actors and others. She is survived by her three sons, Doug, James and Stuart, as well as two sisters and four grandchildren. For more information, please see an article written about her in the Theater section of the New York Times by clicking here.

In Memoriam: JEN NELSON

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:21:48 GMT

July 2010

Jen (Jean Bower) passed away at home on July 17. An admired actress who starred on

Broadway in “The Sound of Music” and “The Aspern Papers” and tour of “Fiorello,” Ms. Nelson

also was a singer in supper clubs. Later, she was a marketing and group sales specialist whose

many innovations are still being used. She was a compassionate, selfless person with a zest for

life. She always made time to help others and to mentor young people. She will be remembered

for her great style, her flair, and her sense of fun. She is survived by her niece Donna Todd of

Seattle, her grandniece Carrie Bulmer-King, and great-grandnieces and grandnephews. A

celebration of her life is being planned.

Published in The New York Times on July 23, 2010

In Memoriam: HEATHER DUKE

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:21:46 GMT

July 2010

Heather Duke-Hoover passed away from a sudden illness on July 13,

2010, where she was surrounded by her loved ones. Heather was born in

Monticello, NY on September 25, 1942 to Benjamin and Selma Duke.

Heather had a long and varied career. She was a registered nurse at

Nyack Hospital, a newspaper publisher, a Broadway producer of the musical “Little Women”, she

had her own company Duke Marketing Inc, and she was the Director of tourism for Rockland

County since 1994. Heather was loved by all who knew her. She was kind, generous and

compassionate. Heather is survived by her husband Robert, her three sons Benjamin Lungen,

Daniel Lungen, and Joshua Lungen and her brother, Peter Duke. Heather will be missed dearly

by her grandchildren Michael, Cory, Tyler, Jessica, Joey and step grandchildren Samantha,

Matthew, Gabriella and Chyna. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to The

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

In Memoriam: SYLVIA SCHWARTZ

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:34:55 GMT

June 2010

Sylvia was a former board member and led the LPTW’s Sunshine efforts. She attended and assisted with many events and activities over the years, and she will be missed. Our thoughts are with her family and many friends at this difficult time.

LPTW News

Annual Meeting 2026

Join us for the LPTW Annual Meeting & Meet our Prospective Board Members

Upcoming JRR

Join us for Julia's Reading Room this week and next!

LPTW - TRU Town Hall

Women Warriors, Then and Now: How the Voices of the Past Inform Today’s Battle for Equality

Enhanced Oral History featuring Alexis Greene

THE 2025 INAUGURAL RECIPIENT OF THE LPTW BILLIE ALLEN AWARD

The members of LPTW are pleased to award the 2025 Billie Allen Award to the amazing trailblazer, artist and playwright

Michael Angel Johnson

LPTW Lucille Lortel Award 2025

THIS YEAR WE HONOR

LPTW Hosts Inaugural Ceremony Announcing the LPTW Billie Allen Award

LPTW remains dedicated to honoring the contributions of women in theatre, and this tribute to Billie Allen was a testament to the power of storytelling, representation, and perseverance.

About Billie Allen

LPTW Lucille Lortel Award 2024

THIS YEAR WE HONOR

Celeste Bedford Walker

LPTW Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting will be Saturday, May 3, 2025.

﻿ Please Save the Date!

Book Reading Club of Plays

Join LPTW's Book Reading Club of Plays to virtually discuss Heidi Schreck's play "What the Constitution Means to Me" on Thursday , February 20 at 7:00 PM EST

Annual Meeting 2025

WOMEN STAGE THE WORLD...RESCHEDULED!!!

Oral History

Join us for an Oral History event on June 3rd at 6:00pm

LPTW 2024 Annual Meeting

Careers in Theatre

LPTW to Present at "Careers in Theatre" Panel at The University of Oklahoma

In Memoriam: Carrie Robbins (1943 - 2024)

In Memoriam: Carrie Robbins (1944 - 2024)

Three Keys to Crowdfund Like a Queen with Melissa Center

Join us for the next Professional Seminar:

﻿

Three Keys to Crowdfund Like a Queen with Melissa Center

Monday, April 8, 7-8:30 PM ET

In Memoriam: leslie Shreve

Honoring LPTW Member leslie Shreve

Celebrate Black History

Honoring the former Black Presidents of

The League of Professional Theatre Women

12th Night Party!

A Great TIME was had by ALL...LIVE and VIRTUAL at our 12th Night Party!

Professional Seminar: Working With Disabilities

Professional Seminar: Working with Disability

January Power Play Book Club

Registration will o January 31st Power Play Book Club on 1/15/2024

December Julia's Reading Room

MARRYING JAKE GYLLENHAAL by Melissa Center, December 19th at 6pm

Director Round Table Registration

December Director Roundtable is 12/18

Join us for our Town Hall with Anne Dunning!

Join us in person or virtually, this evening!

Event Recap for November Julia's Reading Room

THE CHANGE YOU WANTED by Faith Catlin, directed by Jacob Basri

Giving Tuesday 2023

There's still time to donate for #GivingTuesday .

Stand with LPTW to bring parity and self-agency to theatre women everywhere by donating this #GivingTuesday .

LPTW is hiring!

2 Positions available

Recap: Oral History w/ Alia Jones Harvey

Recap + : Theatre Connections with Luna Stage

Theater Connections on ZOOM with Luna Stage

In Memoriam: MILLY S. BARANGER

August, 2023

In Memoriam: MARI LYN HENRY

June, 2023

In Memoriam: SUSAN L. SCHULMAN

October, 2022

In Memoriam: ELSA RAEL

December 2020

In Memoriam: DEBRA KOZEE-HJELM

April 2020

In Memoriam: LYNNE ROGERS

September, 2019

In Memoriam: BETTY CORWIN

September, 2019

In Memoriam: MEGANNE GEORGE

Please Save the Date!