Letters We've Received

To Whom It May Concern:

What does it mean that South Florida has a professional women’s theatre company? Well, it means that the actresses and female directors in this community take themselves seriously. It means that actresses of color can expect to be judged on their merits, not their skin color, when they audition. It means that lesbians don’t need to closet themselves in the company. It means that women “of a certain age” can expect the roles and recognition appropriate for professionals at the top of their game. It means archetypes, not stereotypes. It means opportunity for playwrights whose scripts have frequently been passed over in favor of the work of better-known male playwrights. And it means brilliant, daring, innovative, transformative new theatre for South Florida.

I am a playwright from Maine, who has had the recent privilege of seeing her work produced by the Women’s Theatre Project, based in Fort Lauderdale. My experience here has been so unusual, I wanted to share some of it in print. First, there are very few women’s theatres anywhere. This is the only professional women’s theatre that I know of outside New York City. Obviously, there is some special magic here, that so many talented and experienced women have come together to produce women’s work. Why women’s theatre? Because mainstream theatre has inherited a lopsided cultural legacy from the historical discrimination against women. The majority of producers and directors have been men, and ninety percent of the contemporary canon is still authored by male playwrights. Not surprisingly, these plays reflect male issues and perspectives. Women working together can evolve a distinct voice, or voices, and explore a separate vision, or an inclusive one from an alternative perspective.

The Women’s Theatre Project has mounted a professional, engaging production of my play The Anastasia Trials in the Court of Women, and one that warrants broad-based community support. I encourage South Florida theatre-lovers to take advantage of this cultural treasure and to enjoy the work of these spirited, adventurous women!

Carolyn Gage
Playwright
Portland, Maine