BWW Women in Theater: March 2017

By Lauren Yarger
Women's history month has offered many opportunities to experience works by women in theater during March. Some great programs still are on tap including the League of Professional Theatre Women's Awards Celebration and Big Mingle March 31.

Hosted by actress Tamara Tunie, the night begins with the awards program and ends up at Sardi's for a chance to mingle with those being honored. You can rub elbows by visitng theatrewomen.org.

Honorees are:

Carol Hall
The Lifetime Achievement Award
Presented by Julie Gilbert

Lileana Blain-Cruz
The Josephine Abady Award
Presented by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Jess Chayes
The LPTW Lucille Lortel Award
Presented by Neil Pepe

Emily Simoness
The LPTW Lucille Lortel Visionary Award
Presented by Madeleine George and Mfoniso Udofia

Linda Cho
The Ruth Morley Design Award
Presented by Darko Tresnjak

Liesl Tommy
The Lee Reynolds Award
Presented by Lynn Nottage

Carol Hall (Composer-Lyricist-Playwright)

Carol Hall's Broadway musical THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS won two Drama Desk Awards, a Grammy nomination for its cast album and became a popular film starring Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton. www.carolhall.net

Lileana Blain-Cruz (Theatre Director)

Recent projects include THE DEATH OF THE LAST BLACK MAN IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD and RED. Upcoming projects include HENRY IV Part 1at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, THE BLUEST EYE at the Guthrie, and Dominique PIPELINE at Lincoln Center.

JESS CHAYES (Theatre Director)

Jess is a Brooklyn-based director and founding co-artistic director of The Assembly, with whom she has co-created and directed eight original productions, including I WILL LOOK FORWARD TO THIS LATER. She has developed new work with The Vineyard Theatre, The Playwrights Center and New York Theatre Workshop, among others. Jess is a NYTW Usual Suspect, a co-founder of The New Georges Jam artists' lab, and alum of The Civilians R and D Group and the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab. www.jesschayes.com

Emily Simoness (Executive Director)

Emily is an entrepreneur, teacher, facilitator, motivational speaker and the founder and Executive Director of SPACE on Ryder Farm, a nonprofit artist residency program committed to supporting and developing artists and activists and their work. Additionally, she has developed and taught curriculum for The North Carolina School of the Arts and NYU. In 2013, she was the chief of staff for the Beijing International Screenwriting Competition...www.spaceonryderfarm.org

Linda Cho (Costume Designer)

Among her successes in theater have been the Broadway productions of A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER. The Velocity of Autumn and the soon-to-open-in Broadway musical ANASTASIA. Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 and the proud recipient of the Irene Sharaff Young Master Award.

Liesl Tommy (Theatre Director)

Her credits include the Broadway and Public Theater Productions of ECLIPSED and the recent production of KID VICTORY at the Vineyard. She is associate director at Berkeley Rep and serves as a Program Associate and Artist Trustee at Sundance Institute Theatre Program. She facilitated the inaugural Sundance East Africa Theatre Director's Lab.

Other celebrations to check out:

Glass Ceiling Breakers

Axial Theatre in Yorktown Heights, NY offers an all-female playwright festival, Glass Ceiling Breakers, will be presented on two consecutive weekends: March 24-26 and March 31 to April 2 featuring a diverse selection of comedies and dramas written and directed by women. axialtheatre.org.

Women's Theater Festival, Hartford, CT

A series of new works by HartBeat Ensemble's women members. Staged readings spotlight such provocative issues as forced sterilization in Puerto Rico, addiction in Greater Hartford and being a Black woman in America. Performance Info: April 21-22, 28-29 and May 5-6, 2017 Friday-Saturday at 7:30 pm. No one turned away for lack of funds tickets available. hartbeatensemble.org

Women of Achievement Awards

WP Theater (formerly Women's Project Theater) will honor Debra Messing ( "Will and Grace," OUTSIDE MULLINGAR) and Ann M. Sarnoff, president of BBC Worldwide North America, with Women of Achievement Awards at its 32nd annual gala March 27 at the Edison Ballroom. Lena Hall (HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH) hosts. The organization's Women of Achievement Awards honor outstanding women who have broken boundaries and pushed the limits in their respective fields. wptheater.org

SPECIAL WOMEN'S LINEUP

New York Madness celebrates Women's History Month with a special lineup of all women writers March 26, including Sarah Bernstein (THE SUMMER HOUSE), Cesi Davidson (SOJOURNER'S TRUTH), Monet Hurst-Mendoza (VEIL'D), Krista Knight (PRIMAL PLAY), Mariah MacCarthy (BABY MAMA), Liz Morgan (OUR FATHER), Nandita Shenoy (WASHER/DRYER), Charly Evon Simpson (HOTTENTOTTED and Crystal Skillman (GEEK). New York Madness will host a bra and menstrual hygiene supplies drive for homeless women and girls with a collection at the performance on March 26. nymadness.com

Lauren Yarger covers New York and Connecticut theater and is a member of The Drama Desk, The Outer Critics Circle and the American Theatre Critics Asociation. She is co-founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women.