Women Over 40 Going Strong with 'No Frills'

New York, stand up and take notice. Actresses over 40 no longer have to wait for the roles and the ongoing recognition they so truly deserve, thanks to a newly founded theatre company known as the No Frills Company.

The No Frills Company, under the leadership of Caryl Young, Executive Producer and Sue Brady, Creative Director, will present a Monday night reading series at the Cherry Lane Theatre at 38 Commerce Street, beginning October 30th through December 11th. The series will consist of three plays focusing on female characters and actresses over 40. All readings will begin at 8:00 PM.

The series' first play to be read will be Caryl Churchill's TOP GIRLS on October 30th and November 6th. TOP GIRLS will star Patricia Elliott (Tony Award Winner for A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC), Pamela Payton-Wright (MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA), Pippa Pearthree, Lola Pashalinski, and Sue Brady.

TWIGS, by George Furth, will be read on November 13th and 20th. The reading will star Anne Pitoniak ('NIGHT, MOTHER and STEEL MAGNOLIAS ), Cynthia Darlow (Rabbit Hole), Sarah Baker, Sue Brady, John FitzGibbon, Matte Osian, Joel Leffert, and Kenneth Boys . Kathleen Chalfant (Tony nominee for ANGELS IN AMERICA, Obie Award Winner for WIT ) and Patricia Elliott will round up the series with Eileen Atkins' VITA AND VIRGINIA on November 27 and December 11 . All readings will be directed by Pamela Berlin (STEEL MAGNOLIAS, TO GILLIAN ON HER 37TH BIRTHDAY).

"We are dedicated to finding plays that offer the talented actresses over forty the opportunity to continue the growth of her craft, while our younger actresses benefit from the invaluable experience gained by working with more seasoned performers", says No Frills Founder Caryl Young . "The plays we've chosen offer excellent roles for women of a certain age, which you don't find on the Broadway stage, or any stage for that matter, very often." The No Frills Company is committed to providing a creative and collaborative theatre environment for women of all ages in all areas of theatre, and to producing plays that offer women more substantive roles.

The vision for the No Frills Company began in 2002 with packed performances of the showcase production, THE DARNING PLACES by Caryl Young. THE DARNING PLACES is a play about a family's tragic battle with alcoholism. It was the positive response to the play and the cast that inspired three of the actors, Sarah Baker, Sue Brady, Jane Cecil, and the playwright to continue to work together and develop a theatre company that would offer women greater opportunity.

TOP GIRLS takes place in the middle of the high-flying, go-getting 80's in Maggie Thatcher's England and Marlene finally has something to celebrate – she's just been made managing director of Top Girls Employment Agency. But with no friends to speak of, and a past she'd just as soon forget, the guests at Marlene's party are a collection of famous women from history. Soon, Marlene discovers that life above the glass ceiling is not all it's cracked up to be.

In TWIGS, it's the day before Thanksgiving back in the time of disco and orange appliances, and three sisters and their mother are making their various preparations. Through their established rituals and chance encounters, the audience gets a peek into how four women hewn from the same wood have been shaped by the forces in their varying surroundings.

Executive Producer Caryl Young recently answered some questions about this new company to give me a little more insight into this new venture.

TJ: What brought you to the awareness of the limited roles for actresses over forty?

YOUNG: I think I have always been aware of the lack of major roles for women over forty and one hears it quite often in theatre. But it was while watching four very talented actresses in a play I had written, which spanned three generations of women, that I was asking myself, as I had done many times before, why aren't these actresses working all the time? Of course, I knew the answer, not that they weren't talented enough but that there are too few substantive roles for women forty and over. Considering how much life experience they have and the years spent developing their craft, the fact that there isn't enough work for them, I believe, is theatre's loss.

TJ: What type of obstacles did you face with creating this company?

YOUNG: The first obstacle was getting the funding to do readings. At first, we relied on friends for contributions. Gradually we have received larger contributions and along with a small grant we have been able to keep going. Money is always a problem. The second obstacle was building an audience. I think this has been the biggest obstacle since we started. When you are relying on flyers and word of mouth, and have a tight budget it's not easy to fill a house. I'm always amazed when the audience comes.

TJ: Why did you choose these specific plays for the reading series?

YOUNG: We have chosen these plays because they are three well-crafted, extraordinary plays that show the development of women in our society. They make the over-forty woman visible. They provide challenging roles and in each play give women a voice and the opportunity to express these amazing voices. .

TJ: You have an amazing group of people involved including Kathleen Chalfont and Patricia Elliott. Was it difficult to get such a terrific cast involved?

YOUNG: From the beginning we have been able to attract excellent actors. Between Sue Brady, our Creative Director, who is also an actress, and Pamela Berlin, our director, and the plays themselves, we have been able to attract wonderful casts. We also have had help from the actors who have worked with us and recommend other actors. I believe it is basically because of the nature of our company.

TJ: How has the reaction been from the theatre community about the goals of the company?

YOUNG: The reaction has been very positive. When actresses--and some with highly recognizable names--hear about what we are trying to accomplish, they express an immediate interest in working with our company. It always surprises me. This past February, we were very fortunate to have Kathleen Chalfant and Patricia Elliott do a reading for us of Vita and Virginia, with Pamela Berlin directing. The three women offered to do the reading again and that was when the idea of a Monday night reading series came about. I approached Angelina Fiordellisi, Artistic Director for The Cherry Lane, and told her about our idea of a Monday night reading series as part of our theatre for women over forty. Her enthusiastic response and her willingness to let us use the Cherry Lane is, I believe, the perfect example of how the theatre community is responding to our goals.

TJ: What are your expectations for this wonderful series?

YOUNG: I'm hoping to build a reputation for doing wonderful plays with wonderful casts and to continue our Monday night reading series and, in time, move the readings into full scale productions Off Broadway. It is the least we can do for these very gifted actors who support us with their time and talent.

TJ: This is a great thing you are doing. Let me ask you, what are some of the future plans for the company?

YOUNG: Our goal is to become a viable theatre company, and to serve the community, whenever possible, by producing plays dealing with socially significant issues, particularly as they affect women. We hope to build a subsidized ticket program for seniors. As for me, personally, I look forward to the time when we will have co-workers to share with us in this experience. It's a long range goal, but I believe it can happen. This is truly something that has been a long time coming and it will be great to watch this series become the success it deserves to be. It's history in the making and you want to make sure that you are witness to the beginning of NO FRILLS making it's mark in theatre history.

You can check out their website at www.nofrillsco.org for more information or for tickets, you can call Telecharge at (212) 239-6200, online at www.telecharge.com, or in person at the Cherry Lane Theatre box office (38 Commerce Street). Ticket prices are $25 ($10 student discount), and $55 package deal for all three plays.