Women Playwrights, Citing Inequitable Production Opportunities, Hold Meeting Oct. 27

By Adam Hetrick
27 Oct 2008

Playwrights Sarah Schulman and Julia Jordan will lead an Oct. 27 meeting at New Dramatists to discuss what they see as the lack of available production opportunities for women writing in theatre.

The New York Times reports that Schulman and Jordan are spearheading the town hall-style meeting that has already accounted for the 90 available seats New Dramatists has to offer. The Monday night gathering, which will allow the audience to ask questions of its panelists, will focus on Off-Broadway and its non-profit entities.

Schulman noted that only ten out of the fifty plays being produced this season by major Off-Broadway theatre companies are penned by women playwrights. There are currently no women playwrights represented on Broadway.

Among the New York theatre makers expected to attend the Oct. 27 meeting are Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis, and representatives from the Atlantic Theater, the Manhattan Theater Club, Second Stage, SoHo Rep, MCC Theater and Playwrights Horizons.