League of Pro Theatre Women Announces 35th Season Championing Women

The League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW), dedicated to championing women in theatre since its inception, has been and an authority at the forefront of the conversation about gender parity in the American theatre and an authority on the matter for 35 years, is proud to kick off a new season of programming, events, and advocacy initiatives which provide visibility and opportunities for women.

The LPTW launches its 2017- 2018 season with the triennial LPTW Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award, the only award of its kind, honoring one woman out of 20 nominees from around the globe. Acknowledging the exceptional work of theatre women around the world, and aiming to make a difference in the life and career of an international woman theatre artist, the LPTW Gilder / Coigney International Award is presented this year to Adelheid Roosen of The Netherlands on October 23rd, following 6 days of theatre events celebrating Roosen's work and methodology, beginning October 15th.

On November 6th, the Oral History Project will present an intimate interview with the illustrious producer and business woman Daryl Roth, at the Auditorium at Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts.

On November 8th, the League will celebrate the legacy of Betty Corwin with an award for lifetime achievement and contributions to the American theatre. Later this season, the LPTW will give out its five annual awards at the Awards Ceremony and Big Mingle, honoring both emerging and established female-identifying professionals across theatre disciplines.

The League will also present two additional Oral History Projects, Julia's Reading Room (a members' reading series of works in progress named for LPTW co-founder Julia Miles), On Her Shoulders (a reading series dedicated to women writers neglected by the traditional theatre canon), as well as heritage, advocacy and networking events.

"It's an exciting time to be a part of the League," remark Co-Presidents Lisa Rothe and Kelli Lynn Harrison, "as we celebrate many inspiring women through excellent programming that supports our mission to champion women in the theatre: groundbreaking Dutch theatre artist Adelheid Roosen, producer Daryl Roth, and theatre legend Betty Corwin, among others."

On Monday, October 23, 2017, at the Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, Adelheid Roosen, will be celebrated with an all-day immersion (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) into Roosen's life and legacy, a ceremony presenting the award (co-presented with the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center), followed by an after-party co-sponsored by Punto Event Space.

The LPTW Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award was established in 2011 in honor of Rosamond Gilder and Martha Coigney, two legendary theatre women whose work on the international stage proved that theatre knows no national boundaries. Odile Gakire Katese from Rwanda was the inaugural recipient of the G/C Award in 2011. Patricia Ariza from Colombia received the award in 2014.

On Monday, November 6, 2017 Daryl Roth will be interviewed by theatre journalist Linda Winer as part of the LPTW's Oral History Project. An ongoing project that explores the work and lives of pioneering women in theatre, The Oral History Project interviews feature prominent women in the American theatre who, by recounting their experiences, provide a living history, are videotaped in front of an intimate live audience at New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center and then housed in the Library's Theatre on Film and Tape Archive.

This project, now in its impressive 25th year, is produced by Betty Corwin and made possible by generous grants from the Edith Meiser Foundation, the Robert and Betty Sheffer Foundation, and private sponsors.

On Wednesday, November 8, 2017 Betty Corwin will be presented by LPTW with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to the American Theatre. The event will take place at Sardi's, and feature industry luminaries honoring the legacy of this founding member of the LPTW and theatre history pioneer, who founded the theatre on film archives at Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts, which have preserved generations of live theatre.

In the Spring, the LPTW celebrates the contributions of women to theatre with five awards: The Lifetime Achievement Award given to a woman who has made significant contributions to the industry; The Ruth Morley Design Award (initiated in 1998 in honor of costume designer Ruth Morley, one of the profession's leading designers for theatre and film who also served on the LPTW Board of Directors) given to a woman working in any field of design; the Josephine Abady Award (given in memory of Josephine R. Abady, a stage and artistic director, and leader of the nonprofit theatre movement in the United States) given to a woman theatre artist who has created work of cultural diversity; The Lee Reynolds Award (in memory of producer and League member Lee Reynolds) given to a women active in any aspect of theatre whose work through the medium of theatre has helped to illuminate the possibilities for social, cultural or political change; The LPTW Lucille Lortel Award (a grant funded by a bequest from the estate of Lucille Lortel) given to an aspiring woman in any discipline of theatre who is showing great creative promise and deserves recognition and encouragement. These awards honor emerging and established artists alike. Recent past recipients of these five awards include: Lileana Blain-Cruz; Linda Cho; Jane Cox; Lear Debessonet; Micki Grant; Carol Hall; Katherine Kovner; Ari Laura Kreith; Lisa Kron & Jeanine Tesori; Liesl Tommy; and Donyale Werle.