National Performers
Jenny Aldrich
2019 Chippawa, Sarasota, FL 34234
Phone: 941-735-1260
Email: costars@comcast.net
Website: www.JennyAldrich.com
Performance Description: Women Masters. Celebrating women, art and life, these programs use the magic of theatre to bring these artists to your audience. While displaying reproductions of their work, the artists discuss their subjects and style. Often in their own words, they describe the people and events that shaped their lives and art. Mary Cassatt, known for her frankness, describes her life in France during the birth of Impressionism. Georgia O’Keeffe conducts a tour through her sensational flowers and abstracts to the vastness of the American West. Lilla Cabot Perry discusses her friendship with Claude Monet and the story of Giverny, the “cradle of American Impressionism.”
Availability: National
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Dale Allen |
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Linda Allen |
The American Magic-Lantern Theater
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
PO Box 44
East Haddam, CT 06438
Phone: 860-345-2574, fax: 860-345-7578
Website: www.magiclanternshows.com
Email: tborton@magiclanternshows.com
Performance Description: Historically authentic re-creation of an 1890s magic-lantern show of
H. B. Stowe’s
classic Uncle Tom’s Cabin-the book Lincoln said started the Civil War. Victorian Magic-Lantern Shows combined projected images, live drama, and live music, and were the direct ancestor of today’s movies. UTC was the single most popular show in the magic-lantern repertoire. It can b e presented alone, in reference to Stowe, and/or as part of AMLT’s Civil War Show. AMLT has been touring nationally and internationally for 15 years. National Public Radio says, “They’re an incredible experience…IF they come to your town, don’t miss them. They’re a living national treasure.”
Availability: National
Ark Theater / That Takes Ovaries |
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For: General audiences, universities, high schools, military, government, conferences, businesses and workplace settings. Multicultural event, and all genders welcome.
This Event Includes:
- A brief introductory talk titled “Leading a Bold Life," which asks the audience: “Why should women and girls lead a bold life?” “Why should I lead a bold life?” We review America's historic struggle for women’s equal rights, including the accomplishments of the First and Second Waves of the Women’s Movement.
- Entertaining dramatic enactments of diverse women's true stories of bold, risk-taking and courageous deeds -- from playful to political. Stories selected in advance to resonate with your particular audience. Most stories are from our best-selling book, That Takes Ovaries.
- A That Takes Ovaries Open Mike: The high point of the event. Inspired by the dramatizations, gutsy gals in the audience spontaneously share stories about times they acted boldly. Guys brag about the ovaries in their lives, such as their mothers, sisters and daughters. Everyone who shares gets a Golden Ovary award, a chocolate egg wrapped in gold foil.
- We customize the event to include hot topics that resonate for your specific audience.
- Vibrant, intelligent, challenging, hilarious, and completely unabashed. -- Stanford Univ.
- [The] irresistible idea of highlighting take-charge, no-nonsense women. -- San Fran Chronicle
- Look no further. That Takes Ovaries is powerful theater. -- Ms. magazine
Requirements: No stage required, but we do require minimal A/V equipment for our one That Takes Ovaries leader/actor for this transformational, empowering and audience-participatory event.
Availability: National and international. (Over 700 events already held)
Carrie Sue Ayvar
1829 NE 179 St., N. Miami Beach, FL 33162
Phone: 305-945-4804
Website: www.carriesueayvar.com
Email: csayvar@gmail.com
Performance Description: Everyone’s heard of Miami Beach! See it through the eyes of Rose Weiss: Mother of Miami Beach, who transformed it, with persistence and a smile, from a sparsely populated sandbar (where Jews like her could only live in the southernmost tip) into the world famous multicultural metropolis it is today. Or you can meet trailblazing Doc Anner: Petticoat Doctor of the Everglades, 2nd female doctor in Florida. Artist, physician, pharmacist, wife, mother (and even veterinarian when called upon) she braved alligators, rattlesnakes, violent outlaws and chauvinism to help and heal her patients. Q&A sessions follow with storyteller, performance artist and Chautauqua Scholar Carrie Sue Ayvar.
Availability: National
Annette Baldwin
629 South Yale
Addison, IL 60101
Phone: (630)-279-0856
Website: www.staginghistory.com
Email: staginghistory@yahoo.com
Description: Through Annette Baldwin's first-person historical characterizations, you will be introduced to and intrigued by some of history's most inspiring and unconventional women. You may choose to meet woman's rights leader Susan B. Anthony, Civil War espionage agent Elizabeth Van Lew, fashion designer Coco Chanel, sculptor Louise Nevelson, social activist and peace advocate Jane Addams, or journalist Dorothy Thompson. In one production, The Long Road to Victory, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, and Carrie Chapman Catt take the stage to tell the story of the woman suffrage movement. Historian, actor, lecturer, and State Humanities Councils' Chautauquan, Baldwin has been producing and recreating the lives of women in history since 1986 to libraries, colleges and universities, professional associations, community organizations, historical societies and museums across the U.S., including the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Whether your event is to take place in your home, a multi-purpose room or in an auditorium, you will find yourself immersed in our rich women's history.
Availability: National
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Roberta Bassin New Video: Amelia Earhart "live" on stage, written & performed by Roberta Bassin |
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Bernhardt on Broadway: The Musical |
This one-woman musical exploration leaves us with great insight into the amazing Sarah
Bernhardt and the author, songwriter, singer and actor who channels her, Carol Dunitz.
--Laura Johnstone, Upstage: A Journal of Turn-of-the-Century Theatre
The play rings with authenticity of the period Sarah lived in and is very educational. Carol
delivers a stupendous performance. We really enjoyed the show!
--Fran Kirchoff, Past President, GFWC Intermediate Women's Club, Madison Heights, MI
‘Bernhardt on Broadway’ by Carol Dunitz captures the essential character of Sarah Bernhardt.
--David W. Menefee, Author, Sarah Bernhardt: Her Films, Her Recordings
We laughed, blushed and beyond that, learned about Sarah Bernhardt and her times. Everyone
enjoyed the genuine humor, the authentic French accent and, of course, the DRAMA. We loved
the songs.
--Denise Jones, Activity Director, All Seasons of Rochester Hills, Rochester Hills, MI
An entertaining and educational theatrical experience...a remarkable production.
--Paulette Medvecky, President, Wayne Business & Professional Women (BPW), Wayne, MI
Carol Dunitz' performance as Sarah Bernhardt is more than performance. It's as if the Great
Sarah herself has stepped into Ms. Dunitz to live again on the stage!
--Lenore Howard, Artistic Director, Fly-By-Night Productions, Dubuque, IA
I learned a lot about her relationship with other artists, writers, and politicians of the period...
enjoyed the songs. Great voice.
--Monique Tranchevent, Paris/Chicago Sister Cities Committee
Through intimate monologues, brilliantly performed songs and impeccable period dress, Carol
brings Bernhardt to life—and invites the audience to come along for the ride. Bravo!
--Treena Flannery Ericson, Gallery Director, The Scarab Club, Detroit, MI
A truly enriching experience through which the audience is magically transported back in time to
the 1890s. We all felt as though we had spent an evening in Sarah’s living room.
--Tamara Trudelle, Executive Director, Downriver Council for the Arts, Wyandotte, MI
The creative script was filled with expressions and stories that brought Bernhardt to life in an
incredibly clear way.
--Kristine Swisher, Artistic Director, Holland Theatre, Bellefontaine OH
I felt like Madame Sarah was a close friend who was revealing secrets to me that she could not
possibly share with anyone else. Carol draws the audience in and makes it hers.
--Allen Nichols, Manager, Maxim’s: City of Chicago Dept of Cultural Affairs
Availability: National
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Dr. Barbara Bernstein |
And the audience members may want to bring their dancing shoes, as the program can be constructed to give them a chance to learn some dance steps if they wish! (Women in the audience can be given the opportunity to learn the leader's steps, of course.) The program is guaranteed to be both empowering and fun!!
Every time this show is done, it's uniquely designed to best suit each venue/audience. The show would generally be constructed to include any or all of these components, according to what is desired:
- Performance by two dancers.
- Performance by a dance team. (The performance can include having the audience guess which dancer is leading and which dancer is following!)
- Instruction for anyone in the audience who might like to try some moves.
- Brief talk about the history of women's roles from antiquity to the present and how they have changed. Talk can include discussion of how dance roles reflect societal norms, and the tradition-breaking work done by this dance group.
Availability: National
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Mary Jane Bradbury
Availability: National |
Elaine Bromka
Phone: 973-509-9665
Website: www.teaforthree.com
Email: elainebromka@aol.com
Performance Description: Lady Bird, Pat & Betty: TEA FOR THREE - Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford. This unforgettably vivid one-woman show highlighting three former first ladies stars Emmy Award-winning Elaine Bromka. Critically acclaimed for its blend of wit, intimacy, and passion. Experience this completely re-imagined journey of three women who suddenly found themselves celebrities -- in what Pat Nixon called the hardest unpaid job in the world!
- "Brilliant acting"..."Delightfully sly"..."This thought-provoking perspective... adds dimension and complexity, joining the women in a sympathetic bond of womanhood."
- Full bio and prime time video clips: www.elainebromka.com
- Watch a video clip of the show: www.teaforthree.com
A TV (Law & Order, Sex & the City, E.R., Sopranos and more), Broadway, Off-Broadway and film (the Uncle Buck mom) veteran, Bromka starred opposite Rich Little as eight of the first ladies across the country and for PBS. Her Acting on Camera and Exploring the Monologue workshops, which she has taught at over 85 colleges and high schools, are also available as part of a residency. Extensive references, interviews, and residency information on site. Theaters, performing art centers, colleges, museums, clubs, fund raisers. Over 65 venues have included the Smithsonian, the Cerritos Arts Center, the Long Arts Center, and colleges nationwide.
Availability: National
Linda Boyle
Singer-Historian
7448 N. Damen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60645
Phone: 773-480-4637
Email: lin@lindaboyle.com
Website: lindaboyle.com
Performance Description: A singer, songwriter, educator and cultural historian, Linda presents one hour performances as well as longer workshops and sessions for children and adults on women’s history. Her programs are musical narratives featuring well-researched stories and songs about the lives, struggles and contributions of women and girls. “Telling Women’s Lives,” “Chicago and Illinois Women in Song,” and “ We Must Have Bread and Peace,” are among her historical music programs. Her musical repertoire includes an extensive collection of songs in English, Spanish, Hebrew, Yiddish and other languages such as Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Kiswahili and Yoruba. Her incorporation of research in labor and immigrant history, and peace and social justice is reflected in the enthusiastic reaction of her audiences. Programs and workshops are tailored to meet the needs and interests of each audience.
“Keep singing your soul as you do so exquisitely.” Ellen Rockne, singer, actress
Decorah, Iowa
"Linda has an absolutely beautiful voice! It was wonderful how she incorporated the stories of women from the Midwest region.”
(former) Mayor Carol Lombardi, Waukesha, WI
Linda has performed in schools, universities, museums, on television and radio, for unions and rallies, restaurants and clubs and countless women’s organizations and conferences. She has several music and literacy publications and CDs and a multilingual recording of songs: “Brave Songs/Cantos Bravos” to be available in 2009. “ She was the highlight of the conference…,” said elementary teacher Nancy Miller of Riverside, Illinois who attended Linda’s music and literacy session at the International Reading Association Conference, 2006.
To hear samples of Linda’s music, look her up at CDBaby.com
Availability: National
 
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Kate Campbell Stevenson Performance Description: Educate, motivate and inspire your audience with stirring musical theater featurng real Can-Do Women who exceeded the expectations of their time. Each 50- minute show Women: Back to the Future or Petticoats in Politics includes clever onstage costume and makeup changes creating magical transitions between historical periods. 3-4 women featured per show; Selections include Abigail Adams - First Lady, Sacagawea - Native American Guide, Lucy Stone - 19th Century Suffragist, Bessie Coleman - African American Pilot, Rachel Carson - Environmentalist- Award Winning Writer , Marian Anderson Singer/Humanitarian, Eleanor Roosevelt - First Lady of the World/Humanitarian, Louise Arner Boyd - Explorer who led SEVEN Arctic Expeditions!, Alice Paul - 20th Century Suffragist, Rose Crabtree - member of The 1920 All Women Town Council of Jackson Hole, WY. Juliette Low - Founder of Girls Scouts, Betty Ford - First Lady, founder of Betty Ford Center, drug and alcohol treatment Kate’s newest show Petticoats in Politics educates audiences to a vital yet neglected era of American history. Petticoats in Politics. Each woman portrayed in the context of her time with song, monologue, poetry, and movement. Optional Q&A after performance. The closing song includes American Sign Language. Shows are adapted to each audience. Excellent for schools K-12, College and University, Government, Military, Conferences, Conventions, Women and Civic Groups. Tours nationwide. In Forging Frontiers, Kate brings to life historic American women STEM leaders and highlights diverse contemporary STEM role models. Meet Rachel Carson - marine biologist, writer and environmentalist; and Louise A. Boyd who led SEVEN Arctic expeditions in the 1920's and 1930's! Forging Frontiers helps break through cultural biases, highlights inspiring STEM role models and encourages participants to further explore STEM classes and career options. "If you see it-you can be it!". Program adapts for audiences 8 years to adults. Availability: National |
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Jane Curry
Availability: National |
The Feminine Musique
Web: www.femininemusique.com
Email:: info@femininemusique.com
The Feminine Musique specializes in performing the vocal repertoire written by the wives, sisters, daughters, and lovers of some of the world's most famous composers... as well as some written by women who were not related to any of those guys! We offer a treasure trove of repertoire to explore along with our audience and think you will be surprised and delighted to find that there is indeed GREAT music written by the other 50% of humanity. Excellent for: Theaters, Concert Series, Arts Centers, Colleges and Universities, Museums, Conferences, Fundraisers, Women’s Organizations and Clubs. Both Recitals and Lecture Recitals are available with biographical and historical information, readings, letter quotations, and other pertinent facts about the composers’ lives. Q & A following the presentation if so desired. The Feminine Musique has appeared in Recital throughout the United States and in Lecture Recital at the International Conference for the Arts and Humanities in Hawaii. Donna Balson and Tammy Hensrud have performed in opera, concert and cabaret throughout Europe and the United States, as well as in China, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, New Zealand and Australia. Credits include the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Vienna State Opera, Stuttgart Opera, Frankfurt Opera, New York City Opera, Spoleto Festival, Festival of Sydney and Opera Australia. Their combined skills as musicians and performers bring sophisticated versatility to The Feminine Musique.
“ Donna Balson and Tammy Hensrud, employed their beautiful voices to perform a program full of wit, charm and musical knowledge. The audience greatly enjoyed the interactive quality of the evening and left asking for more.'
Robert Spiotto - Artistic Director, Astman International Concert Series
'Thank you so much for your beautiful and enlightening performance yesterday. I have heard nothing but RAVE reviews from all who attended.'
Chris Harman - Activities Director, Meadow Lakes, New Jersey.
Composers include: Alison Bauld, Amy Beach, Lili Boulanger, Nadia Boulanger, Francesca Caccini, Anne Boleyn, Maria von Paradies, Cecile Chaminade, Rebecca Clarke, Isabella Colbran, Lori Laitman, Libby Larsen, Alma Mahler, Maria Malibran, Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn, Thea Musgrave, Clara Schumann, and Pauline Viardot
Availability: Nationally
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Susan Marie Frontczak, Storysmith® "This is My Story" Eleanor Roosevelt during the Great Depression Hear Mrs. R’s views on how you can make a difference in the midst of a strife-filled world — views at least as relevant today as they were seventy-five years ago. |
Judith Helton
Americana Unlimited
7100 Colbath Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91405-3303
Phone: 818-785-6104
Email: helton1776@adelphia.net
Performance Description: If you could meet Abigail Adams, what would you ask her? You get your chance through this unique program, which is both scripted and improvisational. Abigail Adams: Revolutionary Woman has delighted thousands of adult and school audiences since 1976. Also available: Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House books, telling the stories of her childhood on the prairie. Plus, Lotta Crabtree, child performer of the California gold rush, featuring the music of that era. Judith Helton received a Lifetime Achievement Award from PASA (Professional Artists in Schools Awards) in 1996.
Availability: National
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Joy Jones |
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Pat Jordan |
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Kate Kelly |
Audiences will meet women like these:
- Alice Hamilton never gained full status for her teaching at Harvard because of her gender, and yet she contributed greatly to our knowledge of industrial toxicology at a time when workplace safety was seldom addressed.
- Dr. Rebecca Crumpler took care of African-American patients at a time when white doctors refused to treat people of color.
- Lillian Gilbreth, an efficiency expert (and mother of 12 who wrote Cheaper by the Dozen), was the first professional to address the handicaps of the injured soldiers who were returning from World War I.
- Clara Barton made a name for herself by founding the Red Cross after the Civil War. She may have made her greatest contribution, however, when she ran the country’s Office of Missing Soldiers where she systematically worked at identifying the war dead at a time before soldiers wore dog tags.
- Virginia Apgar made a major difference in mortality rates for both mothers and infants when she developed the Apgar Score for prioritizing the health needs of newborns.
These are just a few of the stories Kate tells in her speech “Health and Wellness in America: Little-Known Women Who Have Made a Difference.”
Please visit www.americacomesalive.com and contact Kate for more information.
Availability: Nationally
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Meg Kelly |
Nellie Bly: Journalist with a Heart has just returned from Europe at the end of WWI. In a newspaper career that spanned 30 years, Miss Bly inspired laws to protect the mentally ill, traveled across the world and broke both gender and journalistic barriers. Her career began and ended with columns that pushed for social change. |
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Judy Gail Krasnow |
Performance Description: Judy Gail Krasnow portrays a variety of women who have left their marks upon history. Her portrayal of Carry A. Nation, hatchet-wielding Temperance activist stirred audiences during the Oklahoma Chautauqua into shouting “Amens” and “Hallelujahs!” As Mother Nation she has inspired high school students to see the problems of the Temperance Era in their present era of drug, as well as alcohol abuse. In sharp contrast to flamboyant Carry Nation, Judy portrays the more restrained yet equally effective Rachel Carson, mother of the environmental movement and author of the world-shaking book, “Silent Spring.” This portrayal conveys the sense of wonder Rachel Carson felt about life and the importance of the interconnectedness of all living things.
Judy’s other portrayals include Civil War Union soldier and spy, Sarah Emma Edmonds -- alias Private Franklin Thompson. Having lived in Florida for many years, she presents the lives of pioneers Mary Barr Munroe, founder of Everglades National Park; Ivy Stranahan, “Little White Mother” to the Seminoles; and Mary Lily Kenan Flagler, wife of Henry Flagler, builder of Florida. A singer/songwriter, Judy also presents programs in story and song such as “Women in Labor,” with tales and tunes about the likes of Mother Jones and Clara Lemlich and “Women of Valor: Pioneers to Astronauts.” She adapts her programs to suit all ages from students to seniors.
Judy is the author of several books. Her latest, “Rudolph, Frosty, And Captain Kangaroo,” is an engaging memoir about her childhood growing up in the studios of Columbia records where her father, Hecky Krasnow, produced such classics as “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty The Snowman,” and the beloved Captain Kangaroo. Judy lives in Michigan’s First State Prison in Jackson (1838- 1934), now Armory Arts Village, a resident artists’ community. Here she gives historic guided tours and tells the stories of colorful former inmates, including those of women incarcerated in order to clean the cells for the men while the latter worked in the bustling factories during the height of the Industrial Revolution.
Availability: National
Robin Lane
66 Charles Street, PMB #112, Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 800-881-0349
Email: rlanesprod@aol.com
Website: www.robinlaneproductions.com
Performance Description: Actor Robin Lanes' remarkable portrayals of notable women have won her critical acclaim for over a decade. A trailblazer in the arena of the one-person show, Robin Lane dramatizes the lives of women from history and the arts, in venues both large and small, throughout the United States and in Europe. In Ladies First, Lane portrays first ladies Abigail Adams, Rachel Jackson, Julia Tyler, Mary Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt and Jacqueline Kennedy. Art collector Isabella Stewart Gardner is presented in Queen of Back Bay, and painters Artemisia Gentileschi, Mary Cassatt, Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keeffe in Artful Lives. Travels throughout the US.
Availability: National
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Michele LaRue (AEA, SAG-AFTRA; Charlotte Perkins Gilman Society, SSAWW, SSASS, C19) Performance Description: My repertoire of Tales Well Told brings America’s past to life with vibrant performances of vintage American literature. A professional actress, I tour with two dozen works by and about women, written during the Long 19th Century. Enthusiastic presenters range from colleges and universities, to women’s clubs and professional organizations, to libraries and historical societies, to corporations and the military. (Schools: recommended for grades 7 – 12 with preparation.) More than 300 sponsors include Chicago’s Newberry Library, DC’s National Portrait Gallery, NYC’s Womenkind festivals, and international conferences of the Charlotte Perkins Gilman Society, the American Quilter’s Society, and the Popular/American Culture associations.
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- Tales in Concert. Vivid performances of classic American short stories, from New England’s Sarah Orne Jewett to the South’s Kate Chopin, Alice Brown to Edna Ferber. Titles include Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s The Bedquilt, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman’s The Revolt of Mother, Kate Chopin’s A Pair of Silk Stockings, Edith Wharton’s Roman Fever, and Edna Ferber’s Representing T.A. Buck. Choose a Tale or two, to suit your audience and event.
Reviews (attributions/references on request): “It’s difficult to find the words to describe the wonder of what you do”; “We could have heard a pin drop!”
- Eve’s Diary. Gayle Stahlhuth’s remarkable adaptation of stories by Mark Twain. Flinging anachronisms every which-way, Twain created a captivating First Woman who embodied all the contradictions of his time and ours. Through Eve’s eyes, we discover Eden, the unknown world beyond . . . and the depth and complexity of love.
Reviews (attributions/references on request): “An actor’s tour de force.” “LaRue brings Twain’s Eve radiantly to life.”
- The Yellow Wallpaper. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s feminist indictment of 19th-century science and logic—one of the finest horror stories ever penned (1892). Two versions: Fully staged—with period costume, recorded Victorian music and sound effects. OR performed in concert style. Optional talk-back.
Reviews (attributions/references on request): “Extraordinary, haunting”; “incredible”; “moving and anguished portrayal”; “LaRue is as close to perfect as possible.”
Availability: National
Bonda Lewis
Performances Off the Shelf
PO Box 33094, Los Gatos, CA 95031-3094
Phone: 408-551-0474
Website: www.PerformancesOfftheShelf.com
Email: ravenscarapos@yahoo.com
Performance Description: Warriors Who Changed the World is series of shows exploring the lives of extraordinary women. The writer-activists are Louisa May Alcott, Isabella Bird, Amelia Jenks Bloomer and Sara Bard Field. Or treat your group to The Powder Keg, a trip through the exciting, unpredictable history of the heroic women who between 1811 and 1949 went from being camp followers to positions as commissioned officers, while nursing the armed forces. These professional, beautifully mounted one-person shows are a wonderful way to show audiences the courage, laughter and political realities of matchless heroes.
Availability: National
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Looking for Lilith Theatre Company
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- Women Speak: IRAQ “
Fantastic, riveting, powerful, balanced, amazing, incredible and brilliant.” This one woman show based on interviews with over 40 women with some connection to the most recent in Iraq, including U.S. Servicewomen, peace activists, blue star mothers and Iraqi women, explores women’s history in the making.
- Strangers/Extranjeras
"Heartwarming, humorous, unique, eye-opening, phenomenal, authentic, and a gift to the audience." This bilingual 2 person play tells the story of friendship between two very different young women, an optimistic U.S. volunteer and her generous Mayan host-mother in Guatemala.
- Educational Outreach
Q&A discussion are available after all performances. Also, a wide variety of residencies are available with our artists, who have over 90 years combined experience doing educational and community outreach with ages 3-93. These residencies can be connected to a performance or stand alone. One exciting possibility we offer is to work with your community to help them create their own performance based on themes of interest to them.
Availability: National
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Penny Musco |
STEAL AWAY is a one-woman show about a little-known migration of African Americans, first written and performed as part of the National Park Service’s Artist-in-Residence program.
Set in 1880, STEAL AWAY tells the story of Priscilla, a white homesteader who meets Abigail, a former slave who fled the South after the end of Reconstruction.
STEAL AWAY weaves together historical accounts of those who sought free land by taking advantage of The Homestead Act of 1862, and the significant but nearly forgotten movement of an estimated 20,000-40,000 blacks who headed elsewhere when the last of the federal troops were removed from the South. These African Americans called themselves Exodusters, likening their flight to the Biblical exodus of Moses and his fellow slaves out of Egypt.
The show’s title comes from the Negro spiritual of the same name. This song not only refers to “stealing away” home to heaven after death, but also could telegraph a slave’s intention to escape.
STEAL AWAY has been performed at libraries, colleges, senior living communities and civic associations in several states (read past reviews here http://www.steal-away.com/
2012 is the 150th anniversary of The Homestead Act, and the perfect year to schedule STEAL AWAY. The show also fits well with celebrations around Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday (third Monday in January), and during Black and Women’s History Months (February and March).
Penny is freelance writer with a B.A. in Theatre, and worked in radio for many years.
Please go to http://www.steal-away.com, http://www.steal-away.com/ for more information, and to view two short clips from the show.
Availability: National
Rita Parisi (SAG,AFTRA)
43 Merrimac Street
Amesbury, MA 01913
Phone: 978-430-1357
E-mail: ritaparisi@waterfallproductions.com
Website: http://www.waterfallproductions.com
Performance Description:
I, Zelda Musings from the First American Flapper: |
Teas in Time: Meet Mrs. Gordon, a fictional middle-class housewife from 1908 at one of her afternoon teas. She will regale you with humorous stories about her life and times during this interactive show. Several Teas in Times are available for different seasons:
Duration: 60-90 minutes with simple set and props |
Gothic Victorian Tales by Candlelight: Features a trio of weird tales from the 19 th century New England writer, Sarah Orne Jewett. This is not a reading but a theatrical storytelling presentation where the stories are acted out using the original words of the author. |
Rita Parisi has toured all over New England and recently in New Jersey. She has performed for senior centers, libraries, historical societies, museums, women’s groups, tea houses and in private homes. Her shows can be adapted to your space, and particular event needs. Block bookings encouraged. Just give her a call: 978-430-1357 or e-mail her: ritaparisi@waterfallproductions.com.
Availability: National
Anne Pasquale
Living History
120 Cabrini Blvd, New York, NY 10033
Phone: 212-740-6201
Website: www.livinghistoryprograms.com
Email: apasqnyc@aol.com
Performance description: Anne Pasquale's Living History Programs. Offers participational Women's History Programs for audiences of all ages. This year's show roster includes:
The Legendary Lady of The Overland, Calamity Jane
America's First Female Reporter, Nellie Bly
The Revolutionary, Deborah Sampson
Helen and Me, the Story of Annie Sullivan Macy and Helen Keller
Liberty Belles, Stories and Songs of Immigration
A free 45 minute walk-about is offered with every assembly. Or with any of our shows you can follow up with a 5-day residency ending in a final primary source presentation created and performed by all participants.
Live music, join-in re-enactments and historical fun, highlight every presentation.
The performers are body-miked and can accommodate audiences up to 500 in number.
Fees prior to travel are: $500.00 for a single program and $700.00 for two performances back to back.
Availability: National
Miriam Reed
One-Woman POWEFUL Women Productions
1320 Prospect Street
Ashland, Oregon 97520
Phone: 917 710-2354
Website: www.miriamreed.com
Email: miriam@miriamreed.com
Performance Description: Miriam Reed's dramatic performances have as
their text the letters and writings of the women she portrays, and in this way
she captures the very essence of these powerful women. Performances are for
eighth grade and above.
"Margaret Sanger: Radiant Rebel" comprises two acts, "1940" and "1916,"
and is a forty- or a ninety-minute show.
"Mrs. Stanton & Susan" is the story of the friendship between Elizabeth
Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and is a ninety-minute or two forty-minute
shows.
"Louisa May Alcottt: Living Little Women" explores the life of the
author of "Little Women" and is a forty-minute performance.
Fees start at $500 plus expenses but can be negotiated if additional
performances are given in the area.
Availability: National
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Lynn Ruehlmann |
Bobbe Schafer
PO Box 17
Powell Butte, OR 97753
Phone: 541-923-1854
Email: bobbe@teleport.com
Website: www.bobbeschafer.com
Performance Description: Aprons: Memories from the Past. If we listen to the stories that aprons tell, we can learn about women’s historical roles, fashion trends and twentieth century America culture. Using her collection of historical aprons and slides of vintage apron styles, Bobbe will share stories of women and their aprons. Bobbe has been delighting audiences throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Availability: National
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Kathleen Shimeta, Singer/Actor Performance Description: A tribute to an inspiring composer whose life and work were well in advance of her time, this one-woman show retrospective of Canadian/American composer Gena Branscombe’s life showcases the romantic beauty of her exceptional music. |
Miss Branscombe’s life was filled with family and music. Over a century ago, she was a working mother with four daughters who became a renowned composer and conductor with the help of her dedicated husband. Gena was an integral part of the New York City music scene during her lifetime and was the founder and conductor of her own women’s chorus, the Branscombe Choral. Remembrances of her personal story told in the first person are filled with humor, tragedy, music honors and performances for Kings and Presidents all intertwined with 15 of her beautifully melodic songs. This is an evening of entertainment, enchantment and inspiration!
Kathleen Shimeta and Martin Hennessy were superb and quite unique in their presentation of Life! Love! Song! A Visit with Gena Branscombe. It was a well researched and very thorough performance of the life of this overlooked and talented Canadian woman composer ! Truly Gena-rific!
Robert Spiotto, Artistic Director, CommunityArts Programs
Executive Producer, Hofstra University Entertainment
“Captivating" was the term audience members used most often to describe Kathleen's wonderful portrayal of Miss Branscombe and Martin Hennessy's piano accompaniment. The show was a joy to watch as well as being very easy and rewarding to produce. William Wickham - Founder and Director - Cantata Singers of Elmira – Festival of Women in the Arts
The interpretation of the music by Kathleen Shimeta accompanied by Martin Hennessy was pleasing and captivating at the same time, with the audience responding warmly and enthusiastically. It was truly an emotional and heart-warming experience for all of us. I hope many people will become aware of this marvelous treasure of Gena's music in the very near future. Elizabeth Leif – Producer, Quincy, MA
Availability: National
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Amy Simon - SHE'S HISTORY! The Most Dangerous Women In America, Then And Now... Performance Description: Click here for three minutes of SHE’S HISTORY! THE LADIES IN THE SHOW |
Amy Simon is brilliant - one of the best shows I have seen. This was absolutely terrific and important for all girls and boys to see! Thank you, thank you! So wonderful… looking forward to future installments. This is important work.
Everyone should see this fantastic history lesson. Amy is bright, spontaneous, funny and right on. I want to bring everyone I know for her next showing.
One of the best shows I have seen. Everyone needs to experience this theatre presentation of our "History of Women" who did so much for the present day woman!
Great job Amy! Good attention to facts, great weaving of ideas, convincing acting = a moving performance!
Thank you for the enlightening show – better than 20+ years of school.
Thanks Amy – You pulled it off! Great work!Ellen Dubois, Renowned Women's History Author and UCLA History Professor
Thanks so much! For Herstory! You have brought the courage and brilliance of our fore sisters alive…”Martha Wheelock - Ishtar Films and Harvard Westlake Women's History Professor
Great show Amy – informative, engaging, inspiring!Paula J. Caplan, Harvard University
Thank you for an entertaining and informative romp through women’s history. We enjoyed it a great deal!!Catherine Atwell, Dept. Of History, Marlborough School
Availability: National
Ellen Emory Snortland
2450 N. Lake Ave. #112, Altadena, CA 91001
Phone: 626-798-8421
Email: Ellensnortland@mac.com
Website: www.snortland.com
Website: www.beautybitesbeast.org
Performance Description: "Now That She's Gone"
Gloria Steinem says, “Ellen says I’m the “grandmother” of this play, but I’m not crazy enough to think that it was my planting of a seed when in fact it is her enormous talent… She has a gift for being serious and funny, making you laugh and understand at the same time. The first time I saw it, I brought two friends who were visiting New York City from Kenya — a mother and a daughter — to see it, and they loved it too; it’s universal.”
"Now That She's Gone" is a one woman play (performed either as a staged reading or theater production) that explores Ellen Snortland's often wacky, irreverent and sometimes torturous relationship with her Norwegian-American mother. "Now That She's Gone" has been described as a Lily Tomlin / Garrison Keillor / Eve Ensler hybrid… passionate, poignant and funny in turns. A memoir piece with the woman's movement, Eleanor Roosevelt, sex, drugs and lutefisk, the play and performance have received rave reviews and standing ovations in California, New York, and Washington, D.C. Snortland’s singing voice is amazing too.
Availability: National and International
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Pippa White Availability: National |
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Barbara Joan Zeitz, M.A. Performance Descriptions: Zeitz is a women’s historian/gender equity analyst/author with a BA in Spanish and MA in Women’s Studies from Roosevelt University in Chicago. A former ESL instructor, Foreign Exchange Coordinator, and founder of Gender Perspectives, LLC, her online column is in its tenth year and her first book, A Thesaurus of Women From Cherry Blossoms to Cell Phones, was published in 2012 with her second book planned for release in 2014. |
She has convened with women nationally, in Sweden, Spain, Africa, Japan, Belize, Mexico and the UAE; is a member of the American Association of University Women, Illinois Woman’s Press Association, National Federation of Press Women, Chicago Women in Publishing and Zonta International; is an amateur astronomer/eclipse chaser who lives in the greater Chicago area.
HerHistory presentations promise to surprise, amaze, inform, educate, delight and never disappoint. Each of her seven individual PPT programs is designed to enlighten, inspire, and empower as she uncovers for you the rich and buried treasures of women’s history, your history.
- Lost in Translation: Unveils gender-biased rhetoric in biblical literature but gender-neutral rhetoric in the Gnostic gospels, as it respects all religious beliefs.
- Sex & Suffrage: Exposes a scrupulous look at gender imbedded in passage of the 19th Amendment noting women’s right to vote was denied not won.
- Civil Rights Women: Meet the women whose activism pre-1960’s paved the way for lunch counters, busses, blacks, whites, Brown v Board of Ed, civil rights that men then championed.
- Gender in the Court: Scrolls down a litany of how law and gender have long intertwined in disparity in America’s legal traditions, from 1662 Virginia and early U.S. Supreme Court decisions to Lilly Ledbetter, cross-examining Justices and gender justice.
- A Hull of a House of Women and Peace: Reveals women and their-initiated social reforms of the early 1900’s that govern today as OSHA, Social Security, FDA, etc. It celebrates America’s first female Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Jane Addams.
- International Women’s Day: REVISED PRESENTATION! A journey from mid-1800s global events of how emboldened women’s struggles for voting rights, and labor legislation in sweatshops, led to an annual day uniting every woman, every where, every year, to women who now vote, serve in elected office globally and work in international businesses. Historic businesswomen and elected women of the past are spotlighted to inspire the history-making women of today.
- She Didn’t? Oh Yes She Did!: Highlights women direct from Barbara’s first book with glimpses of women to be in her second and introduces without hesitation or apology the bold, brave, often foolhardy, women who have been there and done that when gender challenges were even greater than today. Meet and get to know the women behind accomplishments most likely you already know very well.
Availability: National