Last year Disney Theatrical Group launched Women’s Day on Broadway to spotlight women’s stories and galvanize the fight for gender equality in theater. According to Playbill, the convention will return for its second edition March 12 at the St. James Theatre. Playwrights Theresa Rebeck (“Bernhardt/Hamlet”), Heidi Schreck (“What the Constitution Means to Me”), and Young Jean Lee (“Straight White Men”) and “Hamilton” actress Mandy Gonzalez will be among its many participants.
Schreck will provide the opening remarks with her “What the Constitution Means to Me” co-stars Rosdely Ciprian and Thursday Williams. Rebeck, Lee, and Gonzalez will engage in the respective panel discussions “Stage, Screen and Studios,” “Spotlighting Marquee Women,” and “A Conversation: What It Takes to Be a Changemaker.”
The event will also feature presentations concerning the number of women working in theater, closing remarks by Tony-nominated director-choreographer Graciela Daniele (“Ragtime”), and more.
“Sustainable change happens in meaningful steps over time, all of which is more achievable if there is a community that can gather to share their experiences and be there for each other,” said Anne Quart, event co-producer and Disney SVP. “Our goal for this year is to have an authentic dialogue about where we are in terms of women in theater and where we want to be.”
The full itinerary for Women’s Day on Broadway 2019 is below, courtesy of Playbill.
Full Itinerary for Women’s Day on Broadway (1PM–5PM):
Welcome
What the Constitution Means to Me playwright and star Heidi Schreck and her co-stars Rosdely Ciprian and Thursday Williams
The Numbers
Julia Jordan, executive director and co-founder of The Lillys, briefly shares the organization’s statistical findings about where women in theatre currently stand—because the numbers say it all.
Panel 1: “Spotlighting Marquee Women”
Scenic designer Christine Jones (The Cher Show), playwright Young Jean Lee (Straight White Men), playwright Dominique Morisseau (Ain’t Too Proud), and director Leigh Silverman (The Lifespan of a Fact), moderated by Maria Manuela Goyanes
A discussion with women creators making a splash on Broadway this season.
Spotlight on Organizations for Gender Equality in the Arts
Panel 2: “Stage, Screen and Studios”
Composer-lyricist Anaïs Mitchell (Hadestown), writer Theresa Rebeck (Bernhardt/Hamlet), and producer Paula Wagner (Pretty Woman), moderated by Theater Talk host Susan Haskins
With perspectives from Mitchell, who comes from the music industry, Rebeck, who works across theatre and television, and Wagner, who has produced blockbuster films in Hollywood, what ideas from those segments of entertainment can we apply to theatre?
INTERMISSION
Panel 3: A Conversation: What It Takes to Be a Changemaker
Serino Coyne’s Leslie Barrett, director Adrienne Campbell-Holt (Hatef*ck), actor Mandy Gonzalez (Hamilton), facilitated by Fly Loft Group’s Michele Steckler
As this panel examines what it takes to be a changemaker, Women’s Day attendees can take part by completing a questionnaire at WomenOfBroadway.com/question.
Spotlight on Organizations for Gender Equality in the Arts
Panel 4: “Employing Change”
Ambassador Theatre Group’s Kristin Caskey, director Lear deBessonet (Hercules), The Shubert Organization’s Dessie Moynihan, and casting director Tara Rubin, moderated by The John Gore Organization’s Lauren Reid
The final conversation of the day will address practical ways to create more opportunity and visibility for women in theatre.
A message from Anne Quart
Closing thoughts from ten-time Tony-nominated director-choreographer Graciela Daniele (Ragtime, Once On This Island)
