I've been fortunate enough to see a lot of live theatre the past couple of weeks due to the number of outdoor summer productions and the NYC Fringe Festival!  I've been to 2 shows as part of the fringe, one show at the company I'm part of (As You Like it at The Secret Theatre) and 2 outdoor classical productions (Peer Gynt with Gorilla Rep and The Bacchae with the Public Theatre) in less than two weeks!  I especially love attending the outdoor productions as the environment we're in becomes an additional aspect to the show that adds (or distracts!) from the rest of the production.  When I attended The Bacchae, not only did a raccoon dart on stage early in the show, what was the most dramatic moment of the performance was interrupted by another raccoon (or was it the same???) that was foraging directly beneath my feet for food!  Although it might not have been an ideal circumstance for viewing that classical tragedy, it was definitely an experience I will never forget!

Was incredibly inspired last night!  The Women's Project, New Prospectives and League of Professional Theatre Women hosted a panel and discussion about striving for women's equality in the theatre (pay and presence) by the year 2020.  Seven women with various perspectives working in the theatre (critics, producers, a historian, and a political figure, for a start) shared their experiences and raised issues that we need to work on to achieve a more balanced presence in the theatre community.  We then brought into groups to brainstorm action items that we can all do to move in this direction.  I want to encourage everyone to attend plays written, directed and produced by women and put your donations behind female theatre artists so that ALL of our voices and perspectives can be heard!


(me with Milly Barranger, professor and theatre historian)

I had such a fabulous time on the rest of my trip home to Iowa!  Allison and Ryan's wedding was beautiful...sitting under the shady trees at the winery witnessing their marriage with friends from college was so special, and introducing friends from New York to the corn maze was a riot!  The final scorecard for the week: weddings - 2; coffee visits at Grandma's - 10; novels read - 2; cups of corn canned for winter - 56; ears of corn eaten - at least 2 dozen!