New Jersey Performers
Kati Beddow Brower
Local Commotion Walking History
PO Box 34
Hazlet, NJ 07730
(732)583-3984
Email: walkinghistory1@yahoo.com
Website: www.localcommotionwalkinghistory.com
Description: Experience the "Miss"tory of American History.
Participate in an anti-slavery meeting, converse with Harriet Moses Tubman, reminisce with a Plymouth Pilgrim, keep quiet secrets only spies know and much more! Kati’s Local Commotion integrates performance with education going beyond the scope of history text.
Presentations poignantly recreate the women who opposed the injustices of slavery and demanded civil rights for all. Local Commotion instills in its audience a deeper understanding of our past and how it shapes our future. Kati’s programs are not just theater, but a sophisticated educational tool.
Music to the Ears! Local Commotion's Music programs: We now have many types of American Music presentations from Blues to Jazz and early Rock . Come and share some time with some of the great women vocalists - Ma, Bessie, Alberta, Ida, Sippie, Ella, Dinah, Billie, Janis, Big Mama, Nina, and many more! Kati and her band of great musicians take you through a number of classic songs their history and the women who sang them.
Availability: NJ
Sally Matson
23 William Street, Andover, MA 01810
Phone: 978-749-9908
Website: www.susanbanthonytheinvincible.com
Email: ssmatson@gmail.com
SUSAN B. ANTHONY-THE INVINCIBLE
She fought for all of us. The feisty activist comes to life--circulating petitions, getting arrested, and challenging legislators. The play, filled with her wit and righteous fury, deals with angry mobs, the fight for abolition, the Civil War, 15th Amendment, trips through the West, women's rights, and woman suffrage. Despite setbacks, she continued to believe, "Failure is Impossible!" Miss Anthony would be proud that millions voted, but disappointed that we are still fighting for equity for women and minorities.
Matson is a NH and VT Chautauqua performer and has appeared in 13 states. She performed at Hofstra University prior to the 2008 presidential debate. Come to be entertained and inspired.
Available: MA, CT, NY, RI, NH, VT
National Performers
Jenny Aldrich
2019 Chippawa, Sarasota, FL 34234
Phone: 941-735-1260
Email: costars@comcast.net
Website: www.costars.net
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 In an accessible and inclusive way, In Our Right Minds™ explores the goddess archetype as a metaphor for our right-brain wisdom. Without an understanding of this archetype, women have been left with no clear model to guide them to their strength and wholeness, and men have been forced to suppress vast parts of their own intuitive, emotional and nurturing natures. Leadership for a new era will be based on the integration of the feminine, as expressed through both women and men. “The Mother has left a memory in us all.” |
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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
Carrie Sue Ayvar
1829 NE 179 St., N. Miami Beach, FL 33162
Phone: 305-945-4804
Website: www.storynet.org/tellers/CarrieSueAyvar.htm
Website: www.writeonspeakers.com/carrie_sue_ayvar.htm
Email: cayvar@aol.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 Watch an interview with Roberta Bassin about "Amelia Earhart: In Her Own Words" Availability: National, CA |
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Bernhardt on Broadway: The Musical Performance Description: If you like Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers, you’ll love ‘Bernhardt on Broadway.’ ‘Bernhardt on Broadway’ has great melodies coupled with lyrics that rival those of Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin and Lorenz Hart. Playwright, composer, lyricist and lead Carol Dunitz has crafted an extraordinarily engaging, no holds barred exposé about Sarah Bernhardt, the daughter of a courtesan who overcame countless obstacles to become the most famous woman in the world. Before mass media and modern travel, Sarah Bernhardt ingeniously master marketed her meteoric rise to superstardom to become the WORLD’S FIRST SUPERSTAR. She traveled the globe including nine extended tours of the United States from 1880 to 1917. Bernhardt was the undisputed queen of drama during her lifetime and the first performer to star in a full-length silent film. It is said she almost single-handedly revolutionized the place of women in the theater. Her bravery and bold abandon have become the archetype of successful women to this day. Lady GaGa, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren and countless others stand on the shoulders of Sarah Bernhardt. |
Now audiences can once again experience the wonder of Madame Sarah in the tour de force, ‘Bernhardt on Broadway.’ The show opens with Bernhardt welcoming the audience to her drawing room, a warm and cozy setting for the audience to become rapt in intimate self-disclosures via story and song about the actress’ legendary life.
I was floored by the intimacy of the script. I felt like Madame Sarah was a close friend who was revealing secrets to me that she could not possibly share with anyone else. The music is divine -- memorable melodies that always complement the subjects they deal with. And Carol, she is larger than life whether she is confiding a private thought or belting out a chorus that draws the audience in and makes it hers. We at Maxim’s feel very fortunate to have hosted the world premiere of ‘Bernhardt on Broadway.’--Allen Nichols, Manager Maxim’s: The Nancy Goldberg International Center, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs
‘Bernhardt on Broadway’ by Carol Dunitz captures the essential character of Sarah Bernhardt and serves up the divine spirit of the woman and artist on a plate decorated with toe-tapping tunes. The memory of the melodies floated back to my mind the day after first hearing them. 'Bernhardt on Broadway' more than delves into the artist behind the advertising; the show engulfs you in the sweeping passions that drove Sarah to seek the world’s love. Adoration abounds in every anecdote. Savor the story and enjoy the essence of the woman who enthralled theatergoers in yesteryears and still enchants audiences today.--David W. Menefee, Author, Sarah Bernhardt: Her Films, Her Recordings
Availability: National
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Dr. Barbara Bernstein Bowie, MD However in this lively all-ladies Latin dance team, ladies step up to the plate and learn this material themselves, demonstrating that women can lead very capably, too! The phenomenon of women leading partnership dances reflects their changing role in society. In the spirit of "art imitates life," DanceInTime brings you a presentation in which ladies embrace all the roles that are played by Latin dancers. |
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. Availability: National |
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Jane Curry
Availability: National |
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Lisa Frederiksen 275 Belmont Avenue |
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The 160+ Year Campaign for Women's Rights: Are We There, Yet?
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Who would have guessed that the struggle for a woman's basic civil rights -- equal pay for equal work, access to an equal education, legal protection from sexual harassment and domestic violence, the right to practice birth control, the right to sit on a jury and before a jury of her peers, the right to work during and after pregnancy, the opportunity and right to play competitive sports and the right to own one's own property or secure one's own credit without a male co-signer -- "officially" began in 1848. Or that the legislation to mandate these rights took until the last one-third of the 20th century. Or that legislative and societal efforts to erode some of those basic civil rights are underway, today. And, what is the impact of that erosion -- not only on women, but on men, daughters, sons and the American family?
Frederiksen takes attendees of her program through the highlights of this campaign using a dynamic PowerPoint presentation and readings from three of her biographies, Women's Rights and Nothing Less: the Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Failure is Impossible, the Story of Susan B. Anthony and Women's Work: the Story of Betty Friedan. As a woman who "came of age" during the legislative period of the 160+ year campaign for women's rights and a parent to six teens now facing their own futures, Frederiksen brings a unique perspective to the program's concluding discussion, "Are we there, yet?"
Feedback
"Your dynamic presentation took the audience down a lively history path and kept the participants captivated." - Elizabeth JoyceFreeman, Director, Department of Veterans Affairs, Palo Alto Health Care System
"'Professional,' 'Relevant,' 'Interesting' and 'Insightful,' are just a few words that describe the training that Lisa provided for us. She grabbed the attention of more than 500 Soldiers and held it for the duration of her presentation. On behalf of the Soldiers of Fort Gordon, Thank you!" - Richard W. Mitchell, Equal Opportunity Specialist, Fort Gordon, Georgia
"Lisa is well organized, thorough and a wonderful presenter. She kept the audience interested and actively involved….I would highly recommend Lisa Frederiksen... to anyone who is looking for an energetic, enthusiastic and well informed speaker." - Jill S. Zupancic, Student Life Coordinator, The Office of Student Life & Activities, Brookdale Community College
"As a presenter, Ms. Frederiksen... was outstanding, organized, clear and enthusiastic. The military and Department of the Army civilians absolutely loved her presentation." - John E. Winkfield, Director Equal Employment Opportunity, National Training Center and Fort Irwin, CA
"Lisa Frederiksen... is well researched in women's history and her dynamic PowerPoint presentation is wonderful, filled with information and visually compelling. Her passionate lecture brings warmth and humor into the discussion throughout her presentation as she concludes with, 'Are We There, Yet?'" - Georgia Schall, Co-Program Vice-President for program co-sponsored by AAUW Marin Scholarship Fund and Dominican University Department of Politics and International Studies and Women & Gender Studies Program
Women's Equality Day
Women's Equality Day was declared a national celebration in 1971, fifty-one years after the 19th Amendment was ratified. Why then?
Lisa Frederiksen uses the history of women's suffrage, exploring a map of the 72 year effort and its successes and failures, state-by-state, against the backdrop of the status of women's rights from 1971 - present. Frederiksen brings in a brief historical review of other American grassroots efforts for equal suffrage and civil rights (including those of America's founding fathers, African Americans, Jewish Americans, Japanese Americans, Native Americans...) to explain the continued need to celebrate Women's Equality Day as a reminder of the advances still necessary and of our citizenry's ability to use grassroots advocacy and the right to vote to affect real change.
For more information visit www.lisafrederiksen.com
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. What We Are Fighting For" "Hammering Out Human Rights" “Manya” "Mary Shelley Speaks" "Meet Irene"
One-hour programs include a 40-min monologue in-character, a Q&A with the historical figure and a Q&A with the scholar/presenter. Two-hour programs available for Curie and Roosevelt. Availability: Nationally |
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 Amelia Earhart: Fearless Aviator & Advocate for Women’s Rights. Critically-Acclaimed! Nationally-recognized one-woman presentations include: National Portrait Gallery, White House Visitors’ Center, NJ Humanities Council sites, U. S. Navy, Colonial Dames of America, University of Pennsylvania, and scores of schools, universities, retirement centers, libraries, historical societies, businesses, conferences and fund-raisers. Availability: National |
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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. Each character has been carefully researched and the information shared is historically accurate. The presentations last about 45 minutes and can be followed by Q & A sessions both in character and out. The ladies are quite comfortable in museums, libraries, conference rooms, or on stage. Meg has been performing various versions of these characters for more than 10 years. She has brought the ladies to schools, museums, libraries, government agencies, senior citizen centers, and a variety of private organizations. Meg has worked professionally as an actor for over 25 years and is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Theatre Arts at Towson University. Availability: Nationally |
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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: Bringing America’s past to life . . . one story at a time. Ÿ A professional actress, I tour with a repertoire of vivid performances from America’s Long 19th Century. Ÿ 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.) Ÿ Three hundred sponsors to date 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 Well Told . Vibrant solo performances of vintage American short stories, from New England’s Sarah Orne Jewett to the South’s Kate Chopin, from Alice Brown to Edna Ferber. Titles include Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s The Bedquilt, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman’s The Apple Tree, Kate Chopin’s A Pair of Silk Stockings, and Edna Ferber’s Representing T.A. Buck. Choose a Tale to suit the season or your theme.
eviews (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 medicine—and one of the finest horror stories ever penned (1892). Fully staged—with period costume, recorded Victorian music and sound effects. 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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Sylvia Mendoza Performance Descriptions: Journalist Sylvia Mendoza is the author of The Book of Latina Women: 150 Vidas (Lives) of Passion, Strength and Success, an important historic perspective on Latino women who have made significant contributions in the arts, politics, science, entertainment, sports, education, and history. The book was selected for the 2007 California Collectionfor High Schools by the California Readers Association. |
Recognized as a 2006 “Woman of Distinction” at California State University, San Marcos for her contributions in promoting awareness of gender issues, Sylvia is an advocate for promoting the power of the written word and diversity, literacy, and women's empowerment through education. With certification in Women’s Studies from San Diego State University and in Copyediting from University of California, San Diego, her workshops and lectures target women’s/girls associations, multicultural studies programs, writers, students, & business professionals. S he has appeared on C-Span’s Book-TV, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Book Expo America,The Essence of Latinas Tour, and presented at The Young Writers’ Conference, Southern CA Writers’ Conference, La Jolla Writers’ Conference, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and various women’s conferences.
In 2011, Sylvia launched Mendoza Communications, Writing & Editing Services, which helps clients develop non-fiction works, manuscripts, web site content, articles, newsletters, press releases, dissertations, corporate publications and other projects.
Sylvia served as parenting columnist for Siempre Mujer magazine. Articles have appeared in Hispanic Outlook, Uptown, OurCity San Diego, Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, Writers' Journal, San Diego Writers' Monthly, Decor & Style, Living Better, Kids' Wall Street News, and Hispanic. First place awards for Journalistic Excellence include Non-Daily Reporting/Multicultural Stories from the Society of Professional Journalists and for non-fiction (The Book of Latina Women) from National Federation of Press Women. Her novel, Serenade, won a prestigious Latino Literary Hall of FameAward.
Sylvia is president of Southern California Media Professionals, and member of the Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Professional Editors’ Network, San Diego Press Club and National Women’s History Project—always promoting the power of the written word.
Availability: National
Penny Musco
173 Willowdale Avenue
Montclair NJ 07042-4335
Phone: (973) 783-0387
Email: penny@pennymusco.com
Websites: http://www.pennymusco.com, http://www.steal-away.com
Blog: http://www.pennymusco.com/
lifelessonsfromthenationalpark
Performance Description:
STEAL AWAY: THE STORY OF A HOMESTEAD AND AN EXODUSTER
“You took us to another place and time with this powerful story. I would strongly recommend STEAL AWAY to libraries, schools and other organizations looking for an entertaining, informative and moving program!”
Carol Anderson, Teaneck, New Jersey librarian
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:
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I, Zelda Musings from the First American Flapper: Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, now widowed from F. Scott Fitzgerald, finds herself sifting through the remnants of her life in the attic of her mother’s home in Montgomery Alabama. Each relic she touches brings back haunting memories and people from her past revealing to the audience the real woman behind the legend of “The First American Flapper”. 70 minute one-woman play with set, lights, props and costumes. |
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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 |
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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. Duration: 45-50 minutes with simple stage lighting, set, props and 10 minute talkback afterwards. |
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 Taking on different entertaining, energetic characters in telling each story, Lynn transports listeners back in history. Winning Women Spy! The Story of Civil War Spy Elizabeth Van Lew This show is about a Virginian who was such a passionate abolitionist that she fell into spying for the Union during the Civil War, even though she lived in the Confederate Capitol. The CD of “Spy!” won two national awards. Steadfast and Spirited: Stories of the American Revolution reenacts Deborah Sampson (a female Patriot soldier in the war), Peggy Shippen Arnold (Benedict Arnold's Loyalist wife), and Phillis Wheatley (slave turned published poetess). "It Happened in the White House" Availability: National |
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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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 Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm, Abigail Adams Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, The Grimke Sisters, Julia Ward Howe, Nancy Pelosi, Pat Schroeder, Gloria Steinem, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher, Katie Couric, Eleanor Roosevelt, Betsy Ross, Sally Hemmings, Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley, Lucretia Mott, Anne Hutchinson, Mary Dyer, Harriet Tubman, Margaret Fuller, Dolley Madison, Annie Oakley, Alice Paul, The Pankhursts, Betsy Ross, Mrs. Banks, Lilly Ledbetter, Sojourner Truth, Frances Wright and Victoria Woodhull She’s History! is also a curriculum related Interactive Middle School Program consisting of a fun short audio/visual presentation followed by a scripted and improvised re-enactment performed by student volunteers with Amy narrating and directing. See website for details. Amy Simon is an actress, playwright, improviser, published writer, producer, mother, and self-proclaimed Cultural Herstorian. She has been acting in and producing theater for over fifteen years. Her play Cheerios in My Underwear (And Other True Tales of Motherhood) holds the record as the longest running solo show in Los Angeles. Amy writes, blogs, performs and entertains on the radio, online, and onstage. SHE’S HISTORY! is fiscally sponsored by the Women’s Museum of California (http://www.womensmuseumca. |
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 Performance Descriptions: Pippa's one-woman shows have been touring nationally since 1995. She has performed in 30 states, at universities, conferences, museums and performing arts centers. Into Possession of Myself features Florence Nightingale, Clara Barton, and Dorothea Dix. Angels and Troublemakers introduces audiences to Jane Addams, Nellie Bly, Mother Jones and the wild Carry Nation. Not all Pippa's history shows revolve around famous women. Consider Voices from Ellis Island, Voices from the Resistance, The Story of the Orphan Train, Woman's Work, and Saints, Soldiers and Spies, Women and War. Pippa even has a 2-person musical about songwriter Dorothy Fields. Availability: National
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