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532 BCE
The Beginning of the Problem
Greek theater can be traced back to roughly this time with the performance of tragic plays. Women were not allowed to be on stage, so men performed the roles of female characters. Women were not allowed to be on the stage because it was considered dangerous. The Greeks believed that allowing women to perform publicly would be too dangerous and that having men portray them neutralized the danger. (fairygodboss.com) (nctheatre.com) -
1500
Opening The Stage
In the early 16th century woman were finally allowed to be on stage. More plays started to call for woman roles. Although they were allowed on stage women still faced many challenges. It was considered inappropriate for women to perform on stage. Many women's parts were still replaced by men. Men often were insecure and believed that women had no place to star in or write plays. They believe that women were not as equally smart and talented as themselves. (The Essential Theatre pg 248) -
1500
The Struggles of the Opera
Despite this new development, female Opera singers still faced many unjust challenges. It was commonly deemed inappropriate and unchaste for women to perform on stage. Women’s Soprano parts were often replaced by a type of male performer known as the Castrati. The purpose of the Castrati was to try and achieve the quality of a woman’s pitch without allowing females to actually perform in Opera productions. (womensmuseum.wordpress.com) -
The Writing begins
Women started to write plays more frequently, although even those sufficiently successful to have won a Pulitzer prize have received limited historical recognition. Nearly 400 years after Shakespeare's death, feminism has finally made its stage entry at the riverside theatre in London, after Nell Leyshon was named as the first woman to write a play for the vast circular stage. (Essential Theatre pg 248) (www.independent.co.uk para. 2) -
First out of Seventeen
Only 17 woman have won the Pulitzer Prize. The first woman to win the prize was Zona Gale in 1921. Gale won the award for her Play "Miss Lulu Bett". Gale first won attention for her short stories set in the fictional town of Friendship Village. Published in 1908, Friendship Village proved very popular, and she went on to write a series of story collections set in the town. (newyorktheater.me) (wisconsinhistory.org) -
Theaters For Woman
The theater community finally found it acceptable for women to write plays but the writers were having a hard time getting their work into theaters. A number of theaters were formed to present the works of feminist writers. In the past few decades, the number of theaters devoted to addressing the needs and concerns of women and to provide greater opportunities for women in the performing arts has grown considerably. (Essential Theater pg. 249) -
"Getting Out"
Marsha Norman's first play "Getting Out" was voted the best play by the American Theatre Critics Association in 1977. She is best known for "Night, Mother" which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1983. Norman wrote several plays including the book and lyrics for the Broadway musical " The Secret Garden". She also won several Tony Awards for several for her plays. She also wrote the libretto for several musicals. (The Essential Theatre pg. 249) -
"Crimes at Heart"
Beth Henley gained early critical acclaim for her play "Crimes of the Heart" winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1981. The play focuses on the lives of three sisters. The play begins with the news that the younger sister has shot her husband because she did not like his looks. Henley had several more successful plays including "The Miss Firecracker Contest" and "Impossible Marriage" and "The Jacksonian". (The Essential Theatre pg 249) -
The First to Win
Wendy Wasserstein (1950-2006) is best known for her play "The Heidi Chronicles". The play won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize and was the first play written by a woman to win a Tony Award. The play is set in the 1960s and ends in the 1980s. It traces the changes the main characters have to face in the political and their personal lives. Mostly focus on how the woman's movement was failed and succeed. She has written several different plays that have succeeded. (The Essential Theater pg. 249) -
Influence the Young
Paula Vogel who began writing her plays in the 1970s began to draw man stream attention with her play "The Baltimore Waltz". The play was the winner of an Obie Award. The most famous play she wrote was "How I Learned to Drive" a play about sexual assault and harassment. The play focuses on Lil Bit and Uncle Peck and how Uncle Peck teaches Lil Bit to drive but sexually harasses Lil Bit. She has influences American Theatre by teaching at Brown University. (The Essential Theatre pg. 251)
