 |
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
SPOTLIGHT
ON THE ARTS - May 2004 by Deanna Mascle The Woman's Side of the Story
“Pleiades was started by four actresses/directors approximately nine years ago. As one of the founders, it was my goal to tell women’s stories. That mission has expanded now and that is good,” explains founding member Charlotte Hammett Hammett Hubrich. “Now, we include in our mission to forward the career of women artists and interns in the Kentuckiana area. We have showcased playwrights’ new works from Louisville and Southern Indiana.” In 1995, the Pleaides Theatre Company was created by core members of the Boat House Troupe, which existed from 1990-95. Preliminary meetings demonstrated an interest in creating opportunities for women artists in theatre. The group aggressively searched for additional artists, a new mission, and a new name. The theater is named for the Pleiades, of Greek mythology. According to legend, the seven daughters of Atlas were turned into a group of stars that are part of the constellation Taurus. Although Pleiades began with a core group of four, today’s leadership has expanded to include a 15-member board that includes both men and women. The board is a diverse group whose professional fields include law, politics, education, activism, business, and marketing and advertising. Hammett Hubrich describes Pleiades as a feminist theater company, but that does not mean they exclude men. “While most of our directors and designers are women, we also employ men in some of those positions. I would call us a feminist theatre company by the same definition given by NOW. To paraphrase NOW, we believe in equality for both women and men socially, politically, and economically.” The theater’s March production of Alison’s House, by Susan Glaspell, is an example of how the mission works. Written by a woman, the play was directed by Georgette Kleier. However, the set was designed by her husband, Michael Hottois. While the plot of Alison’s House is a tribute to Emily Dickinson, the central theme of the play is relevant to all as it focuses on a family’s struggle to choose between keeping secrets and sharing a cache of poems discovered in a dresser drawer 18 years after Alison’s death. The theater group stages three productions a season, with offerings as diverse as: A...My Name is Still Alice, Tapestry: The Music of Carole King, Spinning into Butter, Mrs. Wiggs and the Cabbage Patch, and Immigrant Women: Our New Commonwealth. Pleiades also recently expanded its mission to include honoring those who have made significant contributions to the arts. The first award presentation, Salute to Seven Sisters, was made March 11 when seven women – just as the Pleiades represent seven sisters – were honored for their outstanding contributions to the arts. These included arts teacher Pat Allison, founder and producer of the New Works Festival; storyteller Nana Yaa Asantewaa, executive director of the Louisville Arts Council; teacher and performer Mitzi Friedlander, the first recipient of the Didymous Award for narration of a thousand titles of Talking Books for the Library of Congress; Chair of the Speed Art Museum Board Sherry Jelsma, also chair of the Kentucky Center Board; the first Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of the Arts, Crit Luallen; theater artist Adele O’Brien; and co-founder of the Blue Apple Players Geraldine Ann Snyder. Over the years, the theater group has worked to expand its mission and its reach. Not only does the board intend to serve today’s theater community, but tomorrow’s as well. The Pleiades Theatre Company’s intern program is designed to provide young women in grades 9-12 with an opportunity to work directly with theatre professionals in the areas of sound, lighting, stage-management, marketing, props and costumes. Each intern is assigned to a professional mentor for the duration of a production. The theater group also hosts period workshops for directors and actors, with the most recent being a Weekend Directors’ Workshop in March 2003. Some of the local playwrights Pleiades has produced include: Sallie Bingham, Jennifer McMaster, Connie Alexander, Victoria Norman-Brown, Valerie Smith, Joanne Gower Wilkerson, Valerie Smith, and Carridder Jones. “Louisville needs the Pleiades Theatre Company for the same reasons that every city needs at least one strong women’s theatre company,” says Lucy Freibert, director emerita. “For centuries, in all parts of the world, the theatre, like all sectors of society, has been male-oriented. In the 19th century, women began to be recognized as playwrights as well as actors, and in the twentieth century, as directors and producers. However, few successful women’s theatrical companies have been long-lived. Because the theatre mirrors life in the most immediate fashion, and is always pushing the envelope in portraying human interaction, it is extremely powerful in perpetuating or in changing social conduct. By fulfilling its mission, Pleiades can be an agent of empowerment for women.”
Deanna Mascle is a
staff writer for The Lane Report. |
|
|
|
|
Copyright 1996-2004, by Kentucky Business Online. All rights reserved. Editorial content is copyright 2004,
Lane Communications Group The Lane Report is a trademark of Lane Communications Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
The Pleiades Theatre Company’s mission is simple: Theatre about women... by women... for everyone. However, its accomplishments are rich and varied.
“To forward what I see as an egalitarian mission, we also hire men in our company. The stage manager for Alison’s House was Bob Zelinski. Our scene designer was Michael Hottois, the production director for University of Louisville Theatre department. Since three of the four founding members graduated from the U of L Theatre graduate program, it was especially gratifying to welcome Professor Hottois from our alma mater,” continues Hammett Hubrich. “I see part of our purpose to equalize the roles of women and men in theatre, which then translates, hopefully, as a template for egalitarianism in our society.”
Fulfilling Pleaides’ mission of giving more opportunities to a variety of women artists, the Stars of the Future New Play Festival was instituted in the 1997-98 season. Each year new plays are commissioned as well as solicited from the public. Submissions of new plays of any length that examine social, political, aesthetic, or philosophical issues of importance to women are accepted year-round. The Stars of the Future features playwrights, most of them women and most of them local to the Kentuckiana area.