"I am a woman, I am an artist": A League of Professional Theatre Women

The Drama Book Shop presents, in association with Jay Michaels Global Communications, "I am a woman, I am an artist": A League of Professional Theatre Women - A talkback, signing, and live podcast recording.

About the books:

The Whole Megillah: A Purim Spiel for Grown Ups (Jenny Lyn Bader) A king makes an outrageous request of his wife, an ambitious networker social-climbs through a royal court, and advisers conduct an empire-wide search for a new queen that makes The Bachelor look like a junior prom. First staged on zoom, then adapted for the stage, and now available in adult and kid versions in one acting edition, The Whole Megillah offers a new spin on an ancient tale — revealing bits of the bible they don’t teach in school and the absurd challenges faced by women then and now.

The Goddess of Hygieia (Michael angel Johnson) is a ten-minute play that dramatizes a moment in the lives of two women who are historically important: Edmonia Wildfire Lewis (c. 1843 -1917), who is the first woman of African American heritage and Native American heritage to earn an international reputation as a visual artist (sculptor), and Dr. Harriot Hunt (1843 - 1907), who is one of the first women physicians. Edmonia visits Dr. Hunt at her clinic called the “Ladies Physiological Society of Boston,” where these two strong-willed women test each other to determine their worth in relation to their professions and in relation to their commitment to the future.

Sharing Lessons Learned While Seeking the Spotlight (Lynnie Godfrey) Lynnie Godfrey initially doubted she had much to share until her editor, Bethsheba Monk, encouraged her to document the pivotal episodes of her life. Reflecting on her journey, she recalled the influence of her parents, Fred and Maggie Godfrey, who instilled in her a strong sense of responsibility and persistence. Her experiences studying with legends like Lloyd Richards, Eubie Blake, and Norman Lear were unmatched gifts.

This reflection led her to write, not as a strict guide, but as a way to help readers recognize the signals that guide them toward success. Godfrey believes that while there's no single path to success, certain elements—combined with faith, blessings, and nurtured talent—lead to a fulfilling career in the arts. She hopes her work will inspire others to recognize their strengths and weaknesses and move forward with greater self-awareness. For Godfrey, life has been a wonderful journey, and she embraces the gift of life and career, sharing it with others as she looks forward to the future.

Emily Mann: Rebel Artist of the American Theater (Alexis Greene) traces the life and art of playwright and director Emily Mann, from when she was a youngster in Northampton, Massachusetts, through her three decades as artistic leader of the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey. The biography reveals the challenges Emily faced and overcame as a woman in a profession and a world that tended to hinder what a woman could achieve. I write about her plays, her directing and her personal life. And as I wrote for the back cover, "My chief goal has been to write the life of a woman who created unique art and along the way has wrestled with, learned from, and overcome personal trauma and illness. For centuries, the lives of women have been hidden: buried in diaries, letters, and in the day-to-day tasks that women undertook but few observed. This biography of Emily Mann brings one more woman's life into the light."

Most Of It Was Beautiful is a personal history told by Patricia Di Benedetto Snyder, founding director of The Empire State Youth Theatre Institute, the first state-created theatre for young audiences in America. The Empire State Youth Theatre Institute had a strong educational mission: to use live theatre as a catalyst for interdisciplinary learning. The company, consisting of teacher-artists and teacher-technicians, was dedicated to making the arts a part of young people's education. Half-way through its history, the Theatre's name was changed to The New York State Theatre Institute. The Institute toured all sixty-two counties of New York State, and also produced two productions on Broadway and numerous ones off-Broadway, ultimately serving more than nine million young people, their families and their schools during the course of thirty-six years. The Theatre was an advocate for cultural exchange, hosting both individual artists and exchanges with other companies, from Canada, the USSR, Israel, Jordan, Italy, France, Hungary, England, Sweden, Scotland, and Czechoslovakia--helping young audiences discover that many of us in the world share the same aspirations.

About the Authors:

Jenny Lyn Bader is a playwright and author living in New York City. Her plays include Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library (59E59 Theaters), In Flight (Turn to Flesh Productions - Workshop Theatre), and None of the Above (Lion Theatre, Theatre Row). Digital productions include Strange Happenings at the School Library, co-authored with Martine Sainvil (Luna Stage); Guru of Touch (Edinburgh Festival Fringe); Consent (Equity Library Theatre); Communal Table (Broadway Podcast Network); and Tree Confessions (This is Not a Theatre Company, starring Kathleen Chalfant), an audio play that has streamed on 5 continents in 3 languages. She has received honors including the Athena Fellowship, Randall Wreghitt Award (TRU), “Best Documentary One Woman Show” Award (United Solo), ThinkFast Fest’s audience award, and the O’Neill Center’s Edith Oliver Award for the playwright who, in the spirit of the late New Yorker critic, has a “caustic wit that deflates the ego but does not unduly damage the human spirit.” A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard, she has been a Lark Playwriting Fellow (nominated by Wendy Wasserstein) and was a frequent contributor to the New York Times Week in Review. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc., the Authors Guild, Honor Roll, and the League of Professional Theatre Women. For more, see www.jennylynbader.com

Michael angel Johnson’s plays have been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, Amherst, New Haven, and other places across the U. S. The Price of Solitude was a finalist in the National Ten-Minute Play Contest at Actors Theatre of Louisville. The Apartment earned Michael angel the honor of special participant at the O’Neill Theater Center. Her screenplays: Seasons was semi-finalist in The Chesterfield Writer’s Film Project; The Letters was a semi-finalist Writemovies.com; The Tower received Honorable Mention at the Los Angeles Film and Script Festival; and Wild Fires was finalist at the Hollywood Black Film Festival. Her essays and stories: “The African American Woman Who Shaped the Future of Art” (On The Issues Magazine); “The Echo” (Persimmon Tree); “ and "A Basket of Biscuits” (On The Issues Magazine). Michael angel has worked with the 52nd Street Project as a director, writer, and dramaturg. She is a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, New York Women in Film and Television, and Honor Roll! She is an Associate Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (New York), where she developed and teaches their AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE course. She is a graduate of The Yale School of Drama in Playwriting. www.michaelangeljohnson.com

Lynnie Godfrey is a versatile talent, excelling as a performer, director, and producer. Trained by Broadway's Lloyd Richards and Dr. Chauncey Northern Sr., her Broadway debut in Eubie! earned a Drama Desk nomination. She has received the Tyrone Guthrie Award for directing, NAACP recognition for producing, and several acting awards, including an Audelco for Shuffle Along. Her recordings have garnered Audio Earphones, Benjamin Franklin, and Grammy nominations. Godfrey is President of the League of Professional Theatre Women and CEO of GodLee Entertainment, Inc. Her podcast, "LYNNIE GODFREY...STRAIGHT NO CHASER," explores the arts' societal impact. Notable stage roles include Aunt Esther in Gem of the Ocean and Lola in Damn Yankees. She's also appeared in TV shows like "227," "Amen," and "L.A. Law." Godfrey authored LYNNIE GODFREY: SHARING LESSONS LEARNED WHILE SEEKING THE SPOTLIGHT and remains active in various professional organizations.

Alexis Greene's love for theater began in her youth, sparked by Broadway musicals like Peter Pan and The Pajama Game. Though she acted in high school and college, her career took a different path when she earned a Ph.D. in Theater. Greene taught about women in theater, wrote for TheaterWeek and American Theatre, and co-founded Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of America, serving as its first president. As literary manager for the George Street Playhouse, she discovered a passion for interviewing theater artists and writing books, including The Lion King, Pride Rock on Broadway (with Julie Taymor) and Lucille Lortel, The Queen of Off-Broadway. Greene also authored the biography Emily Mann: Rebel Artist of the American Theater. She is currently working on a pictorial history of the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.

Patricia Di Benedetto Snyder pioneered the integration of theatre arts into interdisciplinary learning at SUNY Albany in 1968, leading to the establishment of the Empire State Youth Theatre Institute in 1974 under New York State law. As Director, she produced over 225 plays and musicals, many of which toured nationally and internationally. Notably, she became the first American producer to tour a theatrical production in the Soviet Union post-1986 cultural accords. After retiring, she and her husband founded iTheatre Saratoga, co-producing notable works like Kunstler. Patricia has received numerous accolades, including an Emmy Award, a Medallion Award from the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America, and an Honorary Doctorate in Public Service. She holds advanced degrees from Syracuse University and New York University and continues to serve in leadership roles within the theatre community.

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