Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

Culinary Choices in Culver City

Jessica Doherty — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 15:58:00 -0700

B = PRE-MATINEE BRUNCH
D = PRE-SHOW DINNER
S = POST-SHOW SNACKS/DRINKS

AKASHA (B | D)

9543 Culver Blvd. 11:30am-9pm Tues to Sun; Closed Mon.

AKASHA offers a seasonal American menu crafted with locally sourced and sustainable ingredients for brunch, lunch, and dinner. Get a 10% discount when you show your Kirk Douglas Theatre ticket to your server!

ARTH BAR & KITCHEN (B | D | S)

9531 Culver Blvd. 11:30am-10pm Mon, Wed, Thu, and Sun; 11:30am-1am Fri and Sat; Closed Tues.

Arth Bar & Kitchen is an “Indian-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar.” For a 10% discount, bring your ticket from the Kirk Douglas Theatre production you are seeing!

THE AULD FELLA (B | D | S)

9375 Culver Blvd. 11am-1am Mon to Sun; Sunday Brunch 10am-5pm.

The Auld Fella is a “reimagined Irish pub experience for today,” with “better food, booze, and craic” than you have at home.

CAFÉ VIDA (B)

9755 Culver Blvd. 9am-4pm Mond to Thu; 8am-4pm Fri; 8am-5pm Sat and Sun.

Enjoy California-inspired brunch and lunch options, including salads, salmon tacos, and scrambled eggs at Café Vida, with a 10% discount when you show your Kirk Douglas Theatre ticket!

CITY TAVERN (B | D)

9739 Culver Blvd. 11:30am-9pm Wed to Fri; 10am-9pm Sat and Sun; Closed Mon & Tues.

City Tavern has a “casual, yet refined menu...of shared plates, satisfying entrees, and delicious desserts.” Receive a 10% discount when you show your ticket from a Kirk Douglas Theatre show!

LILLIE’S AT THE CULVER HOTEL (B | D)

9400 Culver Blvd. 3pm-10pm Mon to Fri; 10am-10pm Sat and Sun.

Lillie’s at the historic Culver Hotel is a bistro and garden lounge where patrons can enjoy “the casual elegance of European Café culture through a California lens.”

MEET IN PARIS (B | D | S)

9727 Culver Blvd. 11:30am-9:30pm Mon; 11:30am-9:45pm Tues to Thur; 11:30am-10:30pm Fri; 9am-10:30pm Sat; 9am-9:30pm Sun.

Meet in Paris Restaurant & Lounge is an all-day French bistro, with daily and happy hour specials.

Get a 10% discount when you show your ticket from the Kirk Douglas Theatre!

PICCALILLI (D)

3850 Main St. 5pm-10pm Mon to Thu; 4pm-11pm Fri and Sat; 2pm-9pm Sun.

Piccalilli is a “Cali-Asian restaurant with pre-prohibition cocktails in a vibrant space. Receive a 10% discount with your ticket from the Kirk Douglas Theatre!

ROCCO’S TAVERN (D | S)

3843 Main St. 12pm-1:30am Mon to Sun.

Rocco’s Tavern is a sports bar offering burgers, beers, and bar appetizers daily.

RUSH STREET (D | S)

9546 Washington Blvd. 5pm-9:30pm Mon to Wed; 12pm-10pm Thu; 11am-11pm Fri & Sat; 11:30am-9pm Sun.

Rush Street is a New American restaurant, bar, and lounge inspired by the famous Chicago strip of bars and restaurants of the same name. Receive a 10% discount with your Kirk Douglas Theatre ticket.

SESTINA (B | D)

9725 Culver Blvd. 4pm-9:30pm Mon to Thu; 12pm-9:30pm Fri to Sun.

Sestina is a plant-based/vegan pasta bar concept restaurant in Culver City. Receive a 10% discount when you show your Kirk Douglas Theatre ticket or program!

SIMONETTE (B | D)

3927 Van Buren Pl. 7am-3pm Mon and Tues; 7am-10pm Wed to Sat; 7am-9pm Sun.

Simonette is a French- and American-inspired all-day café inside the Palihotel Culver City. Get a 10% discount when you show your Kirk Douglas Theatre ticket!

UGO CAFÉ (B | D)

3865 Cardiff Ave. 12pm-9pm Mon to Fri; 10:30am-9:30pm Sat; 10am-9pm Sun.

Ugo Café is an award-winning Italian restaurant serving fresh pasta and the only The Associazione

Verace Pizza Napoletana certified authentic Neapolitan pizza on the Westside. Get a 15% discount when you show your Kirk Douglas Theatre program or ticket!

Rising From the Ashes

Jessica Doherty — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 15:07:00 -0700

WLCAC was founded in 1965 by Ted Watkins, who fled from a lynch mob in Mississippi to Los Angeles as a teenager in the 1920s. Early activities included neighborhood cleanups, youth jobs, senior meals, agriculture, housing, and multiple local businesses. In 1971, WLCAC purchased a seven-acre tire retreading factory, converting it from a polluting industrial site into a community and shopping center, with headquarters for programs that served thousands and housed hundreds of Watts residents. It featured a home improvement store and the area’s only toy store. In 1992, during the L.A. Uprising, Ted’s life work was burned to the ground. The organization rebuilt the physical structure of the center, adding spaces for community gatherings, theatre, and an immersive educational tour about the history of racism and the Civil Rights movement with replicas of a slave hold and Reconstruction Era dwelling.

“I look around and it’s entrenched with beautiful, Black history,” Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 actor Lovensky Jean-Baptiste said of the WLCAC and the murals of influential Black artists, activists, politicians and more on the walls. “I get to walk into a space where Black people are celebrated and that’s beautiful to me...it just makes me proud and happy about coming to work.”

“The fact that [WLCAC] welcomes us is a form of radical hospitality I wish more places had. That’s what I feel in the spirit of this place.” Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 Playwright Anna Deavere Smith said of the organization.

The Center Theatre Group “Twilight” Meet and Greet at the Watts Labor Community Action Committee on Feb. 7, 2023 in Watts, California. (Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging)

In rebuilding the organization’s physical home, WLCAC restructured its focus and mission as well. The WLCAC now focuses on recreation, healing, and housing programs–both on the property and off. It is still run by the founder’s family–President/CEO Timothy Watkins—who was interviewed for the original production of Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 thirty years ago. His daughter, Tina Watkins Quaye, leads the grant writing department, but is also a historian of the space and organization. Quaye led the cast and creatives on a tour through the WLCAC on the first day of rehearsal.

“There’s something sacred about being connected as human beings and knowing that...in some way we are all affected [by the L.A. Uprising] because the remnants of disinvestment in Watts are still here. So, bringing [Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992] to a building that was resurrected after that ruin and having a platform to tell the stories of people who were directly impacted is so special,” Quaye said.

Rehearsals took place in the Phoenix Hall theatre. The symbolism was not lost on Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 Actor Hugo Armstrong. “This is a place that literally burned to the ground and the Phoenix rises and continues to rise,” he said. He felt it was a testament to the resilience of humans and the ways they can become better over time.

Spring Break Realness

Bobby Martinez — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 16:10:00 -0700

Trails and Fun at Griffith Park!

Griffith Park Observatory. Photo by Cameron Venti

The hustle and bustle of the city can be exhilarating, but sometimes it’s nice to find a more quiet and tranquil area within the concrete jungle. Start the day off with a hike at Griffith Park, an area with both urban wilderness and landscape parkland, that has something for everyone. The Fern Dell Nature Trail is often the most popular place to go, hiding a secret stream from the rest of the city. The recycled creek keeps Fern Dell vibrant and green, with fish and turtles swimming peacefully through the water. The trail will lead you all the way to The Trails Café, giving you the perfect opportunity to enjoy a bite in the quiet retreat of the trees. (Estimated Time: 30 minutes – 2 hours)

If you’re up for more, you can continue your hike all the way to the Griffith Observatory! Some of the trails can prove to be a challenge, so if you’re like me and would rather Uber to the top, fret not. This is a judgement-free zone, and the Observatory is worth the trip! Spend some time learning about the stars around us, as you navigate the different exhibits of The Observatory. See how much you’d weigh on Jupiter at the Gunther Depths of Space exhibit or learn more about the skies above at the Ahmanson Hall of the Sky exhibits. The Observatory lets us visit the stars, but sometimes the stars visit The Observatory, such as when Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone filmed the Oscar-nominated film La La Land. (Estimated Time: 2-3 hours)

Spend an Afternoon Exploring Downtown L.A.

Exterior of The Broad Museum. Photo by The Broad

With the heart of Los Angeles just down the street from the Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum, why not spend the afternoon exploring the historical and unique sights that downtown has to offer. Start your afternoon at The Broad, the renowned museum that offers free general admission, as well as the exclusive exhibit, Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away (2013). It’s the perfect photo op to show off on Instagram, and an amazing opportunity to admire historic art, from William Kentridge to Andy Warhol. (Estimated Time: 2-3 hours)

After exploring some of the finest art, take a ride on the historic Angels Flight Railway, a short trolley ride between Hill Street and Grand Avenue that has appeared in film. This historic site used to function as the transportation for the old surrounding neighborhood, but now serves as the perfect mode of transportation to the Grand Central Market. (Estimated Time: 20 minutes)

Inside the Grand Central Market. Photo by Grand Central Market

To finish off the afternoon, why not grab a bite at one of downtown’s bustling food markets, the Grand Central Market. Full of food, art, music, and people, this community hub gives you a look at the diversity all around you, so enjoy a meal, enjoy the sights, and have fun! (Estimated Time: 2-3 hours)

Weekend at Catalina Island

Though it seems oceans away, Catalina Island is a part of L.A. County, and a great place to have a weekend getaway. Board your ship at San Pedro, Dana Point, or Long Beach port and make your way to Catalina, where hotels, food, and sights await you. Spend a day seeing the sights on a Bison Expedition, where you adventure into the island’s rugged landscape, and see the peaceful bison graze and roam free. Or brave the oceans and enjoy the marine wildlife, including dolphins and sea lions! Finally, end the night at one of Catalina’s beautiful restaurants. The island has much to offer, so we recommend spending the weekend there. After all, where else can you be with the stars one moment and on an island the next? (Estimated Time: 1-2 days)

Breaking Barriers: Phylicia Rashad

Bobby Martinez — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 16:29:00 -0700

Phylicia Rashad was born on June 19, 1948, in Houston, Texas. At the time, racial segregation was legal within the United States, which was a notable and hostile experience for Rashad as a child. “It wasn’t like people loved the color of your skin,” Rashad told Oprah Winfrey while reflecting on her upbringing. Rashad’s mother, Vivian Ayers – a Pulitzer Prize-nominated artist – knew she wanted to protect her daughters from their segregated environment. She moved with her daughters to Mexico City, where Rashad recalls how people “loved the color of [her] skin.”

Rashad eventually returned to the United States to continue her education. After graduating magna cum laude from Howard University, Rashad began her professional career on Broadway, including understudying Deena Jones in Dreamgirls (1982) and playing a Munchkin in The Wiz (1977). She continued to perform on Broadway in various productions f, and Gem of Ocean. In 2004, Rashad made history as the first Black woman to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Lena Younger in the 2004 revival of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. In 2022, Rashad won her second Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play as Faye in Skeleton Crew.

Rashad has been featured in many Broadway productions as an actress, but has also explored her artistic ventures through directing. At the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Rashad revisited and directed The Ebony Repertory Theatre production of A Raisin in the Sun. She found the production to be a good opportunity to be more “seasoned with the work,” enabling her to “find new insights” and make the story “deeper and richer.” She has since ventured further with Center Theatre Group, directing a multitude of productions such as Immediate Family (2015), August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (2013), and, most recently Blues for an Alabama Sky (2022).

In addition to a legacy in theatre, Rashad has made a name for herself in TV and Film. She is best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show but carries other career-defining credits such as For Colored Girls..., Steel Magnolias, and the FOX TV series, Empire. In 2008, Rashad reprised the role of Lena Younger in the TV film adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun, which starred the core members of the 2004 Broadway revival. For her work, Rashad received the 2009 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie.

Rashad has implemented herself as a legacy in theatre and entertainment, but the actress and director has also continued her commitment to education. She returned to Howard University in 2021, when she was appointed as the dean of the university’s College of Fine Arts. Though Rashad faced the realities of segregation in the United States early in her life, she worked hard to challenge those barriers, using art and performance to elevate herself and her community.

“A Bit of Earth” in and around Los Angeles

Jessica Doherty — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 17:50:00 -0700

Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge

This “urban retreat” is just 20 minutes north of Downtown Los Angeles, with 150 acres of year-round blooms from native California plants, one of the largest collections of camellias in the Western hemisphere, and an oak woodland. There’s also an enchanted railroad that travels along the promenade for guests young and old.

Rose Garden, Los Angeles (Exposition Park)

Just a short ride away on the Expo Line from both The Music Center and the Kirk Douglas Theatre is the Exposition Park Rose Garden, a seven-acre sunken garden park featuring 20,000 roses. This garden is a small oasis in the middle of Exposition Park, surrounded by many museums, the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, and the University of Southern California.

The Huntington Botanical Gardens, San Marino

With 16 gardens spread across 130 acres, there is much to explore at The Huntington. Travel across the globe through the Australian, Chinese, and Japanese gardens.Or stop by the Shakespeare Garden featuring flowers from some of Shakespeare’s greatest works and sonnets—perfect for theatre and literary lovers alike! While you're there, stop by the library and pick up a copy of the 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, which inspired the musical, to read when you get home?

James Irvine Japanese Garden at JACCC, Los Angeles (Little Tokyo)

A 20-minute walk from The Music Center to the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center will lead you to the James Irvine Japanese Garden. This garden is known as “Seiryu-en,” or “Garden of the Clear Stream,” perhaps for its 170-foot stream that flows from a waterfall and divides into two paths, ending in a calm pond. The stream’s journey tells a story–the path of the water is meant to symbolize the journey of Japanese generations in America — the Issei generation’s hardships in a new land, followed by the political and cultural conflicts of second generation Nisei individuals, and, finally, peace for the Sansei and future generations.

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, Arcadia

The Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia features 127 acres of plants and trees. View the San Gabriel Mountains framed by Magnolia trees in the Meadowbrook Garden, learn about water conservation from the Mediterranean plants in the Water Conservation Garden, or indulge in the sights and smells of the Herb Garden. The garden is also an official wildlife sanctuary with small reptiles, mammals, aquatic creatures and both resident and migratory birds — like peacocks!

Amir’s Garden, Los Angeles (Griffith Park)

Just as Mary tends to the secret garden she finds; Amir’s Garden is another testament to the work and care an individual has for tending to the land. Amir Dialameh spent 32 years hiking up to the location of his garden, planting rose bushes and jacaranda trees in an area scorched by a major brush fire. Since he passed away in 2003, volunteers have kept the garden alive today. It is accessible only by foot, serving as a resting spot for hikers who journey up the trail from the Mineral Wells Picnic Area.

Wrigley Mansion, Pasadena

This mansion serves as the headquarters for the annual New Year’s Day Rose Parade and has a 4.5 acre flower garden of its own. The garden features more than 1,500 varieties of roses and flowers, including the Tournament of Roses Rose, which is a pink variant that is resistant to black spots, white powder, and rust that was specifically developed for the Tournament of Roses centennial. Thursday tours of the property start in February and wind down in August each year.

South Coast Botanic Gardens, Palo Verdes Hills

The South Coast Botanic Gardens are one of the first gardens in the world to be built over a sanitary landfill, reclaiming the 87 acres of land into a lush, urban oasis. Explore the desert garden, with plants from the United States, Africa, and South America, the Banyan Grove of Moreton Bay Fig trees, or some of the 110 different types of fuchsia in the fuchsia garden. There is also a sensory garden, designed for guests to touch and smell the plants featured there.

Breaking Barriers: A’raelle Flynn-Bolden

Jessica Doherty — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 17:20:00 -0700

Flynn-Bolden knew she loved theatre from the time she was an elementary school student in Sherman Oaks. She was one of the only Black students in her class—but theatre helped her feel like she fit in. “One of the only places I felt like I could fit in was on a stage—singing, screaming—and I followed it my entire life,” she said. “I found humanhood in this work where I didn’t find it off the stage.”

But despite the universality of theatre’s themes and stories, the industry itself can be less open minded. For a time, Flynn-Bolden was only getting cast as “monsters, mothers, or men.” Despite loving some of these roles, there was more she was capable of and interested in. “I was never thought of as an ingénue or any ‘delicate’ type of character, I was resigned to either speak to the masculinity of a character or the maternal nature of something,” she said.

Flynn-Bolden has a great deal of experience in anti-racist theatre practices both at Center Theatre Group and in other organizations in Los Angeles. Along with a group of Los Angeles theatre artists, Flynn-Bolden co-drafted the LAARTS—The Los Angeles Anti-Racist Theatre Standards. Inspired by the We See You, White American Theater demands published with a national lens in 2020, the LAARTS helped bring actionable change on a local level. She has also worked with the BLKLIST, a BIPOC created and led mechanism of accountability through community oversight and transparency in the Los Angeles theatre scene. They provide searchable documentation on the statements made and progress of nearly 130 theatre companies across Los Angeles. This documentation is inspired by Victor Hugo Green’s Negro Motorist Green Book to “track where safety and value may or may not lie for BIPOC and other marginalized theatremakers, based on information that’s publicly available and by also asking institutions to share certain data that relates to anti-racism and equity progress.”

At Center Theatre Group, Flynn-Bolden is a member of the Accountability Team, which was formed to hold the company, especially company leadership, accountable for the progress of anti-racism work and other equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives. It comprises a diverse group of up to seven staff members, representing a variety of departments, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, and career levels. The Accountability Team also worked to reframe and refocus workgroup recommendations and their implementations. Center Theatre Group’s Commitments to Change were created in 2020 in response to national conversations around racial justice. These commitments were accompanied by a letter of demands from BIPOC staff members, from which many initiatives across Center Theatre Group stem.

“At CTG, you have a group of predominantly BIPOC folks and queer folks who have been given the voice and agency to have more say, more responsibility, to enact the changes that are really needed,” she said while reflecting on the work of the Accountability Team. “It’s an agency that a lot of the folks in the room haven’t necessarily gotten thus far.”

Flynn-Bolden recognizes the work of other trailblazers who have sustained this work as well. “I’m taking place in a long line of folks that have looked to bring all of us into theatre,” she said.

Her hope through all her work is to find a more sustainable theatre industry for everyone.

“I hope for a reimagining of what this art form is,” she said. “At any moment, we can break it down and rebuild it, a fearless endeavoring towards showcasing real humanity—the gritty of it, the ugly of it, the honesty of it.”

Flynn-Bolden says her work is “intimately tied” to not just her livelihood, but to the next generation.

“Whatever intersection we are, we are working to facilitate this new foundation while actively living underneath the old one. Because what choice do we have?” she asks. “I think about the other little third grade kid who’s finding their humanhood on stage. They’re directly intertwined.”

Crafting Belonging

Bobby Martinez — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 21:12:00 -0800

Enter the Auntie Sewing Squad (yes, she knows the acronym spells A.S.S.), a group Wong formed on Facebook for a communal cause. Make masks, save lives, and hold on. The group consisted of individuals from across the nation. Representing the Aunties in an interview with Center Theatre Group, Brenda Valdez, Marjan Vayghan, Badley Licked Bear, and Wong’s mom, Gwen, came together to recount their experiences with the Overlord.

Most of the Aunties had no former connection to one another, but many of them embodied skills that would prove to be useful for the group.

Valdez holds 35 years of service in the medical field as a nurse, which was her inspiration for joining the mask-making group. She tested positive for COVID-19 during the first weeks of the lockdown and was unable to help her community directly at work. Valdez joined the Auntie Sewing Squad to help combat the pandemic while recovering at home.

As a college professor, Bear knew they were going to be involved with the group from the beginning, as their institution was engaged with triage. Their work consisted of supporting the Navajo Nation with the distribution of personal protective equipment.

Operating her own professional sewing shop and art studio, Vayghan was prepared to use her space to help create masks for those in need. With the world around them in chaos, the call to action was not an option, but a necessity—both for the country and themselves.

Others had begun making masks independently but found the group in their collective efforts. Vayghan for one, had the materials necessary to create the masks on her own, but found that joining the group aided her in feeling less alone. Their collective efforts reminded her that everything was, going to be okay.

For the Aunties, loneliness was a factor of the pandemic that the Sewing Squad directly combatted. They never felt lonely at all, but instead consider themselves the lucky ones. Within their group, the Aunties were able to form a sense of community online, regardless of the events occurring outside their homes. Bear echoed these sentiments, sharing that there [wasn’t] a single day where [they] felt [they] had a lack of purpose. Wong shared the Aunties sentiment, describing the group as a whole family now in my life. Their mutual desire to help those in need unified the would be total strangers.

In addition to combatting loneliness, the group was a source of strength for the Aunties. Through their collective efforts, every member felt that they were able to take initiative and create change. This was important for their work, as they navigated internal and external challenges, such as collecting materials and maintaining their own health. But even with obstacles in their way, the Aunties worked hard to make and deliver masks, supporting the vulnerable communities around them, such as unhoused people and Indigenous people living on reservations. Together, as a whole…we made it all work. Valdez shared while reminiscing on the group’s accomplishments.

Though their main goal was to make masks for those who couldn’t access them, the Aunties were able to take care of one another through their own internal mutual aid. For Wong, it was important to ensure Aunties [felt] appreciated for what they had to bring. She noted that there were people who did not sew but were able to contribute in other forms. They were great at making meatballs…or taught yoga classes on Zoom. That was important as part of our lifeline. she shared.

The Aunties were able to make hundreds of masks that were distributed across the nation, but the group has since officially retired. Still, members of the group have gone on to continue their work in mutual aid, after finding inspiration within the Sewing Squad. But the stories and connections Kristina and the Aunties made are forever immortalized in Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, showing that unessential people can, in fact, be the lifeline in time of crisis.

Breaking Barriers: Marsha Norman

Bobby Martinez — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 17:04:00 -0800

Born in 1947 in Louisville, Kentucky, Norman described her childhood as isolated, which she notes as a positive attribute for a future writer. She attended Agnes Scott College for her bachelor’s degree and received her master’s degree from the University of Louisville soon after.

While working with young children and adolescents in mental health institutions, Norman was influenced by the stories around her, leading her to her first play, Getting Out. Inspired by a 13-year-old girl Norman had worked with,Getting Out follows Arelene, a female prisoner who returns home and attempts to lead a normal life while balancing her past experiences. Getting Out had its West Coast premiere at the Taper in 1978.

The show premiered Off-Broadway in 1979, winning the Outer Critics Circle Award and leading Norman to move to New York City. Following the success of Getting Out, Norman continued to write, eventually finding critical acclaim and recognition in her next play, ‘night, Mother. Dealing with the subject of suicide, the show follows Jessie, a daughter planning her suicide, and her mother Thelma, who unsuccessfully attempts to reason with and understand her daughter’s intentions. The play received four Tony Award nominations, winning both the Tony Award for Best Play and the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Despite her success, Norman received scathing reviews for her next play, Traveller in the Dark, causing Norman to shy away from theatre and turn to writing screenplays, including the 1986 movie adaption of ‘night Mother starring Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft. Despite the harsh criticism, Norman ultimately did return to theatre. She wrote the book and lyrics for The Secret Garden, which garnered the Tony Award for Best Book in 1991 and is a part of the Ahmanson 22/23 Season.

Although Norman has worked tirelessly for her accolades, the award-winning playwright had to blaze trails and persevere against those who didn’t believe in her. In a conversation with Playbill, Norman recalled a meeting where she left the room after becoming enraged by comments made by her colleagues. The playwright was withdrawing from a collaboration but voiced that she still hoped to be involved with the production conversationally.

A male colleague responded, “Well, at least you'll get to say whether your stuff gets us hard or not.”

The experience was not new for Norman. The playwright has since dedicated her life to making the playwriting industry more equitable for women. She is a founder of the Lilly Awards, which honor the work of women in American Theatre while also improving their working conditions.

For Norman, the solution to these barriers is to get into the control center of how choices are made. She finds that, in order to uplift the work of women, it must be made abundantly clear that their work is breathtaking and needs to be done.

Norman cites multiple factors for the lack of plays by women on Broadway–including industry leaders working with the same people repeatedly, and the belief that works by women do not make money. She notes that female writers find difficulty creating their art when raising a family, but questions why women are conditioned to feel that they must make a choice between their careers and their homes.

“If somebody said to you in advance, 'Do you want to have children or be a playwright [what would you say]?'...The demands are simply so much more difficult for women in those early childbearing years” she shared while reflecting with Playbill. “Men don't have to make this choice, and women shouldn't have to make this choice either.” The solution? Norman finds that the issue of family and work could be addressed by writing colonies hosting families rather than just writers.

The award-winning playwright continues to write, most recently having collaborated with Warren Carlyle and Center Theatre Group on a new production of The Secret Garden, a longtime dream that Norman shared with her musical partner, Lucy Simon. Through her work and accomplishments, Norman continues to be a pioneer to women playwrights and artists in the industry. She reminds us that regardless of barriers, women are able to push through when we all give a living thing a little chance to grow.