Spoke to Barbara Krajkoswki, as promised, regarding the inclusion of plays written by men in her upcoming season at the Womens Theater Company. We spotted that earlier in the week and posted some inquiries.
The lady is on vacation out of state and she still finds time to return her e-mails. Gotta love that.
Anyway, following is an excerpt from a column I'm wokring on, which should clarify things a bit.
The Women’s Theater Company has detoured slightly from its artistic course to set a new direction for its 15th season.
Now comfortably in residence at the Parsippany Community Center, founder, artistic director and Parsippany resident Barbara Krajkowski last week announced her professional theater company’s 2007-08 season.
The season begins Oct. 19 with a revival of the Broadway hit, “Frankie and Johnny at the Clare de Lune,” by Terrence McNally. The production continues through Nov. 4 with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. “Letting Go,” a new play by New Jersey playwright Marylee Delaney, continues the season March 7 to 23.
The season will conclude in grand style with “Souvenir” (May 16 to June 1), which earned raves in New York in 2005 and also was a hit last season at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick. Stephen Temperley’s outrageous “musical” is a hilarious tribute to Florence Foster Jenkins, a widowed society matron who followed her dreams all the way to Carnegie Hall in 1944. Her out-of-tune, but passionately sung renditions of classical repertoire were the stuff of legend, earning her both sold-out recitals and the title of “the worst singer who ever lived.” Told through the memories of her pianist, this charming comedy also has a heart.
Sounds perfect for the Women’s Theater Company, except in previous seasons, Krajkowski has devoted her main stage to the works of female playwrights, which are undeniably underserved in the theatrical community. McNally’s “Frankie and Johnnie” is another celebrated work, but, like “Souveneir,” written by a man.
"Why two plays written by men?” Krajkowski said. “My mission statement has always said that the company would offer a place for women theater artists to practice and hone their craft. We will still do that. Though I will pick pieces that are still relevant for women and their relationships to men, I chose to start opening my events for male writers to experience their relationships to women.”
The new perspective will certainly give Krajkowski and her company plenty of options.
“I will try to choose plays with strong women roles and strong male female relationships,” she said. “I will also produce one original play a year written by a woman. ‘Letting Go’ will be that play … This is an updated production of a play originally developed at the Womens Theater Company.”
Tickets are $15 for plays and $20 for musicals, with discounts for seniors and groups. The Parsippany Community Center is at 1130 Knoll road in the Lake Hiawatha section of Parsippany. For more information, call the box office at (973) 316-3033.
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