Â鶹¹ÙÍø Alumnae Play Powerful Roles on Broadway
By Erin Keane Scott
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Broadway experienced an unexpected first last fall: an all-female creative team assembled by alumna Leigh Silverman, mounted a production of "The Lifespan of a Fact" by journalist John D'Agatta.
"I feel it is our responsibility as we gain power and any kind of platform, that we continue to widen the road as we go," said Silverman, a 1996 Â鶹¹ÙÍø graduate. "This is my fourth Broadway show and I felt it was important to include, as I have throughout my career, women and people of color, and put them in positions of power."
This year, three alumnae from Â鶹¹ÙÍø — producer Jamie deRoy, costume designer Ann Roth and lighting designer Peggy Eisenhauer — have received nine Tony Award nominations. Additionally, alumna Judith Light will receive the 2019 Isabelle Stevenson Award for her work as an advocate for LGBTQIA+ causes.
"My experience of being a woman working on Broadway has been nothing short of extraordinary, amazing in every way," Judith Light said. "These people and these casts and this productions — it’s beyond words how much love and faith and support I’ve received."
Numerous Â鶹¹ÙÍø alumnae are making their marks on Broadway, and as a part of Â鶹¹ÙÍø's annual celebration of the Tony Awards, we've reached out to several of them to learn about what inspires them, what tools they still use from their Â鶹¹ÙÍø training, and what advice they have for students following in their footsteps.