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ELLEN STEWART (1919 - 2011) |
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Nationality: USA Email: n/a Website: n/a |
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Literary Agent: n/a |
Ellen Stewart (November 7, 1919 January 13, 2011) has died aged 91. Don't know who she was? You should. She was a theatre genius, an African-American pioneer counteracting Broadway's sexism and racism, founding La MaMa theatre in 1961, producing hits such as Godspell and Torch Song Trilogy, touring internationally and helping everyone from Meredith Monk to Sam Shepard and Philip Glass. Stewart won countless awards, including the prestigious MacArthur Genius grant. But spot the underlying marginalisation. She started La MaMa because her playwright foster brother couldn't get anyone to take his work. She was so underfunded that she worked as a designer to finance the enterprise. Despite her brilliance, what has changed? I've attended many conferences recently on the impact of the cutbacks in arts funding, the pathetic under-representation of women artists, and the dolorous impact of the former on the latter. As a former National Theatre insider whispered to me: "It's as bigoted as you think. They have the woman's play, or they have the black play. Then they help all the white men." Women are expected to shuffle along on the periphery, wherever the power, money, prizes and perks are not. We set up our makeshift camps with characteristic resourcefulness, but we are not a permanent part of the terrain. Once each generation's heroines pass on, our achievements are erased. Yes, Stewart was a genius. She was strong. She was multitalented. But we women deserve much more than the backbreaking work she had to do. We deserve money, fame, power, credit, legacy, permanence, acknowledgement, clout. Instead, we are condemned to a perpetual rebuilding. We must constantly remind the world of the genius of our foremothers, lest their achievements be wiped from history.
Bidisha, The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/22/bidisha-thought-for-the-day-ellen-stewart
Plays by Ellen Stewart
Aesculapius | ||
| 1st Produced: | 2009 | |||||
Organisations: | Great Jones Repertory Company | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #98041 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Adaptation | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 9 | Female | 6 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | AESCULAPIUS features music composed by Ellen Stewart, with additional music by Michael Sirotta, Yukio Tsuji, and Heather Paauwe; and Greek music written by Elizabeth Swados, performed by live musicians. | |||||
Synopsis: | In Ms. Stewart's adaptation of this classic Greek tale, Aesculapius is the son of the mortal Coronis, who was raped by the god Apollo. Angered by Coronis' agreement to raise the child with her true love, mortal Ischys, Apollo's twin sister, Artemis, kills Coronis. Although Apollo tries to stop his sister he, can not save Coronis. Apollo puts Coronis on a funeral pyre and, as she is burning, he reaches into the flames and takes the baby from Coronis' womb. Aesculapius is sent to be raised in nature by the centaur Chiron, who teaches the boy about herbal medicines and the lore of the woods. The adult Aesculapius uses herbs given to him by snakes to bring a king's son back from the dead, angering his brother, the god of the underworld Hades, who is jealous of Aesculapius' ability to use medicine to ward off death, and thus orders Aesculapius' death. In fact, this rarely told story of the father of medicine is rife with incest, murder, betrayal, passion and unrequited love. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Another Phaedra Via Hercules | ||
| 1st Produced: | 1988 | |||||
Organisations: | Great Jones Repertory Company | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #91751 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | n/a | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Composer: Genji Ito, David Sawyer & Michael Sirotta | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Dionysus Filius Dei | ||
| 1st Produced: | 1989 | |||||
Organisations: | Great Jones Repertory Company | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #92218 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | n/a | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Composer: Elizabeth Swados, Shelia Dabney, Genji Ito, David Sawer, Michael Sirotta | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Herakles via Phaedra | ||
| 1st Produced: | 2006 | |||||
Organisations: | La Mama ETC | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #77406 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | n/a | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Music by Genji Ito, Michael Sirotta, Heather Paauwe and Ellen Stewart | |||||
Synopsis: | combines the myths of Herakles (also known as Hercules) and Phaedra, placing them amongst the flappers, bootleggers and jazz babies of the 1920's. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Mythos Oedipus | ||
| 1st Produced: | 1985 | |||||
Organisations: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #91313 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | n/a | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Composer: Elizabeth Swados | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Perseus | ||
| 1st Produced: | 2005 | |||||
Organisations: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #77407 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | n/a | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Raven, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | 2008 | |||||
Organisations: | Great Jones Repertory Company | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #85325 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Musical | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Based on excerpts from an adaptation by Carlo Gozzi with additional text by Ellen Stewart | |||||
Synopsis: | musical adaptation of Carlo Gozzi's play The Raven, adapted and composed by Ellen Stewart. The Raven tells the story of King Milo, who shoots a crow during a hunting expedition, then is placed under a horrific curse by the bird's owner. To be delivered from that curse he must find a woman who possesses special qualities. Stewart has set the piece in China, transforming the work into a poetic new musical that blends the Venetian author's timeless fairytale with new elements inspired by the theatrical aesthetics of China. It is performed in Mandarin and English. The production is suitable for audiences of all ages | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Seven Against Thebes | ||
| 1st Produced: | 2001 | |||||
Organisations: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #104625 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Translation | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Original Playwright - Aeschylus. Composers: Genji Ito, Michael Sirotta and Elizabeth Swados | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Tancredi & Erminia | ||
| 1st Produced: | 1993 | |||||
Organisations: | Great Jones Repertory Company | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #91272 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | n/a | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Composers: David Sawyer, Genji Ito, Yukio Tsuji, Sheila Dabn & Kate Dezina | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Yunus | ||
| 1st Produced: | 1992 | |||||
Organisations: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #93729 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | n/a | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Based on Sufi poet Yunus Emre | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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