League of Professional Theatre Women Announces New Officers

The League of Professional Theatre Women, a non-profit organization committed to promoting visibility and increasing opportunities for women in the professional theatre, is pleased to announce its new slate of officers. These women will serve as leaders of the League for a two-year term, from July 1, 2009 until June 30, 2011:

Co-Presidents: Naomi Grabel and Rachel Reiner

Vice-Presidents: Linda Chapman (Membership), Cara Reichel (Communications), Ludovica Villar-Hauser (Programming)

Treasurer: Anne Stewart FitzRoy

Co-Secretaries: Nancy Ford and Anne Hamilton

Ms. Grabel shared her goals for the coming term: "The League of Professional Theatre Women is comprised of a dynamic membership body from all aspects of the theatre. In the next few years, I envision the membership growing even more, to include exceptional women from around the country and around the world. I am a particular advocate for our work as mentors to young women in the field, and for our role communicating opportunities and results far and wide." Ms. Reiner added, "We look forward to building on the legacy of the admirable women who shaped the organization. The recent Curtain Call design exhibit at the New York Public Library was a testament to the incredible wealth of talent and ability amongst our membership, and in our field. During the upcoming term, we hope to bring to life more worthy projects like this which fulfill and strengthen the League's mission."

Originally founded in 1980 by Julia Miles, the League of Professional Theatre Women now boasts a membership of over 300 women representing a diversity of theatre professionals in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. League members are actors, administrators, agents, arrangers, casting directors, choreographers, company managers, composers, critics, designers, directors, dramaturgs, educators, general managers, historians, journalists, librettists, lyricists, press agents, producers, stage managers, and theatre technicians.

For more information on the League, or how to become a member, please visit www.TheatreWomen.org.

Naomi Grabel has been Managing Director of the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, and Director of Marketing at Houston's Alley Theater and California's South Coast Repertory. She recently spent two years in Australia as Director of Marketing & Development for Sydney Opera House, and is presently Director of Marketing & Creative Services at Carnegie Hall. She has an MFA in Theater Administration from the Yale School of Drama. She has been a member of LPTW since 2002, and on the board since 2008.

Rachel Reiner is in her 13th year at The Broadway League, Inc., currently as Manager of Membership Services. She has been Managing Director of Resonance Ensemble since 2003, overseeing 12 productions including world premieres by Charles L. Mee and Arthur Giron. Through Rachel Reiner Productions LLC, Rachel has shepherded commercial productions of Crazy for the Dog by Christopher Boal, Fit to Kill by Victor L. Cahn, Zimmerman by Frank Barth, and the upcoming Embraceable Me by Victor L. Cahn. She has also worked with Jean Cocteau Rep, The Directors Company and Oberon Theatre Ensemble on various productions. She is Chair of the NYC Performing Arts Network of Brandeis University Alumni Association.

Linda S. Chapman: Associate Artistic Director, New York Theatre Workshop - 1995 to the present. Co-wrote GLAAD Award winning The Beebo Brinker Chronicles, adapted from Ann Bannon's classic w/Kate Moira Ryan, to be published by DPS this year. Co-wrote/performed OBIE Award winning Gertrude and Alice: A Likeness to Loving, w/Lola Pashalinski. Theatre Direction: The Opium War; Gertrude and Virgil or Let's Keep It Cubist; No Damn Good; Don't Remind Me. Founding producer of DYKE TV; Managing Director/Associate member of The Wooster Group - 1983-94 & performed in Brace Up!; Administrator - Theater For The New City; Member - Sonia Moore's American Stanislavski Theatre. League of Professional Theatre Women VP Membership; Founding President - Youth Arts, NY.

Cara Reichel is the founding Producing Artistic Director of NYC's Prospect Theater Company. She has co-created and directed numerous company productions including Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge, Illyria, Honor, Iron Curtain, The Pursuit of Persephone and others. She also has recently directed for the O'Neill Theatre Center, the Village Theatre's Festival of New Musicals, and the Goodwill Theatre. She has worked administratively at such notable non-profits as Manhattan Theatre Club, American Ballet Theatre, and HERE Arts Center. Cara was honored to receive the 2002 "Lucille Lortel Award" for Emerging Women Artists from the League of Professional Theatre Women.

Ludovica Villar-Hauser produced and directed Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night in London's West End at the age of 23. She moved to the U.S. and served as Artistic Director of The Greenwich Street Theatre for 17 years. During this time, she developed and directed a wide range of new plays including the premiere of Gregory Murphy's The Countess, which ran Off-Broadway for 634 performances. She also directed the West End production. Ludovica directed the Off-Broadway production of Rona Munro's Bold Girls at the 29th St. Rep and the Off-Broadway premiere of Duet by Otho Eskin. Most recently she directed the North American premiere of Philip Ridley's Leaves of Glass Off-Broadway with Euan Morton and Xanthe Elbrick. Currently she is working on three new plays as director/dramaturg: A Short Wake by Derek Murphy, Household Words by Gregory Murphy and The Great Game by D. Tucker Smith, in development for a Broadway opening in 2010.

Anne Stewart FitzRoy A CPA, Anne has been an accountant in the theatrical field for more than 30 years, starting with Cyma Rubin and No, No, Nanette. She has her own practice and has been the accountant on such shows as Angels in America, ART, Amy's View (Dame Judi Dench), The Crucible (Liam Neeson and Laura Linney), Proof, Doubt, and The Year of Magical Thinking (Dame Vanessa Redgrave).

Nancy Ford composed the music for four off-Broadway shows, including I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road; one Broadway show; The American Girls Revue and Circle of Friends for American Girl; and Anne of Green Gables for Theatreworks/USA - all with book and lyrics by Gretchen Cryer. She has also collaborated with Tom Jones, Mae Richard, June Siegel and Mimi Turque. For 23 years she was a staff scriptwriter for daytime dramas. She has received an Obie, a Drama Desk Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, two Emmys, two Writers Guild awards, and two
honorary doctorates.

Anne Hamilton has eighteen years of experience in the professional theatre in New York City, throughout the nation, and internationally. Principal of Hamilton Dramaturgy, Ms. Hamilton has consulted with Andrei Serban, The Joseph Papp Public Theater, the Harold Prince Musical Theatre Institute/The Directors Company, Michael Mayer, Lynn Nottage, Classic Stage Company, Leslie Lee, and Deborah Gregory. Clients have gone on to win the Pulitzer Prize, the MacArthur "Genius" Award, the Tony ® Award, and a Royal Court International Residency. Services include script development,
production dramaturgy, workshops, and master classes. STAGE DIRECTIONS magazine named her a "trailblazer" in American dramaturgy.