Feature: WOMEN OF A CERTAIN STAGE at Westport Country Playhouse

The CT Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW) presents Women of a Certain StAGE, a special afternoon of theater and music celebrating achievements of women over 40 on stage.

Staged one-acts, music and special guests in a program directed by Susan Cinoman will be followed by a reception and mingling beginning at 2 pm Saturday, Sept. 23 at the Lucille Lortel White Barn at Westport Country Playhouse. You don’t have to be a member of the Chapter — or a woman — to attend (admission is free– donations are appreciated). 

RSVP HERE

Included in the program will be three short, one-act plays:

— The Bardo State by Susan Cinoman (playwright and writer for TV’s “The Goldbergs”)
— I Know by Jacquelyn Reingold (co-founder of Honor Roll!, an advocacy organization for women playwrights over 40)
— Giving Birth by Lauren Yarger (Co-Founder of the CT Chapter LPTW)

LPTW President and cabaret artist Lynnie Godfrey, will perform inspiring musical numbers and Hilarie Clark Moore will provide the afternoon’s piano music. Organizations and individuals making a difference for women in theater will be highlighted.

Special guests including two-time Emmy-Award winner Dorothy Lyman (“Mama’s Family;” “All My Children”), who will perform in one of the plays and will speak briefly about her very real personal drama of hitting Hollywood’s glass ceiling.

Seating is free but limited and there will be a waiting list, so reserve you seats ASAP. Doors open at 1:30 pm in the White Barn, 25 Powers Court, Westport. The event is produced by Lauren Yarger of Gracewell Productions. Donations will be accepted to help defray costs of the celebration.

RSVP at

https://WomenofaCertainStAGE.eventbrite.com. Questions? CTChapterLPTW@gmail.com.

About the participants:

Lynnie Godfrey received a Drama Desk nomination for her Broadway debut performance in the Musical Revue EUBIE! She is a recipient of the Tyrone Guthrie Award for directing, the NAACP Award for producing and the Dramalogue and NAACP Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor for her portrayal in No Place to Be Somebody. She also received the AUDELCO Award for her performance in Shuffle Along,  Audio Earphone and Benjamen Franklin awards for her performance of snow Queen and Grammy recognition for her recent CDs “Lynnie Godfrey Does it Her Way” and “Spending the Holidays with Lynnie Godfrey.” She recently was elected president of the League of Professional Theatre Women and also is CEO and artistic director of GodLee Entertainment, Inc. Her radio/podcast program, “Lynnie Godfrey Straight No Chaser,” airs every Wednesday.

Dorothy Lyman is a two-time Emmy© Award-winner for her work as Opal Gardner on “All My Children” and is widely known for her co-starring role on “Mama’s Family,” alongside Vicki Lawrence and Carol Burnett. In addition to her numerous film and television appearances, she also directed 75 episodes of Fran Drescher’s sitcom “The Nanny.” Her plays include Enemy (an adaptation of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People), A Rage in Tenure, Soft Landing and In The Bleak Midwinter. We Have To Hurry, the sequel to In the Bleak Midwinter starring Elliott Gould, Kathleen Chalfant and Alfred Molina, was produced on Zoom during the pandemic. Dorothy’s directing career began in 1980 when she produced and directed the original off-Broadway production of A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking starring Susan Sarandon and Eileen Brennan, and the subsequent national tour starring Elizabeth Ashley and Susan Anton. Her feature film “The Northern Kingdom” is available on Netflix. Violet And Me A Mama-logue, Ms. Lyman’s one-person play, premiered in August at the Edinburg Fringe and will be presented at the Gracewell Productions Table Reading Series at the Palace Theatre in Waterbury this November.

The CT Chapter LPTW -- Under the leadership of Co-Founders Mary Miko, Marie Reynolds and Lauren Yarger, the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women is entering its eight season of promoting gender equity, advocating for women theater artists across disciplines, promoting achievements and providing opportunities to network with colleagues and to exchange resources, information and skills. The Chapter connects nearly 300 theater women throughout the state with events, panels, a monthly newsletter and networking lunches. To receive the newsletter or to find out more about joining the Chapter, email CTChapterLPTW@gmail.com.

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