As part of the closing week of the Brenda Starr, Reporter: The Art of Dale Messick exhibit at the Society of Illustrators (128 East 63rd Street New York, NY 10065), Laura Rohrman (My Life As You/Studio 54) will present a staged reading of her full-length play Reporter Girl The reading, directed by Jen Wineman (Less Than 50% at 59E59; Surfer Girl with Animus Theatre Company), will take place on Wednesday, March 20 at 7PM the Society of Illustrators (128 East 63rd Street New York, NY 10065). The event includes a private tour of the Brenda Starr/Dale Messick exhibit at 6:30pm. The staged reading of Reporter Girl will begin at 7pm, reception to follow. $10 suggested donation. Seating is limited. Please RSVP at reportergirltheplay@gmail.com.
Reporter Girl is a play about the life of Dale Messick, America's first syndicated female cartoonist, whose career began when she created the comic "Brenda Starr, Reporter" in 1940. The play weaves together biographical detail, period history, and fantasy to arrive at a dramatically touching portrait of the artist's life. O'Neill Playwriting Conference Semi-Finalist; Finalist, Princess Grace Fellowship; Weissberger Award Nominee.
The cast will feature Raji Ahsan (My Heart is in the East at La MaMa), Estelle Bajou (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally at 59E59; Charles Mee's Soot and Split at The New Ohio), Claire Brownell (The 39 Steps on Broadway; Indian Ink with Roundabout Theatre Company), Kate Grimes (Rosemary & Time at The Paradise Factory; Goodnight Lovin' Trail with Rising Sun Performance Company), Betty Hudson (Butterflies are Free on Broadway; Anything Goes with Chita Rivera), Polly McKie (The Home Place at Irish Rep; A Day By The Sea with The Mint), and Howard W Overshown (Saint Joan with Manhattan Theatre Club; A Free Man of Color at Lincoln Center).
Laura Rohrman (Playwright) is a New York City playwright, actress and choreographer who grew up in Northern CA. Full-length plays include Reporter Girl (The Brick; O'Neill Semi-Finalist; Weissberger Award Nominee; Princess Grace Finalist; Austin Film Festival 2nd Rounder) My Life As You (Studio 54/Shetler/Producers Club II; Playwrights First Finalist) and Hoboken (Rising Sun Theater's Reading Series; Shetler/Double Down and upcoming West Coast Premiere in the LA Fringe with Fritz Brekeller directing this summer. Laura created and teaches a program in New York and New Jersey for children called Playwriting For Kids. She is published by Drama Notebook for her Lenape/Native American plays; a monologue from My Life As You appears in The Best Women's Stage Monologues 2017. Dramatist Guild Member. MFA: New School for Drama, NYC. https://newplayexchange.org/users/1786/laura-rohrman
Jen Wineman (Director) is a director/choreographer based in Brooklyn. Her work has been seen at theaters in New York and across the country. New York credits include Less Than 50% (59E59); Surfer Girl (Animus); My Heart is in the East (La Mama); Fable (NYMF), The King's Whore (Walkerspace); F#%king Up Everything (Elektra Theater) Estrella Cruz [The Junkyard Queen] (Ars Nova). Touring productions include Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Asolo Repertory Theatre). Regional credits include the world premiere of the new musical Game On (Pittsburgh CLO); Shakespeare in Love (Virginia Rep); Into the West (Tantrum Theater); Baskerville (Dorset Theatre Festival); The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Asolo Rep & Miami New Drama); Sweeney Todd (Playmakers Rep); The 39 Steps, Shipwrecked (Triad Stage); The Hunchback of Seville (Washington Ensemble Theatre); Bubble Boy (American Theater Group); Aloha Say the Pretty Girls (Theatre Vertigo). Education: B.A.Vassar College, M.F.A. Yale School of Drama. Jen will be directing and choreographing Dog Man the Musical for Theatreworks USA, which will play Off Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre this summer. www.jenwineman.com
Videos