Women's Project

When Patricia Bosworth’s play “Choices” first appeared on stage in 1978, the Women’s Project began to reshape women’s place in American theater. Under the exciting leadership of, Julie Crosby, WP’s unbounded vision of producing rich and imaginative work for the American stage while cultivating the next generation of exceptional women theater artists continues to honor its history.Woven through this colorful tapestry are some of this country's most esteemed writers; among them are Julie Ann Boyd and Joan Micklin Silver (A My Name is Alice), Rinne Groff (Inky), Emily Mann (Still Life), Naomi Wallace (Birdy), Maria Irene Fornes (Abingdon Square), and Eve Ensler (Ladies). An impressive roster of directors have made their mark here, such as Anne Bogart (Go Go Go), Lisa Peterson (The Chemistry of Change), and Diane Paulus (Best of Both Worlds). Countless actors began their careers on the boards of WP, including many familiar faces. Sarah Jessica Parker was completing high school by day and performing at night in Paula Cizman's Death of a Miner co-starring Academy Award® winner, Mary McDonnell. Before Jimmy Smits joined "NYPD Blue" and "The West Wing", he was pounding it out with Linda Hunt in Lavonne Mueller's Little Victories. And speaking of "The West Wing", John Spencer won his first Obie here for his stellar performance in Still Life and political observer/social commentator/solo tour de force, Anna Deveare Smith, originated one of her first pieces Aye, Aye, Aye, I'm Integrated in 1983.Nurturing emerging artists through its outreach programs (the intensive Lab Series, Women's Work and Ten Centuries of Women Playwrights, an award-winning curriculum-based arts education program), is one of the reasons why Women’s Project boasts an impressive community. With its flagship theater burning brightly on Manhattan’s West 55th Street, undoubtedly, Women’s Project has been the preeminent theater for developing and producing women’s theater for 30 years.