Members of the League of Professional Theatre Women are encouraged to join committees on a volunteer basis to help further the League’s mission. Below you will find a list of currently active committees. Members of the League may also propose a committee they are interested in chairing to the Co-Presidents. For any questions on joining an existing committee or how a committee operates, please contact the Committee Chair.

  • Advocacy

    The mission of this committee is to be a policy action group in public support of the artistic and economic health of women in the performing arts. They determine an Advocacy Action of the Month and choose the recipients of the LPTW’s Seal of Approval, which we base of the LPTW’s annual report of Women Hired Off-Broadway (Women Count). From time to time, the committee will also launch season-long initiatives.

  • Awards

    The Awards Committee nominates recipients for the Theatre Women awards: The Lee Reynolds Award, The Ruth Morley Designing Women Award, The Lifetime Achievement Award, and The Josephine Abady Award. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given occasionally; the others are given annually.

  • Cheer

    The Cheer Committee is a recruiting tool for non-members, a tool for welcoming new members, and a tool for encouraging solidarity among established members. The achievements of LPTW members may be acknowledged with a note of personal thanks, flowers, or gift basket as appropriate. Women in the larger theatre community who have contributed to the expansion of women in the industry may receive a note of personal thanks. This includes individuals who have provided support of all women through work of historical significance, arts advocacy, or artistic innovation. Individuals can be suggested for an acknowledgment by the membership. The Cheer Committee also sends condolences to Friends of the League and members on behalf of the League.

  • Communications Committee

    We want to let the world know about all of the great things happening at the LPTW! The Communications Committee is dedicated to effectively spreading the LPTW’s mission by engaging the outside community while simultaneously building strong lines of communication within the League. Through active social media, an eNewsletter promoting upcoming events, blogging and publicity, we help encourage relationships between the LPTW and the greater theatre community. If you would like to help us share the voice of LPTW, join the Communications Committee by contacting admin@theatrewomen.org.

  • Corporate Sponsorship

    This committee works in partnership with the business community to cultivate alliances and mutual visibility with corporations, industry vendors, and businesses for sponsors in support of the League. This committee seeks members with those interests.

  • Development

    The Development Committee raises funds for League projects. This committee seeks members with interest in and knowledge of fundraising, grant writing, and corporate sponsorship.

  • Gilder/Coigney International Award

    The Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award was established in 2011 in honor of Rosamond Gilder and Martha Coigney, two legendary theatre women whose work on the international stage proved that theatre knows no boundaries. Presented every three years, this award acknowledges the exceptional work of theatre women around the world and aims to make a difference in the life and career of an international woman theatre artist. The award is given once every three years. This awards committee is overseen by the International Committee and reports to it

  • Heritage Committee

    The Heritage Committee develops, researches, and presents a series of programs celebrating the legacy of theatre women from the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The overall objective is to bring together historical scholarship on the people, circumstances and societal forces that shaped the modern era, along with a performance element that allows the voices of these innovative figures to be heard again by modern audiences. We encourage our members who are actresses, directors, dramaturgs, and theatre historians to become involved in the development of future programs.

  • International

    Founded in 2003, this committee develops contacts with theatre women around the world to broaden awareness of other cultures and promote opportunities here and abroad. We recruit and cultivate affiliates and host them when they visit New York. We encourage and provide support for the formation of a League chapter in affiliates’ respective countries and facilitate dialogue and advocacy for women in theatre across borders. To celebrate our mission, every three years we present the LPTW Gildner/Coigney International Theatre Award.

     

  • Julia's Reading Room

    Julia’s Reading Room, developed by Julia Miles, Founder of the LPTW and the Women’s Project, Gail Kriegel, and Maxine Kern, provides the unique opportunity for any League member to hear their work read by professional actors. The readings take place in an informal living room environment including a supportive, invited audience, with a discussion.

  • Lucille Lortel

    Each year, the Lucille Lortel Committee visits theatre productions and makes an award to an aspiring woman who is showing creative promise and deserving of recognition and encouragement. Any League member may recommend a woman who is deserving of consideration for this award so that her work may be seen by the committee.

  • Membership

    The Membership Committee convenes each month to propose new members to the Board who meet the criteria for membership in the League. This committee also is tasked by the Executive Committee with member related questions and issues related to member retention and recruitment.

  • Mentoring

    The Mission of the League’s Mentoring Committee is to offer peer-to-peer counsel to members on a wide variety of topics related to their careers in the theatre utilizing the vast reservoir of skill sets available. This committee also manages the Apprentice program, where young women in theatre are mentored while they build their resumes by volunteering for the League, with an eye towards qualifying to apply for LPTW membership.

  • National

    The National Committee recruits members throughout the United States for membership in the League and works with National members in regions where there are numerous members to encourage the development of Regional Chapters. Current Regional Chapters include Connecticut and Baltimore/DC Metro.

  • Networking

    The Networking Committee organizes Theatre Connections, Members Night Out, and all professional development events. Come and join your peers, expand your networks, and bring a potential new member!

  • Members Night Out

    Members Night Out, a sub-program of The Networking Committee, provides members with a fun opportunity to share, explore, and discuss individual projects in an informal setting.  League members are encouraged to bring friends and colleagues who are not members to familiarize them with the League’s mission and all of its opportunities.

  • Nomination and Election

    The Nomination and Election committee accepts nominations and submits a slate of nominees for the election of officers and board members to the Board of Directors for its approval. The committee also keeps track of terms and is a resource, should a board or officer vacancy arise during the year.

  • Oral History Committee

    This committee produces the Oral History series at the New York Public Library for the performing arts, where prominent women in the theatre community are interviewed about their careers and crafts. Interviewees for the 2017-18 season included Daryl Roth, Baayork Lee, and Chita Rivera.

  • Programming

    The Programming Committee organizes the League’s membership-wide events, including the Season Launch, Annual Meeting, Holiday Party, and Theatre Women Awards.

  • Research Committee

    The purpose of the Research Committee is to handle statistical research projects focusing on women in the theater industry (for example, research on employment of women in various disciplines).

  • Think Tank Committee

    This committee strategizes about big-picture and out-of-the-box ways LPTW can serve its members and fulfill its mission.

  • Travel

    The Travel Committee was formed in 1996 and plans trips of theatrical, educational and cultural value to its members. If a League member has an idea for a trip and gets the approval of the Committee and the Board, that member would become an Associate Chair for that particular trip.

  • Welcome Committee

    The purpose of this new committee is to welcome New members, visiting National and International members through informal meet and greets. This committee liasions with the National and International Committees.

  • WIT Online

    Women in Theatre Online (WIT Online) is an online publication devoted to League programs and activities, individual member projects, feature articles of special interest to women in theatre, and excerpts from books by League members. WIT’s editors seek ideas for articles on diverse topics. Good writers and photographers are always in demand. Visit WITOnline.org.

  • Women Stage the World

    This committee’s major event is the annual Women Stage the World march through Times Square and the Theatre District, which takes place each June.