The Luminosity of Judith Light

The Luminosity of Judith Light

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

At Lincoln Center

in collaboration with the

League of Professional Theatre Women

Presents Oral History:

Judith Light

in conversation with

Leigh Silverman

October 17, 2016

by Paula Ewin, Member of the League of Professional Theatre Women

Like a distant celestial object, the closer we get, the more luminous the star appears. Such was the case Monday evening when the audience at the Bruno Walter Auditorium was rewarded with yet another brilliant Oral History interview…this time the star was Judith Light interviewed by the gifted director Leigh Silverman. The friendship and mutual admiration between these women is palpable and their most recent collaboration, Neil La Bute’s All The Ways To Say I Love You, will be taped by the Library’s Theatre on Film and Tape Archive. If you cannot catch the show before it’s closing on October 23, you may request a viewing as a theatre professional in the near future. (Thanks to the magnificent efforts of Betty Corwin, the founder of TOFT, this production will be preserved for future generations.)

Judith Light is a seasoned actress whose work in theatre, television and film have garnered her two Tony and Drama Desk Awards (Other Desert Cities and The Assembled Parties) two Emmy Awards (One Life to Live) and most recently she has been nominated for her work in the Golden Globe winning Amazon Prime series Transparent. How fitting that Judith should be cast in this important show that focuses on family and the challenges of a leading character (Jeffrey Tambor) who has transitioned from male to female, as Judith has been a continual champion of LGBT and human rights throughout her life. In fact, as the interview began, Silverman read a lengthy list of the organizations Light has supported and advocated for including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids and The Point Foundation, among countless others.One wonders when she has found time to act! Thankfully, she has made time for both acting and advocacy and we are all the better for her efforts!

A vivid recollection of her first performance (Twas the Night Before Christmas… at the age of three for her deeply moved father) led to many memories of the journey her professional life has taken her on. Even as a very young child, she knew that the pleasure and power she experienced performing was something she wanted always in her life. As a young student at St. Mary’s Hall in Trenton, New Jersey, she credits her mentor Ruth Strand, who encouraged her to apply for a summer program at Carnegie Mellon. She continued her education at the prestigious university where the 4 year program was “as rigorous and exacting as theatre itself”. After graduation, she planned to be “a big fat star!” and envisioned her career would take her to Broadway and then Hollywood. As it happened, this was not materializing in the way she envisioned. She worked in regional theatres and honed her craft as advised by Rosemary Tichler, casting director who met her through the TCG auditions. A few years later she asked Tichler if she was ready to come to New York and was encouraged to do so. She made her Broadway debut in 1975 in a revival of A Doll’s House. Later, when she felt frustrated that her auditions were not paying off, she thought she could work as a psychiatrist or lawyer. Then, unexpectedly, an entrée into the world of daytime drama (One Life to Live) and primetime series (Who’s The Boss?) changed her life.

Judith spoke eloquently about using her theatre skills to sustain her during the rigorous “tear filled” scenes that daytime drama presented her. She was trained in authenticity and was committed to treating the soap as it is was indeed the theatre and distinguished herself in that way. Leigh Silverman helped to bring out the best in Judith Light during this conversation asking her very pointed questions and commenting on her connection with her collaborators as “family” and “sisters of the soul” in the case of Transparent’s creator Jill Soloway and Silverman herself.

In closing, Judith Light emphasized how important finding your “family” within the business is to her and expressed gratitude to her longtime managers, agents and husband, along with her wonderful co-stars for their ability to make her feel safe in an often fragile and delicate situation. As she learned over the years, “You know when you are not right with some people. It is so important to learn to let go of control and accept what is. Find your family and listen. Listen to your director.”

It was very clear that all of us, as stated by Leigh, were captivated by this “model of longevity, stamina and perfection.

It only gets better!”