"A comic homage to the lesbian pulp novels of the 1950s."
The Actors Fund established the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative in 1996 to provide a safety net for women in the entertainment industry who are coping with critical health concerns. The Women’s Health Initiative dedicates a range of resources solely to addressing the health needs and concerns specific to women.
Join Us
for a
BENEFIT READING of
HOLLYWOOD NURSES
to support the Phyllis Newman
Women's Health Initiative of The Actors Fund
Casting by Geoff Josselson, CSA
When
Monday, June 19, 2017
Cocktails 6:30 p.m.
Benefit Reading at 7:30 p.m.
Where
The Mainstage Theater (Playwrights Horizons)
416 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036
Emceed & Narrated By
Rosie O'Donnell
Starring
Kathleen Turner, Geneva Carr, Lesli Margherita, and Taylor Louderman
"When the secret worlds of deviant nurses collide at Holly View Hospital, they ignite forbidden passions - erupting into a dangerous scandal that even the most modern medicine cannot cure."
The mid-1950s was the heyday of pulp novels and the unique expression of queer sexuality in paperback. Behind closed doors, both men and women were dog-earing the sexually daring and controversial lesbian pulp novel. On the outside — glossy, suggestive covers. Inside, tales of hidden desires and forbidden lusts printed on cheap paper. The characters lived secret, shameful lives and often encountered tragic fates.
These books spoke to a generation unsure of its sexuality by exploring the consequences of “choice,” while reassuring readers that they were not alone. America was changing. Hollywood Nurses is a celebration of such novels and those who read them. It is our intention to capture the magic of those juicy pulp novels while paying tribute to those authors who chose to express themselves long before The L Word and Modern Family became mainstream.
Carl’s directing credits include the world premieres of Charles Busch’s critically acclaimed plays, The Tribute Artist, The Divine Sister, The Third Story, Judith of Bethulia, Cleopatra, Bunnicula, Queen Amarantha and Shanghai Moon, as well as the New York production Die! Mommie Die! and the annual Times Square Angel at Theater for the New City.
Other select credits include Carmen Pelaez's Rum & Coke, Douglas Carter Beane’s The Cartells, Joe Godfrey’s Romance Language, and regional productions of The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, My Fair Lady, Paul Rudnick’s I Hate Hamlet, and Crush the Infamous Thing – The Adventures of the Hollywood Four.
Carl staged the NY concert premieres of The Visit, A Wonderful Life, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol and Valley of the Dolls all to benefit The Actors Fund, as well as A Party for Comden & Green to benefit the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative’s “Nothing Like a Dame." In addition to various galas, developmental readings and special events, Carl has also directed productions of Tenderloin, Harold & Maude, I Love My Wife and The Mad Show for the York Theatre’s “Musicals in Mufti” series, as well as Here’s to the Girls! and Being Comden & Green for the 92Y’s “Lyrics and Lyricists” series. His website is www.carlandress.com.
Sheila Head's writing credits include The Egg Game (The Present Company) and Over My Head (Ensemble Studio Theatre). Her one-woman show Head Games, about Sandra O’Day, an ex-con motivational speaker with anger management problems, was originally produced by Ars Nova. Sheila has written for ABC/Disney, Garrison Keillor, and PBS’s Cyberchase, and has contributed to The Next Big Thing on WNYC/NPR. For the Oxygen Network she created and wrote the television and web series The Ruth Truth (winner of the Grand Prize at the World Internet Animation Festival), based on her experiences as a Private Investigator in NYC’s Chinatown. Sheila also created the improvised show Character Witness, which developed a cult following and ran for two years in New York. Character Witness led to the development of over 50 original characters and eventually spun-off into a Manhattan Neighborhood Network cable TV show, The Uncle Charlie Show. Sheila is a founding member of the comedy group The Heartless Floozies. www.sheilahead.com
Peter Michael Marino is an award-winning writer, teacher, director, producer and performer. His long-running solo comedy Desperately Seeking the Exit chronicled the unmaking of his West End musical flop Desperately Seeking Susan; receiving 5-star reviews and a London transfer. His 2015 solo chat show spoof, Late with Lance!, played everywhere from Orlando to London. His current show, Show Up, is an improvised solo show deconstruction that’s about the audience, and tours in 2017. He’s the creator and co-producer of SOLOCOM, which has launched over 400 world-premiere, international solo comedies at The People’s Improv Theater. Solo show directing credits include: Amy Marcs’ Nice T!ts, Mark Demayo’s 20 & Out, Mark Giordano’s Mad Man and dozens more. Pete’s production company PM2 Entertainment has presented David Mills: Shame!, LA comedy duo Moby Alpha, the NYC premiere of Joe's NYC Bar, and the acclaimed international solo show hit David Carl’s Celebrity One-Man Hamlet. PM2 Entertainment is producing upcoming Edinburgh Fringe run of Jason Kravits’ improvised cabaret hit Off the Top! www.petermmarino.com
SHEILA HEAD
SHEILA HEAD, Writer
PETER MICHAEL MARINO
PETER MICHAEL MARINO, Writer
CARL ANDRESS
CARL ANDRESS, Director
Photo credit: David Rodgers
Norma Lana, Lead Producer/Manager of Holly View Developmental Productions. Norma is a writer, media trainer, and producer. She has produced short films as well as theatrical and comedy shows.
Norma has trained thousands of high-level theater and business professionals worldwide in presentation skills, communication effectiveness, on-camera skills, and media messaging.
She has extensive experience as an on-camera interviewer from trading floors to conferences to boardrooms across the globe. She has a background as a journalist and an announcer for several networks including PBS, NBC, and Discovery, and has recorded numerous books on tape and commercials as a voice-over artist. She has written and edited articles for The New York Times, Glamour, and Bride’s.
Norma also has a background in musical theater and performed in regional theater, comedy clubs, and cabaret before turning to producing and media training. She produced shows in NY and LA for the acclaimed comedy group “Girlz on Top.” She also wrote and starred in a short film, “The Wedding Dress” (2002), which was chosen for several film festivals.
NORMA LANA
NORMA LANA, Producer
DR Theatrical Management
DR Theatrical Management, Management
DR THEATRICAL MANAGEMENT was founded by Tony® Award and Pulitzer Prize winning Producer Daryl Roth together with General Manager Adam Hess. The company, led by Grant A. Rice and Kyle Provost, provides general management services to commercial productions in New York and their interests on the road. DRTM also specializes in not for profit collaborations, as well as offering venue management services.
DRTM has worked with clients throughout all stages of development, managing shows from concept to closing and beyond. Broadway: Indecent; Off-Broadway: In & Of Itself, Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, and the Vineyard Theatre’s 2016-17 Season. Other commercial properties include: Love, Loss, and What I Wore, Buyer & Cellar, My Name is Asher Lev, The Divine Sister as well as the national tours of Buyer & Cellar, Wiesenthal, and Stars of David.