So, there is some confusion about GTTP and Women...Let me explain.
When I started the company (read here and here and here) you'll notice that it was a little, uh, how shall I say this...chaotic? disorganized? (unorganized isn't a word, right? - my mom and John are both reading this and muttering, "can't she look it up in a dictionary? How does she not know that 'unorganized' isn't a word?" - actually I did just look it up and it is a word so forget I said anything - but I digress) anyway, the decision to start a company was completely lacking in organization and it was, how shall we say - unfocused?
Basically, I knew I wanted to start a theater but other than, "because I want to direct" I didn't really have a purpose - a mission statement, if you will. And, one of the first things I discovered in my earliest research, is that you can't start a theater company - especially one that may ultimately be its own nonprofit company - without a purpose, nay, a greater purpose that hopes to help mankind. So I started to think about what my directing means to me. What are some of the themes I keep exploring and could conceivably continue to explore throughout my career and I kept coming back to the women - ironic really what with the "help mankind" thing above (perhaps I should have said "to help womankind"), but, anyway, you get the picture.
It may be that I try to direct shows by people that I know and most of the writers I know are women and so they write about women. Or it could be that I can't help exploring what it means to be a woman in today's day and age. Or it could be that sexism is SO NOT dead and it pisses me off beyond belief. Or it could be that I'm a woman. Or it could be that WOMEN ARE MORE THAN 50% of the world's population and yet they are STILL woefully underrepresented in the arts...and in just about every other field as well, but I can only do so much. So I decided that I wanted my company to focus on women...
And by focus on women, I do not mean some militant, no men allowed, mentality. This ain't a reverse little rascals clubhouse with a sign on the door that says "No BOYS allowed". In fact, I believe that a fair portion of being a woman has to do with how women interact with men (the same way that a fair portion of being a man has to do with how men interact with women). Basically, I just mean that my purpose and GTTP's purpose is to try to give women a little more representation at least in my small corner of the theater world. So whether that means shows written by women, or directed by women, or starring women, or being designed by women, or generally about women, and/or all of the above, the focus of the company is definitely women.
In fact, the debut show is all about women (and by "all about women" I mean that the lead characters are women) but more then being all about women, I believe that, though the show will appeal to anyone who likes interesting characters and great writing, it will particularly resonate with women. The fears the main characters have (and the show is all about fear) are fears that I think are ever present in women's minds (and, not to scare the guys or anything, but I mean right up in the very front of women's minds - just below the surface something like 98% of the time) - or perhaps it's just that my female friends will discuss those fears while my male friends won't admit they have them - whichever it is, I feel like the show really explores these fears from a female perspective.
So, though the company is named in honor of a man (that you can read about here: Going To Tahiti Productions: What's in a Name?), it's also named for the possibilities that await around every corner - and those possibilities see no gender.
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