WOMEN ON FIRE

Production History

Women On Fire began as a series of performance poems Irene O'Garden wrote and read regularly throughout the Hudson Valley. She then performed fifteen of them for Octoberfest 2000 at Ensemble Studio Theatre. Women on Fire had its premiere production in 2001 at The University of Florida at Gainesville as a featured part of Women's History Month. Fifteen actresses performed. Women On Fire has also enjoyed excellent reviews and recurring productions in Riverhead and Southampton, Long Island, courtesy of the Women's Voices, Women's Lives Production Company.

In summer of 2001, Irene sent the script to Judith Ivey. That September, Judith taught a week-long Master class at the University of Michigan, and read several characters to a warmly-responding public. In March 2002, Judith conducted another week-long Master class at SUNY, Fredonia. She performed a cutting of the show for the public at the beautifully restored Opera House there. Later that summer, Judith played selections from Women On Fire to packed houses at Actor's Theatre of Nantucket. Last fall after a producer's audition, Artistic Director Angelina Fiordellisi of The Cherry Lane Theatre chose the play for development and offered a fall slot, with two weeks of performances, October 20-November 1. Director Mary B. Robinson (who also heads the Directing Program at NYU) will direct.