Painted ceilings in scenic design: reflections of American women in scenic design

Abstract

Posing the question; Why are there so few women acknowledged with major awards, specifically Tony Awards in scenic design? An immediate answer is revealed in the number of women who are designing at this level which rouses another question: Why are so few women designing on Broadway? There have been several women entering the Broadway market in the last 5 years. Historically there are few who remain in this venue for long periods. Male designers have carried this field for decades and the old guard can claim multiple Tony Awards in their careers. To begin at the beginning, we hear from women designing from the early 1900's into the 1920's. Following with Aline Bernstein who began her career in the early 1920's. She was a trailblazer for women who follow, as an innovator in design, a feminist, and as the first woman to be admitted to the union. Bernstein worked with some of the best known designers of this period. Bernstein's story is enhanced with women's voices who were also designing in the male-dominated field. In 1985, Heidi (Landesman) Ettinger was the first woman awarded a Tony Award for her scenic design of Big River. Conversations with women working in Scenic Design from the 1980's forward, give a picture of the changes and the things that still need to be changed in this field. The journeys these women have taken to this moment and to today reveals a path with some answers.