Readers Theater

The AAUW-PVP Readers Theater has a long history with the branch. It is currently directed by Cecilia Rogers, a longtime member who took over after the death of our previous director, Jacqueline (Jacky) Mason in 2018. New members are always welcome—no theatrical experience is required, just a love of theater and history and a desire to share it with others.

Cecilia wrote the group’s most recent play, “The Ladies Remember,” commemorating the 19th Amendment, which was performed last November on Zoom, due to the pandemic lockdown, to a surprisingly large audience!

The group is continuing to meet and plan for the time when in-person events will once again be possible, to preserve the group’s tradition of illuminating the lives of important, but often overlooked, women throughout history.

Beginning in 2002, Jacky had begun writing original plays about women’s history, the first of which was “The Select Sorority,” co-written with Pam Gershkoff. This two-act play is a delightful “visit” with eight First Ladies that is entertaining and factual, and has been performed for audiences throughout Southern California.

Jacky then wrote and produced “An Interview with Queen Victoria,” a popular afternoon-tea event moderated by four historical women journalists, including Claire Booth Luce, Nelly Bly, Katharine Graham and Dorothy Parker, which has also been widely performed. The Queen leaves politics aside to talk about her life, her family, and repeat a little gossip for the audience.

“My Mother Marie” followed, showcasing the personal life and accomplishments of renowned scientist and discoverer of radium, Marie Curie, and “Athletes in Skirts,” commemorating the historic Title IX legislation, with lively vignettes about the lives of four significant athletes, Annie Oakley, Gertrude Ederle, Babe Didrikson, and Billie Jean King. Jacky’s final play was about the wives of Henry VIII, who tell the stories of their marriages, and sometimes their deaths, as Henry himself lies dying.

All these plays are available for performance once social distancing allows us to meet again in person.

If you are interested, have questions, or would like to discuss booking a performance, please contact Cecilia Rogers at fafnyr@mac.com.