\n<\/p>\n
Zelda Fichandler<\/strong> came from a family that emigrated from Russia when she was an infant. Her father, Harry Diamond, was a brilliant scientist who created the proximity fuse. Zelda started working in pursuing sciences until the day that she spilled hydrochloric acid down her shirt and burned herself. She decided to pursue acting instead.<\/p>\n For Women\u2019s History Month, we\u2019re putting a special focus on women, currently, \u201con the move\u201d and women artists who have made an indelible mark in the dramatic arts. We wanted to begin our month with the Matriarch of Regional Theater, Zelda Fichandler.<\/p>\n Zelda was a pillar in the regional theater movement, leading Washington\u2019s Arena Stage for 41 years. She produced 400 shows and directed more than 50 for a company that helped spur the growth of professional theater away from Broadway and inspired the creation of non-profit theaters<\/a> around the country.<\/p>\n In 1950, Zelda\u2019s Arena Stage was Washington D.C.\u2019s first fully integrated theater. It was a huge statement at a time when city parks and recreational facilities were not yet integrated.<\/p>\n Arena Stage eventually became known as one of America\u2019s premier regional theatres. And in 1961, she was able to direct Howard Sackler\u2019s interracial drama \u201cThe Great White Hope,\u201d which starred then-newcomers James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander. It was the first play to start as a regional theatre production, then transferred to Broadway. The Broadway performance won The Tony Award and the Best Pulitzer Prize for drama. The Arena Theatre Company in 1976 also won the Tony for Outstanding Regional Theatre.<\/p>\n Later, as Head of NYU\u2019s Graduate Acting Program for 25 years, Zelda trained Marcia Gay Harden, Rainn Wilson, Mahershala Ali, Dianne Wiest, James Earl Jones, Stacy Keach, and Jane Alexander.<\/p>\n To honor her legacy we present two books:<\/p>\n An oral history from Routledge, \u201cTo Repair the World: Zelda Fichandler and the Transformation of American Theater<\/strong><\/a>\u201c, and a collection of Zelda\u2019s essays, speeches, and manifestos put together by Theatre Communications Group, \u201cThe Long Revolution: Sixty Years on the Frontlines of the American Theater.<\/strong><\/a>\u201c<\/p>\n Photo courtesy of Arena Stage and Jonathan Marder & Company<\/em><\/p>\nLike this:<\/h3>\n