THE BUZZ
Newsday, Fanfare
April 23, 2006

Page C2

FINDING A NEW STAGE ON DVD

Conversations with women of the stage - from Wendy Wasserstein to Anna Deavere Smith - are the focus of a new DVD set culled from the archives of "Women in Theatre," the CUNY-TV program examining the accomplishments of that diverse group of artists.

The playwrights, directors, designers and performers interviewed explain their career paths and delve into professional choices. Among the notables on the three-disc set: actresses Rosemary Harris, Ruby Dee, Joan Allen and Audra McDonald; producer Elizabeth McCann; and scenic designer Heidi Ettinger.

The disc was produced by the League of Professional Theatre Women, a not-for-profit group concerned with the visibility of women in all aspects of stagecraft.

"It is wonderful to have a living archive of extraordinary women as a record of these Women's many accomplishments," said Linda Winer, Newsday's theater critic and host of the compilation. CUNY-TV is broadcast on Channel 75 in New York City, where "Women in Theatre" is now airing in its fourth season.

The set will be dedicated to the late playwright Wasserstein at an event later this week in the offices of the Theatre Communications Group. "Women in Theatre" can be ordered for $69.95 from the TCG Web site at www.tcg.org.

--ROBERT KAHN