Director (and McCarter Artistic Director) Emily Mann and actress Suzanne Bertish recently went to the Princeton Public Library for a discussion about Mrs. Warren’s Profession.  The discussion was moderated by Princeton Professor Tamsen Wolff and these videos edited by Erin Breznitsky.  Enjoy.

Posted by Adam Immerwahr, Producing Associate at McCarter Theatre.

Have you seen Mrs. Warren’s Profession? What did you think? Did you think it was the bee’s knees?  Do you agree with the newspaper reviews, or disagree? Favorite parts of the show? Things that weren’t to your taste? Post a “citizen response” or read what other people are saying by clicking on the “comments” link below. We can’t wait to hear what you think!

If you want to include your picture with your review, email it to me and I’ll make sure it gets attached.

Posted by Adam Immerwahr, Producing Associate at McCarter Theatre.

Mrs. Warren’s Profession

So apparently the literary office and rehearsal room at McCarter aren’t the only places where prostitution is a hot topic.  In recent months, sex work has been the subject of much Parliamentary debate in the United Kingdom, where, although various restrictions occur, prostitution is legal.

Recently proposed legislation seeks to criminalize not the prostitutes themselves, but those who procure the services of prostitutes under the control of pimps.  Intended to protect women and prevent men from profiting from women’s sexual labor, the legislation has been divisive, even among feminists.

What about women whose livelihoods depend on her relationship to a pimp?

How is a john supposed to determine whether or not the prostitute he procures is being “controlled for another’s gain”?

How does the illegal trafficking of sex workers enter the mix?

There are nearly as many news articles addressing the issue as there are individual viewpoints, but the following links should offer a sound introduction to the debates, and, I hope, when placed in conversation with our upcoming production of Mrs. Warren’s Profession, help us think critically about the working conditions and opportunities for contemporary women.

Here’s Some Video Footage from the Parliamentary Debates:

http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=2685&st=11:32:43

An article addressing some of the key questions about freedom, choice, and control as they relate to prostitution

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/sex-industry/sex-for-sale-the-truth-about-prostitution-in-britain-1035038.html

An article from the Times which argues against the new legislation:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/minette_ marrin/article5213486.ece

A smart blog entry:

http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/11/20/pandora-legal-prostitution-oped-cx_ee_1121eaves.html

Posted by Patrick McKelvey, Literary Intern at McCarter Theatre.

At the beginning of the season, Emily Mann sat down with me to film a series of short videos on all the plays in our season.  Though we only have two of the videos out, so far they’ve received over 2,500 views (and counting), so obviously it’s something that folks want to watch.  So here’s the third video, on Emily’s production of Mrs. Warren’s Profession, which stars the magnificent Suzanne Bertish (yes yes, you heard it first on the blog!!). Enjoy.

Posted by Adam Immerwahr, Producing Associate at McCarter Theatre.

Intrepid literary manager Carrie Hughes recently sat down with Emily Mann for an interview about our upcoming production of Mrs. Warren’s Profession, which Emily is directing.  Carrie asked Emily a question about her design process with costume designer Jennifer Von Mayrhauser, and I thought the answer was blogworthy, so I’ve excerpted it below.  I love that it shows the factors that go into a design, and what a director and designer might be thinking about at this point, a few months before the first rehearsal.

Carrie:  I know that you haven’t made your final decision about period yet, but you’re having your first round of conversations with your costume designer.  Can you talk a little bit about the issues that you and Jennifer are talking about?

Emily:  We haven’t decided yet if we’re going to put it in the 1890s or 1920s.  You know, it premiered in London in 1925 in twenties dress.  And it premiered here in 1895, in the dress of the day.  There are pros and cons to both.  The basic pro for 1895, besides it being the time when it’s written, is that for women, the cut of clothes accentuates the bosom, and the lines are very sexy.  It’s very glamorous and the hats are fabulous, and the shoulders are fabulous, and you know, all this is great.

But there’s something about the 20s that takes it out of being so far away from us in every day looks.  A lot of twenties dress looks not that different from now. It’s very modern looking and there’s something about it being mothers and daughters sitting around a kitchen table in more modern dress that’s also very appealing.  And, so what do you do with that?  And the underwear is different. In the 1920s you’re not corseted. It’s a big difference in how you hold yourself.  And the corseted look gives you the period, it gives it that period carriage and it makes it seem—I don’t know—like to the people in New Haven at the original American production:”Oh, it’s important. It’s a classic. It’s from England.”  So I don’t know which way we’re going to go.  I want it to not feel like a musty old historic piece, I want it to be very alive for now, which it is.  Which you know, I try to do with anything I’m working on historically so, I haven’t decided yet.  Both of us are intrigued with the decision.  We will have looked at a ton of materials before we make our choice.  It would be just so voluptuous to do it in the nineties…1890s. And so surprising and fresh to do it in the ’20’s.

Posted by Adam Immerwahr, Producing Associate at McCarter Theatre.

Lynn Redgrave, Ruth Gordon, and Milo O’Shea in the original Broadway production of Mrs. Warren’s Profession, photo by Sy Friedman

For our third show of 2008-2009, McCarter offers up a comedy with quite a controversial history: George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession. What’s so scandalous about a play written way back in 1894 by the same playwright who gave us Pygmalion?

For starters, the “profession” in the play’s title is one that was—and is—rarely discussed, especially so openly onstage. Think a certain recent high-profile resignation of a certain high-profile governor, and you’ll get an indication of how Mrs. Warren earns her living.

So as you can imagine, Mrs. Warren’s Profession caused quite a stir when it was first published in the U.K. in 1898, getting banned from public performance for over 25 years. The play was denounced as immoral, corrupt, indecent, revolting, and degenerate. (My kind of theater!) While most of the criticism arose because the play was perceived as glorifying prostitution, it’s more likely that the play struck a chord because it held up a mirror to the society of the day. Shaw did not condemn the prostitutes themselves but rather held the British public accountable for creating an economic and social culture that compelled these women to become prostitutes. By forcing everyday people to face such an “unpleasant” subject, Shaw created a piece of theater that inevitably ruffled some feathers.

The play faced similar obstacles in the U.S. The first North American production premiered in New Haven, CT, on October 27, 1905, but after just one performance, the town’s mayor was so offended that he shut down the production and revoked the theatre’s license.

Nevertheless, the play’s director/producer, Arnold Daly, was determined to bring the show to New York. Three days after its failed run in New Haven, Mrs. Warren’s Profession opened at the Garrick Theatre to a sold-out house. Alas, New York’s mayor shared the same sentiments as the mayor of New Haven. Not only did he shut down the production, but he also had the entire cast and crew arrested, on charges of “offending public decency.” The charges were eventually dropped…on everyone except the house manager. (Watch out, Pam!) (more…)