Mamet: It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World
Why did David Mamet refuse an all-female troupe the right to
perform his plays? The New York City-based QuintEssential
Theatre Co. chose a series of pieces from Mamet's "Goldberg
Streets" as its inaugural production. "We picked works we felt
were gender nonspecific," says member Natasha Borg. The group
got the OK from the two publishing houses that shared the
rights, Dramatists Play Services and Samuel French. "When
applying for the rights, you must list all the cast members,"
says Borg. "They could see we were all women." But a few weeks
before the Jan. 6 performance, the group received letters from
both houses saying the pieces were not intended for an
all-female cast. The women began rehearsing other Mamet works
they say the publishers agreed to grant rights to, as they were
gender nonspecific. But the day before opening night, the cast
was ordered by Samuel French to cease and desist. The shows were
canceled. Explanation? Samuel French has directed all questions
to the playwright's publicist, who declined to comment.