Discussion and Readings from a new play about 5 distinguished women who were Blacklisted during the McCarthy era and its lessons for today With Julie Halpern - Playwright and Director And Actresses Elaine LeGaro - portraying Margaret Webster Stacey Scotte - portraying Lillian Hellman Mary McGloin - portraying Jean Muir
"The Diminished Fifth", is about women who were blacklisted. And, it's as well an admonition for today, that paranoid nationalism, unbridled patriotism that is exclusionary and supremacist are the embers that stoked the flames of the House Un-American Activities Committee, McCarthyism and threatens to erupt into a forest fire today.
This year marks the 61st anniversary of the first publication of the origin of the blacklist document, "Red Channels". Although only a few blacklisted artists are still with us, their legacy survives in their work, created under some of the most trying conditions in recent history. The women characters in the "Diminished Fifth" were forced to contend with the virulent sexism as well as the rampant chauvinism that permeated the post-war years, overlaid with vicious attacks which hurt all blacklisted individuals.
Most material about this period focuses on Hollywood, and more specifically on men. While their and their families suffering should never be ignored or minimized, little has been written about blacklisted women, particularly those who made their careers in New York. While the Broadway community was less hostile to blacklisted artists than Hollywood, many women found themselves unexpectedly out-of-work, and were never able to fully reclaim their careers
produced by Mimi Rosenberg and Ken Nash
please email us if you plan to broadcast this program - knash@igc.org
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