Mission: Dedicated to telling the story of the Rehearsal Club, to preserving its legacy;
and to inspiring and supporting future generations of aspiring artists.

A small but mighty group of former Rehearsal Club residents came together in 2006 at Kathy Conry's request. She was directing the Kaufman/Ferber play, Stage Door -- which immortalized The RC and its unique group of aspiring young artists. I met Kathy later that year when she performed with Steve and me in a benefit production, Circle of Friends, Boockvor Productions, Producer. When all was said and done, she asked "Did you ever live at the RC?" And the rest is history.

GOOD GIRLS ONLY: THE REHEARSAL CLUB MUSICAL

CINDERELLAS OF WEST 53RD STREET - Memoir Book

DOCUMENTARY

SUBSIDIZED HOUSING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE WEBSTER APARTMENT

Who knew that informal gathering of like-minded peers would produce the above creative projects and lead our fledgling group into official incorporation? Kathleen Conry, a director and former Broadway dancer, is now known for mentoring young talents and for bringing her talented network of friends (like me) together! I've cut my producer teeth by leading many of our creative projects as Vice Chair (2007-2013), Chair (2014-2018) and Board of Directors (2019-2020): see our Musical Project Page to follow the steps leading to the production of a final script, Good Girls Only, by my friend, Charles Leipart.

Over time and with the support our ever-growing group of women, Boockvor Productions brought 25+ of our women together to write their early memoirs. Our first version was hit and miss, however, my outreach to start a Writer's Committee, brought forth the better writers who then collaborated with each and every writer to pull together a more cohesive manuscript tentatively titled "Cinderellas of West 53rd Street." Blythe Danner agreed to write our Foreward and the Universe finally delivered a publisher: Bear Manor Media. We formed a new "Publishing Committee" and went to work finalizing our "source material" for a potential series. That's the dream anyway. Publication: January, 2023!

Now that TRC has incorporated, they can raise the funding to the documentary. I stepped down from the meetings & minutes aspect of everything in 2020. Our new Shakespeare Alive Workshop. provided much-needed "community" thru Covid -- and continues in 2023. Gale Patron, TRC President, ran a successful fundraising campaign in 2021 and TRC now helps subsidize housing for the next generation thru "The Residency Program" at The Webster Apartments.

Our condensed 50-minute "teaser" staged reading was presented at the Professional Children's School in March, 2013. This was a fortuitous circle in that classes for PCS began in the basement of the Rehearsal Club in 1914.

Two weeks after W@W performed at The York, John Kroner unexpectedly passed away. However, my friend and writer was passionate to finish the project. After fielding a few composers, much of the music written for this staged reading came from Larry Spivack. Our talented Broadway cast were more close, Broadway friends George Lee Andrews, Mary Lou Barber, Randy Graff, Jamey Grisham, Ernestine Jackson, Victoria Mallory and Jane Summerhayes.

Kathleen Conry again challenged the cast with entrances & exits while holding book in hand (ala Encores style) and, don't ya know, they ALL rose to the challenge.

Now? We hear the full book has been written, Jamey Grisham has taken over as composer and . . . we're all waiting for the next chapter.

WANNA BE A PRODUCER?

GOOD GIRLS ONLY
The Rehearsal Club Musical

Curious what it takes to create something from the ground up? Well, this little baby began with me asking my musical writer friend, Charles Leipart, if he would write a song for the women of The Rehearsal Club. Please? I fed him a few anecdotes and violá! Instant anthem! Good Girls Only, music by the late John Kroner, is sung by all our Rehearsal Club women (including moi) and is being used in the trailer for the documentary.

In 2010, when I was co-President for Women in Arts & Media Coalition, I had the opportunity to produce their VintAGE event and, with the brilliant suggestion from board member, Holli Harms, we celebrated the plays of Edna Ferber which allowed me to showcase our Rehearsal Club "anthem" together with a scene from Stage Door. Rehearsal Club women pictured left to right are Rise Clemmer, Diane Finley, Terry Baughan, Melinda Tanner and Kathleen Conry (who also directed both pieces).

This inspired the writers to option two more songs: Jimmy, based on the late James Dean who used to hang out at the RC when dating "Dizzy" Sheridan (the late Liz Sheridan, also known as Seinfeld's mother); and,One Dress, based on Carol Burnett's dress that got passed around for auditions & special dates. Now we had three songs -- how to showcase with no $$$?

Our Actor's Equity Union came to the rescue. As a member of Equity's Equal Employment Opportunity Committee, I submitted a proposal for Women's History Month: Celebrate the women of 1913 -- when Equity was created; when the Rehearsal Club came into being; when Bernard Shaw wrote Pygmalion and, when the Ziegfeld Follies opened on Broadway at The New Amsterdam. It's ironic that I performed in the original Follies and Ron Raines, "Ben" in the recent revival, was our MC.

Quite an undertaking, but with the help of everyone from The Rehearsal Club and Kathleen Conry leading the charge, The York Theater showcased quite a smash event!

Taina Elg (Oscar nominee for Les Girls opposite Gene Kelley) was crowned 2012 Ziegfeld Queen and played "Mrs. Higgins" in Pygmalion for us. Those are original Ziegfeld costumes worn by our (mostly) RC women cast. Joanne Dorian, Alan Altschuler, Grace Kiley, Tom Galantich & Paula Nance rounded out the Pygmalion cast pictured below. Sebastiani Romagnol (pictured below) played James Dean, dancing with Maddy Apple, both members of choreographer Lori Lescher's Dance Company. Laurie Sanderson, pictured in the ostrich feather finale, is the President of the Ziegfeld Club. And that's me in the middle dancing One Dress with Leslie E. Hughes, Martina Vidmar, Dottie Belle, me, Rise Clemmer, Emily King Brown & Maddy Apple. Great concept - thank you, Kathy!