Odds & Ends: Lauren Patten, Beth Leavel, Julie White & More Star in Period Piece

Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed recently.

Stars Set for New Project About That Time of the Month
More than 60 performers and playwrights have joined together for Period Piece, a project to destigmatize menstrual cycles. Directed by Love, Loss & What I Wore's Karen Carpenter, each presentation of Period Piece will be made up of new monologues about diverse experiences of menstruation, to entertain, educate and enlighten audiences about a phenomenon clouded in mystery yet experienced by more than half the world’s population—periods! Conceived by playwright and screenwriter Susan Cinoman (The Goldbergs), Period Piece is set to stream on April 12, April 19 and April 26—three performances, featuring 12 different monologues performed by 12 different actors. Performers include Jagged Little Pill 2020 Tony nominee Lauren Patten, Tony winner Beth Leavel, Tony winner Cady Huffman, Tony. winner Julie White, Mandy Moore, Geneva Carr, Bianca Marroquín, Isabelle McCalla, Jessica Hecht, Julie Halston and more. Contributing playwrights include Sarah Ruhl, Theresa Rebeck, Ngozi Anyanwu, Quinn Fontaine, Kit Yan, Lauren Gunderson and more. A portion of the proceeds will benefit I Support the Girls.

La MaMa Founder & Playwright Paul Foster Dies at 89
Paul Foster, innovative playwright, founding member and first board president of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, died peacefully at home in New York City on March 5 at the age of 89. Born on October 15, 1931 in Penns Grove, New Jersey, he studied journalism at Rutgers University. He then moved to Manhattan at the age of 21 to study at New York University School of Law and served two years in the Navy upon graduation. While living in New York City, Foster developed an interest in theater and met Ellen Stewart, a fashion designer planning to open her own boutique. Foster agreed to help Stewart with her boutique in exchange for using the basement space as a theater space in the evenings. They ultimately founded La MaMa, a launchpad for underrepresented artists. Foster wrote 18 plays, including Elizabeth 1, Tom Paine and Satyricon as well as the libretto and lyrics for the musical Silver Queen Saloon. His longtime collaborator Tom O’Horgan directed a lengthy run of Tom Paine off-Broadway. Foster's archives can be found at the Archibald S. Alexander Library on the campus of Rutgers University.

Tony-Winning Set Designer David Rockwell Joins Oscars Production Team
Movie fans (and Broadway lovers!) are gearing up for the 2021 Oscars, set to air on ABC on April 25. The Hollywood Reporter has announced a lineup of creative minds that have been added to the production team. Among them is Tony-winning set designer David Rockwell, whose work was last represented on Broadway by Tootsie. He previously served as production designer for the 81st and 82nd annual Academy Awards, the latter earning him a Primetime Emmy Award. The team also includes lighting designer Robert Dickinson, an 18-time Emmy winner who was nominated for his work on the 67th Annual Tony Awards, Questlove, The Last Five Years film adapter and director Richard LaGravenese, Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, Steven Soderbergh and more.

Disney+ Smash Hamilton Wins Producers Guild Award
The Broadway blockbuster Hamilton made its Disney+ debut on July 3, 2020, earning a Critics' Choice Award as well as NAACP Image Award and Golden Globe Award nominations. Now, the filmed performance has garnered a Producers Guild Award. The virtual ceremony took place on March 24. Tony winner Frances McDormand also won for producing Nomadland, in which she also stars, as did the teams for The Queen's Gambit and a gymnastics documentary called Defying Gravity.