Producer's Note
Larissa Dzegar
What drives me to produce?
Two major things drive me: The desire to work and the need to tell the stories of amazing women. Actors must stand for something, for our job is too important to ignore its role in educating and expanding consciousness. I stand for theater that speaks for and about women, yet is accessible and important to everyone. Producing something I love is an extension of my duty as an actress.
Tired of reading plays about leading men and supporting women, frustrated with how many talented actresses around me were not working, and thirsty for a chance to step up to fulfill my full potential, I met with director Samantha Wellen to brainstorm. We arrived at Leading Ladies with such ease and love that we accepted it as a gift from the Universe.
Why Leading Ladies?
We are telling the stories of these Leading Ladies because they can't or won't tell their own stories. We actors portray the lives of everyday people as well as those of extraordinary people because we are how they come to life; we are the ones who immortalize them; we are the ones who carry on what made their lives worth living. My mission is to open up my own heart so that audience members, watching safely from their dark seats, might open up their own hearts. I access my life and my pain so that others will find their own and, perhaps, heal. Leading Ladies is about deeply wounded women who have survived, overcome, and recreated themselves via their hardships, turning scars into paths for other women to follow.
I am producing Leading Ladies because we need it. I, with my inspiring director, the incredibly brave writers, and my beautiful, strong co-stars, offer this show as a gift and a prayer. May we, Ladies, step up to our Leading Selves, because it is our right and our responsibility. May we find our strength, expand our hearts, fight fiercely, and love deeply. May we sing from our souls and lead with our passions.
I hope you are touched, as I am over and over again, by this show and the women we are bringing to life.
Two major things drive me: The desire to work and the need to tell the stories of amazing women. Actors must stand for something, for our job is too important to ignore its role in educating and expanding consciousness. I stand for theater that speaks for and about women, yet is accessible and important to everyone. Producing something I love is an extension of my duty as an actress.
Tired of reading plays about leading men and supporting women, frustrated with how many talented actresses around me were not working, and thirsty for a chance to step up to fulfill my full potential, I met with director Samantha Wellen to brainstorm. We arrived at Leading Ladies with such ease and love that we accepted it as a gift from the Universe.
Why Leading Ladies?
We are telling the stories of these Leading Ladies because they can't or won't tell their own stories. We actors portray the lives of everyday people as well as those of extraordinary people because we are how they come to life; we are the ones who immortalize them; we are the ones who carry on what made their lives worth living. My mission is to open up my own heart so that audience members, watching safely from their dark seats, might open up their own hearts. I access my life and my pain so that others will find their own and, perhaps, heal. Leading Ladies is about deeply wounded women who have survived, overcome, and recreated themselves via their hardships, turning scars into paths for other women to follow.
I am producing Leading Ladies because we need it. I, with my inspiring director, the incredibly brave writers, and my beautiful, strong co-stars, offer this show as a gift and a prayer. May we, Ladies, step up to our Leading Selves, because it is our right and our responsibility. May we find our strength, expand our hearts, fight fiercely, and love deeply. May we sing from our souls and lead with our passions.
I hope you are touched, as I am over and over again, by this show and the women we are bringing to life.
