Driven by frustration over the lack of women’s roles in theater, playwright Courtney Meaker, director Hatlo and creator/performer Erin Pike set out to show how women’s roles in theater are light years behind men’s, and in the process have raised the ire of the playwrights whose works appear in bits and pieces in the trio’s new production illustrating their point, “That’swhatshesaid.”
The approach makes sense: It’s easiest to prove your case when you present actual evidence. That’s exactly what ‘That’swhatshesaid” does, by slicing and dicing parts of some of the most popular plays in recent times to illustrate how women performers are getting shortchanged in their roles.
The playwrights whose works are included in the production are not happy about not being asked for permission to use parts of their plays, but Meaker, Hatlo and Pike believe what they’re doing falls under the “fair use” exception in copyright land.
KHIKS founding/managing partner Larry Iser was asked to comment on the affair, and had a lot to say. For Larry’s views on the subject, see “That’s What They Wrote and ‘That’swhatshesaid.’“
