BARBARA KAHN
Barbara Kahn can´t remember wanting to do anything other than work in the theater, except for a brief time as a child when she had a crush on Philadelphia television personality Sally Starr and wanted to be a cowgirl. Beginning as an actor, she later added directing and writing to her list of professional pursuits. Kahn´s plays have been produced in the U.S., France and Germany. She has directed productions in New York, Paris and London. Ellen Stewart at the legendary LaMaMa E.T.C. produced her first play, and Theater for the New City has been the primary New York City home for her work since 1994. Among her numerous awards, she was honored with the Torch of Hope Award for lifetime achievement in nonprofit theater and received the joint Robert Chesley LGBT Playwriting Award/Wurlitzer Foundation Residency in Taos, N.M. From lesbian and gay pirates in 1722 to two intriguing women who participated in filming Gone with the Wind (Ona Munson and Alla Nazimova), Kahn has devoted her craft to uncovering forgotten LGBT history. Her favorite audience response has been, “I come away from seeing your work feeling entertained. It´s only later that I realize I´ve been educated.” -SJ
What Do You Think?