Theatre by women, about women, for everyone. In a theatrical climate where there are always an abundance of talented actresses and very few good roles for them to bring to life, Broads’ Word Ensemble is dedicated to letting those actresses shine in a way you’ve never seen them before. We also support parity across all areas of theatre. Our productions are geared toward providing substantive, creative opportunities for women in theatre as performers, directors, writers, producers, and all other aspects of the craft.
Our History
Our first production, Fifty Shades of Shrew, a feminist, BDSM take on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, was a 2015 Hollywood Fringe festival hit, winning an Encore! Producer’s Award. Both critics and audiences agreed, Broads’ Word Ensemble has “theatrical expertise and imagination.”
Our next offering was the world premiere of Women w/o Walls, a dark existential drama written by Robin Rice, that was loved by critics and audiences. It was described in one review as “theatre speaking from our moment to the ages.”
We returned to the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2016 with Must Be Comfortable With, an original ensemble piece addressing the inequities of the entertainment industry. Described as “A smack-down of epic proportions of the women’s theatrical casting scene,” we struck a chord with audiences as we addressed sexism and misogyny with humor and wit.
We launched our 2017 season with Barbara Khan’s The Lady Was a Gentleman, a screwball comedy of seduction, mistaken identity, and all the fun Charlotte Cushman got away with on her farewell theatrical tour of the U.S. with her personal assistant Sallie, a free black woman, and an ever-expanding entourage of adoring younger women.
At the Hollywood Fringe Festival, we presented Loves Adventures by Margaret Cavendish, a restoration comedy remixed for the 1980s.
Community Support
We sponsor the Beyond Bechdel-Wallace Award at the annual Hollywood Fringe Festival. This award honors exceptional shows that at a bare minimum pass the Bechdel-Wallace test: have two female characters, named, who have a conversation about something other than a man. We created this award to celebrate the hard work it takes to make the stage equitable – particularly for people of color, people with other abilities, and LGBTQ people.
