Episode # 177 - New Amsterdames
Playwright Ellen K. Anderson talks about her newest work, New Amsterdames, which is being presented by Flying Fig Theater at HERE Arts Center. This is Ellen’s 16th play; Ellen is based on California, and many of her works have been seen in NYC including Why Mudflaps? and the musical Shirtwaist, both at FringeNYC.
New Amsterdames is about the women of Dutch New Amsterdam. It’s set in the then-brand-new town on Lower Manhattan in the mid-1600s, and features a variety of characters based on historical figures, including Peter Stuyvesant’s wife, an African woman whose land was eventually stolen from her by the English, and the Dutch woman who invented doughnuts. The play also includes some talking beavers and some contemporary characters.
Ellen talks about the vast research she did for this play, and shares a wealth of fascinating trivia. (Did you know that the beaver is New York’s state animal?)
She also talks about her career as a playwright and in academia.
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