The Ira Brind School of Theater Arts is currently producing two challenging contemporary works that address notions of female identity, integrity and self-worth as part of its Platform Series. What does it mean to be a “top girl” or a “first lady?” What does a woman need to do to succeed in what is often called a “man’s world?” Two talented ensembles comprised chiefly of women will explore these issues as the Brind School presents Michael John LaChiusa’s musical First Lady Suite on September 29 - October 2 and Caryl Churchill’s drama Top Girls October 6 - 9 in the Caplan Studio Theater, 211 S. Broad St., Philadelphia.

A quartet celebrated First Ladies – Jackie Kennedy, Mamie Eisenhower, Bess Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt – are given fantastical portraits by composer-lyricist Michael John LaChiusa in his musical First Lady Suite.  LaChiusa is recognized as one of the most original voices currently writing for the contemporary musical stage; the Brind School produced his musical See What I Wanna See as part of the Philly Fringe two years ago, and his musical adaptation of Edna Ferber’s Giant received critical acclaim after its premiere at Signature Theater Company in Arlington VA last season.

Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls begins as a fantasy encounter between iconic historical figures, as Marlene, a modern-day executive, hosts a dinner party in a London restaurant to celebrate a recent job promotion and invites five women from the past as her guests. As the play unfolds, Churchill examines the kinds of challenges that ambitious women must face in their pursuit of success, and the price that Marlene has paid to become a “Top Girl.” Since its premiere at the Royal Court Theater in 1982, Churchill’s play has been hailed as a “bold and provocative” milestone in contemporary playwriting.

Both of these provocative productions are helmed by “first ladies” of the Brind School of Theater Arts.  First Lady Suite is directed by Dr. Patricia Raine, who is the head of the Brind School’s Musical Theatre program. Dr. Raine had an extensive career as singer/actor in over 35 leading roles in musicals, opera, and dramatic theater in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.  She is an internationally renowned clinician in the field of musical theater performance, and her past directing efforts have earned her a Barrymore nomination.

Top Girls is directed by Jackson Gay, an award-winning theater director who graduated from The University of the Arts in 1999 with a BFA in acting. Ms. Gay received her MFA in directing from the Yale School of Drama and currently directs off-Broadway and throughout the US at prestigious venues like Peoples’ Light and Theater, the Alley Theater in Houston and new play festivals like Sundance, Ojai and PlayPenn.

The cast of the two productions is comprised of students in the Brind School’s BFA conservatory programs in Acting and Musical Theater. Scenic, costume, and lighting design and stage management are also provided by Brind School students in the BFA Theater Design & Technology and Directing, Playwriting, & Production programs.

Tickets for First Lady Suite and Top Girls are available online at tickets.uarts.edu. Further information is available by phone at 215-717-6499.

The Brind School’s examination of challenges faced by women in positions of responsibility will continue this winter, when the school presents a reading of Leading Lady, a new musical by P. Seth Bauer and Charles Gilbert about the career of Mae Desmond, a prominent Philadelphia actress who managed one of the city’s most successful resident stock companies in the 1920’s. Leading Lady will be one of the works featured in the Brind School’s New Play Festival, scheduled for January 26 – February 4, 2012.