Playwright
Wendy Wasserstein ’71 Dies at Age 55
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Wendy
Wasserstein 71 |
The Mount Holyoke
College community worldwide mourns the loss of Wendy Wasserstein ’71,
who died January 30, 2006, in New York City. Wasserstein, a Tony-,
Obie-, and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and one of the College’s most prominent
alumnae, was a dedicated supporter of Mount Holyoke who embodied
the mission of the College in her work and life. Her plays, which
include Uncommon Women and Others, The Heidi Chronicles, An
American Daughter, and The Sisters Rosensweig, articulated
a complex, witty vision of contemporary women and their efforts
to negotiate the
world of careers, relationships, family, and society. Wasserstein
also wrote critically praised essays about her childhood and family;
her career as a female playwright; and her daughter, Lucy Jane,
born in 1999 when Wasserstein was 48.
“In addition to being a gifted, award-winning artist with
a distinctive wit and voice, Wendy was a very funny and unfailingly
amiable person, beloved by all who knew her,” said President
Joanne Creighton. “Wendy approached life with thoughtfulness,
imagination, and humor, which was reflected in all her work. She
was a loyal alumna and an articulate champion of Mount Holyoke.
Although we will miss her, she leaves behind a luminous legacy
in her portrayals of the joys, anxieties, and challenges of modern
womanhood, which have touched so many people over the years.”
Vanessa James,
chair of the theatre department at Mount Holyoke, remembers Wasserstein
as “full of brilliant humor and infectious
energy. Her incisive wit influenced many young playwrights and
her wild imagination inspired all of us who knew and admired her
work.”
In 1985, the
Alumnae Association awarded Wasserstein with its highest honor,
the Mary Lyon Award. W. Rochelle Calhoun,
executive
director
of the Alumnae Association, said, “The
Alumnae Association was pleased to recognize the work of one
of the brightest and
most original minds of her generation,
and
we mourn her untimely passing.”
On the Web:
NY
Times Article
NY
Times Editorials/Op-Ed
On the MHC Web:
College
to Pay Tribute to Wendy Wasserstein '71
Memorial
in NY Times
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