"The Last Reading of Charlotte Cushman" is one of the many remarkable plays by Carolyn Gage, a colleague and friend. The play is about the 19th-century renowned actor who was celebrated in the U.S. and England. An out lesbian, although she didn't use that word, she did not hide her lengthy relationship with sculptor Emma Stebbins, the woman she called her wife. Carolyn's play is about Cushman at the end of her life, when her limited health only allowed her to give readings. I have loved performing excerpts over the years. This inspired my own research into Cushman's life and career and my play about her early career.

One of my favorite acting gigs is "filler" for the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts. I have a number of one person pieces of varying lengths that I can perform when a scheduled performance does not use its allotted time and the next performance is not ready. On rare occasions over the many years of the Festival, a performer of group has to cancel at the last minute, and I perform until the next performer(s) are ready. It's a fun job, and I try to learn new material for each year. There were a few years when I was not needed, and a few where I went on several times. This was separate from a short play that I have written for the Festival nearly every year from its beginning. (see separate entries.)

• Carolyn Gage, Charlotte Cushman, theater history, lesbian history