Event

'I Am My Own Wife'

'I am My Own Wife' was the first one-person show ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. The main character of Doug Wright's award-winning play is a German transvestite who has become a celebrity in his/her own right, to the point of being declared by some a German hero. Wright went to Germany in 1993 to record his conversations with the real Charlotte von Mahlsdorf (born Lothar Berfelde), upon whom the play is based. The playwright struggled for several years after meeting with Charlotte to conceptualize how to turn the material he had into a play. There were so many doubts about Charlotte's life, including some that were not so flattering-among them, never confirmed,that Charlotte had been a Nazi spy.
Wright called together two of his closest friends and brainstormed with them. Those were Moises kaufman, an award-winning director who would go on to direct the play, and Jefferson Mayes who would astonish audiences with his versatility in acting out all forty or more characters and eventuall capture his own award, the Tony. 'I Am My Own Wife' tells a story that shows us childhood in the 1930s through the erection (1961) and deconstruction (1989-1990) of the Berlin Wall that separated communist-controlled East Berlinn from West Berlin. Through the eyes of Charlotte we get a glimpse into life in Germany as it is transformed first by the Nazi Regime and then the Communist Regime. The play opened off Broadway in may 2003 and moved to the Lyceum Theater on Broadway and stayed on Broadway for almost a year enjoying 361 performances. Since that time it has played from Stockholm to Tasmania and all the stops in between.

Awards: 2004, Drama Desk Award for Best New Play, 2004 Drama League Award for Best Play, 2004 Lucille Lortel Awards Outstanding Solo Show, 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 2004 Tony Award for Best Play, 2004 Lambda Literary Award for Drama.

Produced by The Mira Theatre Guild
Charlotte von Mahlsdorf played by David Foushee
Directed by Carlene Coury