Miss Lulu Bett

In Celebration of Women's History Month

Spinsterhood seems to be Lulu's destiny, until an enthusiastic visitor proposes! Miss Lulu Bett is the first play written by a woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (1921).

The WorkShop Theater Company first presented Miss Lulu Bett in late February of 2008 as part of Voices, Pertinent and Timeless a reading series, conceived by company artist Lori Faiella, featuring the first three Pulitzer Prize-winning plays by women. In January of 2009, the WorkShop Theater Company produced a staged reading of the play, directed by Debra Whitfield. Miss Lulu Bett's depiction of a woman discovering her independence was ground-breaking in 1921. Its world premiere took place on a temporary stage constructed at Sing Sing prison, after which it played on Broadway at the Belmont Theatre, produced by Brock Pemberton. In 1921, Zona Gale was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming the first female writer to win the coveted prize. Miss Lulu Bett was then made into a silent film directed by William C. de Mille. Miss Gale also took an active part in the creation of the Wisconsin Equal Rights Law prohibiting discrimination against women.