Peggy Shaw (born July 27, 1944) is an actor, writer, and producer living in New York City. She is a founding member of the Split Britches and WOW Cafe Theatre, and is a recipient of several Obie Awards, including two for

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...

for her performances in '' Dress Suits to Hire'' in 1988 and ''Menopausal Gentleman'' in 1999.

Early life and education

Born Margaret A. Shaw in Belmont, Massachusetts, she was raised in a working class Irish Congregationalist family with six siblings. When she was thirteen, she was a missionary in Costa Rica. Shaw moved to New York in 1967. She had a child and was a social worker for the New York City Agency for Child Development. In 1967, Shaw earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Printmaking at the

Massachusetts College of Art Massachusetts College of Art and Design, branded as MassArt, is a public college of visual and applied art in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1873, it is one of the nation’s oldest art schools, the only publicly funded independent art school ...

Career

At the age of 31 after seeing Hot Peaches (a theater group in New York that consisted mostly of

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...

s) perform in Sheridan Square, Shaw became involved with the company. Shaw began by painting sets for Hot Peaches and constructing paper mâché heads for a parade performance. Her first experience on stage was in 1975 on a gay tour of Europe. During this time, she saw

Spiderwoman Theater Spiderwoman Theater is an American, Indigenous women's performance troupe that blends traditional art forms with Western theater. Their mission was to present exceptional theater performance, and to provide theatrical training and education in an ...

in Amsterdam and met

Lois Weaver Lois Weaver (born 1949, Roanoke, Virginia) is a Guggenheim-winning artist, activist, writer, director, and Professor of Contemporary Performance at Queen Mary University of London. She is currently a Wellcome Trust Fellow in Engaging Science. H ...

. Shaw and Hot Peaches lived in London for 3 years, where they met Bette Bourne, who would go on to found the Bloolips after his experiences with Hot Peaches. Shaw founded the troupe Split Britches with Deb Margolin and

in 1980. She also co-founded WOW Cafe Theater, an ongoing performance festival and venue. Shaw suffered a stroke in 2011. Her show, ''RUFF'', directed by longtime collaborator Lois Weaver, explores her experiences as a survivor. The University of Michigan published ''A Menopausal Gentleman'', a book that includes many of the scripts from Shaw's solo performances.

Shows

* ''The Slow Drag'' * ''You're Just Like My Father'' * ''To My Chagrin'' * ''MUST: The Inside Story'' * ''Dress Suits To Hire'' * ''Belle Reprieve'' * ''Menopausal Gentleman'' * ''RUFF''

Awards and grants

Shaw has received Obie Awards for her performances in ''Dress Suits To Hire'', and ''Menopausal Gentleman'', and an ensemble award for her work in ''Belle Reprieve''. * 1987: Village Voice OBIE Award for performance in ''Dress Suits to Hire'' * 1990: Village Voice OBIE for the ensemble in ''Belle Reprieve'' * 1994: Nominee for Cal/Arts Herb Alpert Award * 1995: Anderson Foundation Stonewall Award for Sustained Excellence, Jane Chambers Award for the Best Play, Villager Award to Split Britches Company for Best Ensemble, Nominee for Cal/Arts Herb Alpert Award * 1998: Out on the Edge Theatre Award for Sustained Achievement * 1999: Village Voice OBIE for the production ''Menopausal Gentlemen'', Nominee for Cal/Arts Herb Alpert Award * 2004: The Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists award. * 2005: The Foundation for Contemporary Performance, Theatre Performer of the Year * 2006: Otto Award for Excellence in Political Theatre * 2014: Doris Duke Artist Award for Theater

References

External links