Laura Shamas reports on the successes and challenges of launching the year-long social media campaign #52PlaysbyWomen.

Is there really no institution in 2014 that will sponsor an ongoing annual study of American women playwrights working in theater seasons around the country (and directors, producers, designers, for that matter)? What if there were a way to fund some sort of new national study, to formalize a precise methodology of what shows/seasons to count and when, and get an accurate assessment of what the gender equity percentages for women playwrights in the United States really are in 2014? If we can’t find an institution or university that will fund this (which seems a shame), is there a DIY way to organize an all-inclusive study that includes every region of the country? Can we pool our resources and do this?

Laura Shamas on the steps she and Jennie Webb took to create of the Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative, and the lessons they have learned along the way.