A journal of women's thoughts, questions and visions for theatre

The Open Page is a theatre journal which originally complemented the Magdalena Project's Newsletter, the last issue of which was published in autumn 1999. The Newsletter gave an opportunity for the sharing of accessible information and documentation, and its function has been replaced by a website (www.themagdalenaproject.org).

 

The Open Page was founded in the belief that there needed to be a more substantial space for women theatre practitioners to report on their work and express their thoughts, feelings and analysis of theatre, as a means of building their own memory and a critical perspective within theatre history. As the journal has grown so too has the necessity to document and historicise women's work in theatre: we have to leave behind traces of our work for ourselves and for future generations.

 

Women's work in theatre has until very recently been poorly documented or neglected. The Open Page does not come from one ideological position through which the choice of what is or is not published is filtered, nor does it insist upon an adherence to theoretical perspectives which can inhibit the expression of a plurality of ideas and experiences. Rather The Open Page seeks to give space to many different voices, some of them dissident, others not, keeping a balance among contributions from experienced authors and scholars, practitioners needing to put their thoughts on paper and first time writers more accustomed to expressing themselves through performance.

 

The Open Page in collecting articles has given great importance to international diversity although the choice of printing in one language forces the journal to confront the problems of translation. As far as possible it has tried to be faithful to the original intention of the texts even if this has meant showing disrespect for English scholarly form or grammar. The gender form chosen by the author for the word actress-actor-female performer has been respected.