Diane Paulus ’97SOA will make theater history this spring with her production of Waitress — the first Broadway musical with an all-female creative team (director, writer, composer, and choreographer). The show, which opened in previews this March, is based on a 2007 movie written and directed by Adrienne Shelly. It tells the story of a small-town waitress who dreams of opening her own pie shop. She is derailed by a loveless marriage and unexpected pregnancy, until a baking contest offers her a way out.
Paulus is known for her innovative direction of Broadway revivals and her use of women in traditionally male roles. She was nominated for the Tony Award for best direction for her revival of Hair in 2009, was at the helm of the Tony-winning revival of Porgy and Bess in 2012, and won the Tony for best direction for her revival of Pippin in 2013. Waitress was first produced as a musical last summer at the American Repertory Theater, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Paulus serves as artistic director.
