Darleen Pickering Hummert, actor, director, producer, playwright and publicist, Artistic Director / Executive Director of Theatre for Change, Inc.

Greetings everyone and welcome to March – seems like only yesterday I was wishing you all a Happy New Year – but here we are getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day. March is a special month for me, it is the month of my oldest daughter’s birthday – Happy Birthday Ginger – who was actually born on St. Paddy’s Day, so I guess that makes me or at least her part Irish ….and March is also my grandson’s birthday – Happy Birthday Taylor! So there’s plenty to celebrate this month. But very importantly and historically significant, March is Women’s History Month.

The purpose of Women's History Month is to increase consciousness and knowledge of women's history: to take one month of the year to remember the contributions of notable and ordinary women, in hopes that the day will soon come when it's impossible to teach or learn history without remembering these contributions.

On March 8, 1911 the first celebration known as International Women's Day was held in Europe. At that time across Europe as well as in the U.S. women's rights were political hot topics. However, the economic depression of the 1930s and then World War II caused women's rights to fall out of fashion. In the 1950s and 1960s Betty Friedan pointed to the boredom and isolation of middle-class housewives who often gave up intellectual and professional aspirations — the women's movement began to revive. In the 1960s interest in women's issues and women's history blossomed. In the 1970s universities began to include women's history and women's studies in their curriculums. In 1978 in California, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women began a "Women's History Week" celebration. The week was chosen to coincide with International Women's Day, March 8. Three years later, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution establishing National Women's History Week. In 1987 Congress expanded the week to a month, and has issued a resolution every year since. The U.S. President each year issues a proclamation for Women's History Month.

I decided to feature Darleen Pickering Hummert this month because she is a fantastic triple whammy for the month of March – an Irish American woman artist, you just can’t beat that!

When thinking of famed university Notre Dame, one thinks of the “Fighting Irish” and their great spirit. When thinking of America, one thinks of our strength, versatility and diversity. When thinking of Darleen Pickering Hummert, one must think of all these attributes combined. She is a feisty Irish-American actor, teacher, writer, director, performer, community leader (whew!); and 36 years wife to the “talented Mr. Hummert” as she referenced him for this article – a respected professional actor himself.

She credits her mother for nurturing and shaping her outlook on life and ultimately her career choice. She extolled her mom’s impeccable communication skills as well as an uncanny ability to mimic and imitate mannerisms, accents and assume personalities – traits she used more than once to manipulate various authorities in order to get some positive action in her community; e.g. once calling the City’s Streets and Sanitation Department pretending to be a nun ("Sister Immaculata" or some such made up name) who needed neighborhood streets plowed so that children could make it to school safely.

Darleen describes her mother as “fiercely independent,” working two jobs outside the home to augment the family income at a time when such choices were not popular. Darleen’s mother, through her gifts of acting, singing and dancing (though not professionally), inspired Darleen to follow suit. After high school, Darleen looked beyond traditional career choices. She opted to pursue an undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in theater rather than travel the teacher, nurse, or nun path typical of the times.

For graduate school, Darleen made a full commitment to theater. She received an assistantship with Illinois State University at Normal in the Theater Department, where she obtained her M.A. in acting and directing and where she also met future husband, Richard Hummert. Darleen’s professional career launched at Illinois State when she played a variety of roles in a production called “Make Her Wilderness Like Eden,” an epic
history of Illinois that traveled the State’s County Fair circuit over a summer of nearly unbearable heat … all I can say here is Yikes! But, the job included a salary and all expenses and that counts for a lot. Acting lessons and dance classes at the Studio Arena School under the tutelage of June Duell, acclaimed nationally as well as locally for her work with Ujima Company and the Paul Robeson Theatre, further complemented her skills. Darleen states, "Miss Duell's passion for our craft and her skill are legendary and I was and continue to be mesmerized by her."

In 1989 Darleen delved into an act of creativity that expanded her career in a major way. After
conducting research on domestic violence, she wrote a one-act play entitled “Father Knows Best” a work illuminating the tragedy and difficulties of living with domestic violence, and produced it for Haven House, an organization she was introduced to by her colleague, Gail Golden-McHugh. It is an exceptional piece of theater – I’ve seen it more than once and each time I was deeply moved by the articulation of emotions and portrayal of circumstances associated with victims of domestic violence.

This play turned out to be an extraordinary work of art that garnered recognition and awareness for the mission of Child and Family Services Haven House and initiated a long relationship between Darleen and Child and Family Services and their network of agencies. Long story short, as Darleen would say, that project resulted in the founding of her company, Theatre For Change. This past November TFC celebrated twenty years of outstanding service delivered through its dramatic interpretations of the multitude of social ills we’ve all encountered at some point, and gives professionals, individuals living with those challenges, caretakers, family members, etc. the opportunity to better understand the critical impact these problems have on our lives and explore solutions.

Darleen is devoted to Theatre For Change and its future, but she has not forsaken her own appetite to be a stage performer; and while she is well known for excellence in comedic roles, she’s eager to take on more dramatic and serious roles. She wants to up the ante on her stage work and give audiences a chance to experience the full spectrum of her capabilities as an actor and for directors to also appreciate her range of talent. So, all you directors out there – don’t miss the opportunity to do something wonderful for our audiences and our local theater scene by stepping out and stretching boundaries for Darleen (and yourselves) by casting her in unusual and unexpected roles – it’ll be a good thing!

In addition to her artistic endeavors, Darleen’s experiences include time spent as the Marketing/Public Relations Director for Irish Classical Theatre, a stint on NBC’s “Unsolved Mysteries”, production work at WBUF and WEBR radio stations, as well as WKBW Channel 7 and WNED with the Mark Russell Show. This past December Darleen did the local casting for the Keanu Reeves movie “Henry’s Crime” and assisted filmmaker Peter McGennis with casting for “Buffalo Bushido” with Jesse L. Martin of Law & Order fame and John Savage; and now on McGennis’ new film, “Queen City.” Darleen has worked on commercials, videos, photo shoots and feature films.

What does her future hold? Darleen seeks to revise and revisit her original play Home Again, Home Again, and a screenplay she co-wrote with fellow Theatre For Change actor, Steven Dawson, and of course, continue to expand her director’s credits. Darleen’s generosity and respect for our theater community is reflected in her comment that she believes local theaters owe a debt of gratitude to Theatre of Youth and their 37-year track record of producing plays for young audiences that paved the way for them to become adult patrons of theater and the arts. She marvels at the longevity, quality, and diversity of work produced by our theater community that is inordinately large relative to comparable cities; and acknowledges the difficulty of sustainability on matters of financial resources and audiences – a problem for all of the visual and performing arts. Darleen is especially proud of the Theatre For Change ensemble stating “I'm so very blessed to have such dedicated and skilled actors, directors, writers and stage managers in our theater company these past twenty years.”

In the near future, you can see Darleen at Irish Classical Theatre when she appears in their production “Engaged” directed by Fortunato Pezzimenti opening in April. Learn more about her work and Theatre For Change by sending an e-mail message to: theatre4change@verizon.net or visiting www.theatreforchange.com.

Things to know about Darleen Pickering Hummert:

Favorite roles played to date: "Nurse" in Romeo and Juliet directed by Saul Elkin for Shakespeare in Delaware Park, "Maisie Madigan" in Juno and the Paycock directed by Derek Campbell for Irish Classical Theatre and "Kate", the mom, in Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound, both directed by Brother Augustine Towey for Artpark

Awards/recognition: Erie County Coalition Against Family Violence Award; Rosary Hill College (now Daemen) Distinguished Alumni Award; SUNYAB Professional Staff Senate Outstanding Service Award; Family Justice Center's 2008 Buffalo News Founders Award; 2000 Arts Council in Buffalo & Erie County Outstanding Individual Artist Award; playwriting fellowships from the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York Foundation on the Arts, the David Fendrick Fund and numerous Artvoice "Artie" award nominations.

Professional Acting credits include: Juno and the Paycock, The Cobbler, Same Old Moon, and Child’s Christmas in Wales, (Irish Classical Theatre Company); Romeo and Juliet, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Macbeth, (Shakespeare in Delaware Park); Indian Blood and Lake Effect: Over The Tavern, Part 3 (Studio Arena); Fiddler On The Roof, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Broadway Bound, (Artpark); I’m Not Rappaport, Pack of Lies, (Kavinoky Theatre); Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Best Christmas Pageant Ever, (Theatre of Youth); All the Way Home (Playhouse of American Classics); Our Town (Curtain Call Productions); and The Man Who Came To Dinner (A.R.T.).

Director: Events On A Hotel Terrace, Village Wooing, Galway Girl (all featuring Vincent O'Neill and Josephine Hogan); and Christmas Memories.

There’s plenty of terrific venues and programs to attend this Women’s History Month, and one the very best resources you can access is our public library system (guided by a woman Executive Director, Bridgette Quinn Carey). All the news you can use to add value to your life and lifestyle can be found in public libraries where everything is FREE! Here’s how you can reach them: (716) 858.8900 or visit their totally cool website at www.buffalo.lib.org .

Women’s History Month Kick-off Event

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library: Lafayette Square, downtown Buffalo. Call – (716) 858.8900

Thurs. March 4, noon – 4 p.m. press event and celebration includes exhibits and displays from a variety of WNY women’s organizations – so come on down everyone and take advantage of the countless resources at our library.

Martgaret Atwood, acclaimed writer and lecturer

UB Center for the Arts: Amherst Campus. Call – (716) 645.6147 for tickets. Wed. Mar. 3, 8 p.m.

Black Pearl Sings, musical program featuring Mary Kate O’Connell and Mary Craig

ECC North Campus, O’Connell & Company theater space. Call – (716) 848.0800 for performance times and tickets. Thurs. Mar. 4 - Sun. Mar. 28th.

Women in the Arts Festival, storytelling, music, craft displays and more. Kenmore Presbyterian Church - Call: (716) 208.1810 for information.

7th Annual Women’s History Month Concert presented by the Girl Scouts of WNY

Sat. Mar. 20, 8 p.m. features Ladies First Big Band and spoken word artist, Verneice Turner.

El Buen Amigo (a wonderful fair trade retail space at 114 Elmwood Avenue near Allen Street) is also presenting a month of special events honoring women artists of various genres coordinated by local artist, Sandra Jardin. The March programs begin with an exhibition of women’s work opening on Fri. Mar. 5th, 6:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. This is part of El Buen Amigo’s first Friday of the month community art exhibitions.

Other El Buen Amigo events in March include:

Sun. Mar. 14, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. Potluck and movies with Women in Black and storyteller Karima Amin - $5.

Sun. Mar 21, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. Women in Music program and reception - $5.

Sun. Mar. 28, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. Women’s Recognition Day program and reception - $3.

To learn more about El Buen Amigo and the other Women’s History month programs please call (716) 885.6343.

Buffalo State College is presenting a series of events for Women’s History Month in the campus E. H. Butler Library. Call (716) 878.6300 or visit www.buffalostate.edu/ womenstudies.

Canisus College is presenting programs as well including a French film series by women filmmakers – call (716) 888.2835 for details.

Both Ujima Theatre and the Paul Robeson Theatre at the African American Cultural Center are presenting plays that feature women, created by women. “Belle” at Ujima and “The Bluest Eye” at Paul Robeson. Call them at (716) 883.0380 for Ujima and (716) 884.2013 for African American Cultural Center for details and tickets.

There are plenty of other events and celebrations happening in the community – but as mentioned earlier – a great place to investigate what’s going on is right at your nearest public library, so please make/take some time to visit and support our libraries. Happy March everyone!

Any thoughts, you can email me at Clawson@onthemove.com.

Celeste Lawson has been involved in the arts and cultural community for the better part of 30 years as an artist, arts administrator and arts advocate. Her service to the community includes 14 years as executive director of the Arts Council in Buffalo & Erie County where during her tenure the organization received the 2001 NYS Alliance of Arts Organizations Award as an Outstanding Upstate Arts Organizations, 2002 NYS Governor’s Award for Excellence in Programming and the 2004 All America Cities Civic Empowerment Award for grassroots community service. She has worked with the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment on the Arts and Americans for the Arts, the nation’s largest arts advocacy organization. Lawson received the YWCA Executive Leadership Award in 2003, and in 2009 was inducted into the Western New York Women’s Hall of Fame. She also received honors from NYS Senator Antoine Thompson for leadership in the arts during the March 2009 celebration of Women’s History Month. Lawson is a published poet and has contributed articles and essays to array of local and regional publications.

Darleen Pickering Hummert and A.R. “Pete” Gurney award winning Buffalo playwright

“look at you”

I felt what you felt
when you walked onstage.
Remember those steps
from wings to light to wings again.
Listen with your skin.
They're a family now.
They're intimates,
those people in the dark,
the fourth wall people
who listen and laugh and weep
when we want them to.
And the journey we take them on
makes all the difference.

- Darleen Pickering Hummert