Formerly known as History Matters/Back to the Future, the beloved nonprofit has rebranded as History Matters: Celebrating Women's Plays of the Past. History Matters promotes the study and production of women's plays from the past in colleges, universities, and theatres throughout the country. They believe in spreading knowledge about historical women playwrights and in weaving the impact of their work through the fabric of contemporary theatre. The company’s updated URL is https://www.historymatterscelebratingwomensplaysofthepast.org/.

"To better reflect our ongoing commitment to initiatives highlighting the work of historical women playwrights such as the "One Play at a Time" Program for university instructors, the Judith Barlow Prize for student playwrights, the Sallie Bingham Grant for student-directed productions and readings, and an evolving library of historic plays and acting scenes, History Matters: Celebrating Women’s Plays of the Past has seen fit to enhance its visibility with a new look and new brand name,” says Founder and President Joan Vail Thorne. “History Matters has come of age in an age where the wisdom of women in history is desperately needed to address the crises of our time.”

History Matters has also launched its latest programming, Teacher Tuesdays. The virtual mini lecture series asked ten professors to read an excerpt from a historic women's play and to share a mini lecture on the excerpt and have been released weekly since July 28th. The videos can be viewed on History Matters’s Instagram account (@historymatterswomensplays) or on our website at www.historymatterscelebratingwomensplaysofthepast.org/women-are-talking.

In addition to Teacher Tuesdays, History Matters offers multiple opportunities for students and professors to participate in their mission. Learn more about the initiatives and awards below to become a member of our community and help us promote women's voices of yesterday.

The Sallie Bingham Grant is a monetary award granted to support a faculty-mentored student-directed reading series or full production of a play or plays by a historic female playwright.

The One Play at a Time Initiative invites professors across the nation to dedicate one class period per semester to a play by a historic woman playwright (plays prior to the 1960's). In doing so, professors become official members of History Matters/Back to the Future and students in a participating class are eligible to apply for the Judith Barlow prize.

The Judith Barlowe Prize is given annually and is a student award for an original one-act play that has been inspired by the work of an historic women playwright. Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in a One Play at a Time course are welcome to apply.

https://www.historymatterscelebratingwomensplaysofthepast.org/