Steinem ’56, Taymor to Discuss New Film

Activist Gloria Steinem ’56 and award-winning film and theater director Julie Taymor will discuss their upcoming film, “The Glorias,” in a Presidential Colloquium at 8 p.m. Eastern Thursday, Sept. 17.

The virtual colloquium, which will feature brief clips from the movie, is open to all at no charge. Smith students, faculty, staff and alums are invited to participate via Zoom. Members of the general public will be able to watch the event via livestream on Smith College’s facebook page.

Based on Steinem’s 2015 autobiography, “My Life on the Road,” “The Glorias” screened at Sundance earlier this year and will debut on Amazon Prime Video beginning September 30. (Its original fall theatrical release was revised due to the pandemic.)

The film “sees Steinem and her squad surmount constant misogyny and various obstacles on their journey to dismantle heteronormative, patriarchal systems,” says the Los Angeles Times.

Directed by Taymor based on Steinem’s book, and with a screenplay by Taymor and Sarah Ruhl, “The Glorias” stars Oscar winners Alicia Vikander and Julianne Moore, Janelle Monáe, Monica Sanchez and Bette Midler.

About Gloria Steinem ’56

Gloria Steinem is a writer, lecturer, political activist and feminist organizer. She travels in the United States and other countries as an organizer and lecturer and is a frequent media spokeswoman on issues of equality. Steinem is particularly interested in the shared origins of sex and race caste systems, gender roles and child abuse as roots of violence, nonviolent conflict resolution, the cultures of indigenous peoples, and organizing across boundaries for peace and justice. In 2013, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. A 1956 graduate of Smith, Steinem lives in New York City. More information is available on her website.

About Julie Taymor

Director and playwright Julie Taymor is perhaps best known for her Broadway adaptation of “The Lion King,” which debuted in 1997 and was nominated for 11 Tony Awards, earning wins for Best Director and Costume Design. Other theater credits include Broadway’s “M Butterfly,” starring Clive Owen, and “Juan Darien: A Carnival Mass,” which earned five Tony Award nominations, including one for Taymor’s direction. Taymor’s film credits include “Fool’s Fire,” “Titus” and “Frida,” which won two Academy Awards and earned six Oscar nominations. Taymor also has directed many operas, including the abridged English version of “The Magic Flute,” which inaugurated the PBS series “Great Performances at the Met.” Taymor is a recipient of the 1991 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, and in 2015 was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievement in the American Theater.

About the Presidential Colloquium Series

Smith College’s Presidential Colloquium regularly features influential thought leaders in a wide range of fields—from poets and writers to economists and policy experts—to share their expertise, offer insights and inspire discourse on key social, political and global topics that call for attention.

In 2020-21, all colloquium events will be offered virtually. Smith College students, staff, faculty and alums are invited to pre-register to participate via Zoom; the general public is welcome to watch via Facebook. All lectures are free.