ABOUT THE SHOW

Call Me Elizabeth is solo performance piece about the early life of Elizabeth Taylor. Set in May 1961, the play is inspired by Taylor’s conversations with writer Max Lerner as they discuss plans for a biography. Through a morning session with Lerner at The Beverly Hills Hotel, Taylor rediscovers her sense of self following her 1961 Academy Awards triumph and a nearly fatal battle with pneumonia. The play examines Taylor’s career, life, and loves, chronicling her survival in the face of adversity and tragedy, and illuminating the compassion of her character that inspired her later activism in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Call Me Elizabeth had its first staged reading on October 1, 2019, at The Den Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, directed by 12-time Joseph Jefferson Award-winner Hollis Resnik. In honor of Taylor's activism in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the evening benefited Howard Brown Health. The play was named one of the Top 3 Solo Events of 2019 by the Michael and Mona Heath Fund.

The filmed production of Call Me Elizabeth premiered in March 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and streamed with Broadway On Demand, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Youngstown Playhouse, and Porchlight Music Theatre. A portion of proceeds benefited Howard Brown Health and Brave Space Alliance in continued support of programs concerning HIV/AIDS. Presentations of the piece have been awarded grants by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund and Illinois Arts Council.

Call Me Elizabeth had its live world premiere in June 2022 under the direction of Erin Kraft at The Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival. The show continues to tour nationally and is currently accepting booking inquiries through 2024.

RECENT PERFORMANCES

March 14-16, 2024
San Miguel Solo Theatre Festival
(SOLD OUT)

August 22-26, 2023
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
(SOLD OUT)

July 15 – 18, 2023
59E59 Theaters NYC
(SOLD OUT)

June 16–18, 2023
Venus Cabaret Theater
(Chicago, IL)

February 10–19, 2023
Sierra Madre Playhouse
(Sierra Madre, CA)

September 17, 2022
Namba Performing Arts Space
(Ventura, CA)

August 20, 2022
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
(Chicago, IL)

June 25–26, 2022
The Youngstown Playhouse
(Youngstown, OH)

June 7–12, 2022
Hollywood Fringe Festival
(Los Angeles, CA)

author’s note

Like so many, I have long been fascinated with Elizabeth Taylor, a pop culture icon who continues to captivate. In her youth, Taylor epitomized movie stardom, later becoming associated with her fabulous jewels, her popular perfumes, and her activism in the fight against HIV/AIDS. But what is the story behind the image? How does a star develop into a legend, and how does that legacy sustain itself? Call Me Elizabeth details the formative events in the life of this extraordinary woman, exploring how the strength of her character enabled her to break barriers with unshakable bravery and signature style.

I am inspired to tell the stories of trailblazing women, particularly influential figures in the entertainment industry, to show the substance behind the glamorous images created by the studio system. These women, including Elizabeth Taylor, were more than just pretty faces. They were smart, savvy, innovative feminists. Ironically, Elizabeth Taylor, arguably the biggest star of all, was responsible for destroying the very system that created her stardom. By securing her $1 million contract with Cleopatra, the highest salary for a woman on film to date, she effectively ended studio domination by taking control of her projects and her life, and leading the way for subsequent generations of women to create their own work and opportunities. I seek to honor her legacy with Call Me Elizabeth.

Kayla Boye, March 2021

PRODUCTION SUPPORT

Call Me Elizabeth is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

 

Call Me Elizabeth was
filmed at FLATS, LLC.

 

Call Me Elizabeth was filmed by CastleLight Productions.

 

SPECIAL THANKS

Karl & Susan Boye
Geoff Button
Erica Evans
Frank Ferrante
Tom Freer
Michael Halberstam
Michael & Mona Heath
Ronald Keaton
Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
Erin Kraft
Sandy Lakoff
Lawyers for the Creative Arts
Jennifer Marie Ledesma
Arlene Malinowski
Emma Parssi
Christopher Pazdernik
Porchlight Music Theatre
Hollis Resnik
Ed Tracy & Denise McGowan Tracy
Senator John Warner
Michael Weber
Lawrence Wright
Writers Theatre