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Food for Thought Productions Presents – Unlucky Gal: The Jane Doe Story
September 20, 2023 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
In-person and online! Followed by a Q&A with the cast, playwright, director, Marty Garbus, and former NYPD Deputy Chief Michael Osgood.
Don’t miss Unlucky Gal: The Jane Doe Story, part two of Food for Thought Productions’ new series exploring seven controversial cases of legendary attorney Martin Garbus, described by The Guardian as “one of the world’s finest trial lawyers.”
Unlucky Gal tells the story of Jane Doe, a twenty-seven year old gay black woman who was raped in Prospect Park in April, 1994.
Two days later, Mike McAlary of the The New York Daily News began publishing a series of three articles, based on anonymous police sources, claiming that Jane Doe was lying about her assault, although the NYPD did have evidence to the contrary. Devastated, Jane Doe sued McAlary and the The New York Daily News for libel, but lost.
In 2013 the play Lucky Guy, based on McAlary, opened on Broadway. Marty Garbus wrote an editorial for The New York Times pointing out that Jane Doe’s story still had not been told, and asked, “Who will tell Jane Does’ story?”
In 2017, Michael Osgood, Deputy Chief of the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, heard a radio interview that mentioned the Jane Doe case and Marty’s op-ed. Osgood read the piece, and knowing Garbus’ reputation, reopened the case. In 2018, DNA evidence revealed Jane Doe’s attacker.
Jane Doe’s fight for justice took nearly two and a half decades. It’s time to tell her story. Unlucky Gal is that story.
$25 – In-Person and Online
Click here to purchase tickets on Eventbrite
Produced by Food for Thought Productions
Read about Unlucky Gal at Times Square Chronicles.
About Playwright Susan Charlotte
Susan’s multi-faceted career started with Prism Blues. Based on her work as a prison counselor, the play earned her a place in Columbia’s MFA program and won the prestigious Joseph Kesselring Award. Her 60 full-length & one-act plays have been produced throughout the country. They include: The Shoemaker starring Danny Aiello, directed by Antony Marsellis; She’s Of A Certain Age; The Round Table (w/ Oscar & Tony winner Peter Stone), and When Truth Is Not Enough. Her play, Love Divided By, was produced by the Actors Studio and was made into a film with an original score by Philip Glass. The film reopened MoMA’s Titus II theatre. Her other films include: Something Like That, A Broken Sole, Come On (Hamptons Film Festival.) Her TV credits include; Did You Know My Husband? with Louise Lasser & Carole Shelley (PBS); The Comedy Zone with Patty Duke & Paul Reiser (CBS); Guiding Light and Loving (CBS).
Susan authored the acclaimed books Creativity and Creativity In Film and has written for NY Magazine and Playbill. She was also a professor at Columbia U., NYU, and City College. She is the founding artistic director of Food For Thought Productions and Cause Celebre.
