• The News of the Week is updated frequently.
• Pages from Michael Butler's Journal are added frequently. These are stories from the remarkable life of Pope Joan Producer Michael Butler.

January, 2009

• "Pope Joan" opens at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood, CA under the direction of Bo Crowell with Whitney Avalon as Joan and Doug Barry as Louis.

June, 1997

• Michael Butler explains exactly how he got involved with POPE JOAN in his latest essay, POPE JOAN - How and Why.

July, 1996 - May, 1997

• Since the production closing in Chicago on March 10th, 1996, both news about the show and the web site have been relatively quiet. We have added many new sections to Michael Butler Presents during this hiatus.

  We are pleased to report that you can't keep a good Pope down. The show is undergoing the next phase of workshop development. Read all about it in the News of the Week and be sure not to miss the latest Christopher Moore's latest essay about the role of the spiritual in POPE JOAN.

  Thank you for your continued interest in our efforts.

• Michael Butler explains why he is bringing Hair to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention in his latest journal entry.

• Speaking of Hair in Chicago, we've added a new section to this site which will give you all the production details and information about the Democratic Convention, civil rights, and more. Please visit Hair in Chicago, Summer of '96.

• POPE JOAN Associate Producer Joe Maalouf has created a web site for his production company JMC Productions. You will find details about some of the work he has been doing on Pope Joan within this site.

• In The Producer's Report, Michael Butler summarizes the successes and failures of the production of POPE JOAN mounted in Chicago in early 1996. It offers great insight into the business aspects of theatre.

• The Mystic Connections section covers the relationship between Pope Joan and various spiritual forces including her strong influence in the tarot.

• Mary Beidler, who plays Martine in the Chicago Production, explains her spiritual connection to the woman called Pope Joan in her essay entitled One Voice.

• In God is in the Details, Prop Designer Tom Hartman takes you on a whirlwind tour of Chicago stores in his quest for the perfect props for POPE JOAN.

• Who was at the opening night party and what did they say? Read the Web-O-Grams!

• The Sites Relating to Our Logo section has been greatly expanded.

• In "Directing Pope Joan", Christopher Moore provides some interesting insights into the unique challenges presented in directing the musical that you wrote.

• "A True Company Man" is Company Manager Will Hepp's contribution to the workshop archive. In it, he explains why if you never hear of him again it means that he's "doin' the job just right."

• We are very pleased that the Magellan Internet Directory has honored Pope Joan with the coveted rating of a Four Star Site.

• We've added three new sections to our Sites of Related Interest section; Starting Points for New Users, Chicago Connections, and Friends of Pope Joan.

• With another Democratic Convention coming to Chicago, Michael Butler reflects on his encounter with the Yippies in his latest memoir page.

• The Orlok Productions pages have beautiful new graphics thanks to the work of Victoria Huang, one of the talented designers at Design Horizons, Inc.

• Movement Director Angela Allyn explains her role in the POPE JOAN production team in the essay "What is a Movement Director?"

• We've added the biographies and pictures for the Principal Players, the Pope Joan Ensemble and the Production Team for the first commercial production.

• Designer Andrew Meyers writes an essay which discusses the challenges of designing a 20 scene musical that happens to be set in 857.

• A Pope Joan Phone Book is added to the site.

• The information about the first commercial production of POPE JOAN is released.

• Michael Butler's new story, "How and Why I Got Into Hair," offers a perspective on the political scene of the 1960s.

• Christopher Moore has written another excellent essay on Writing the Score for Pope Joan.

• On November 6, 1995 Pope Joan wins three awards from Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Commitee (Chicago's union theatre Tonys.)

• Added new resources to the Sites of Related Interest section.

• Added the "What People Have Said about the Pope Joan Workshop Web" page.

• New graphics were added including a face lift for our logo.

• The Sites of Related Interest section has been expanded and redesigned.

• The Pope Joan Timeline contains expanded information.

• In Stars in Theatrical Productions, Producer Michael Butler explains why a good new play should stand on its own merit without casting stars.

• Rewriting Pope Joan, an essay by playwright Christopher Moore, offers some wonderful insights into how he went about accomplishing the latest rewrite of the script. Both the original and the current versions of some scenes are available for review.

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