If you were in New York City and active in theatre or dance anytime from the 1960s onward, you were aware of Martha Swope. Her enthralling photographs appeared regularly in The New York Times and other top publications. As a performer, being photographed by her was both an honor and a sign that you had 'arrived' in a particularly visible way. Her sense of composition—of the essential excitement of a moment during a performance or rehearsal—was unparalleled. I was saddened to

An actor's stock in trade--his or her product or "brand," if you will--is comprised of many things: native ability, technique, skill, experience, what some people call the "it factor' and others call charisma, and physical type and attributes. It's not breaking news that there's age discrimination in Hollywood ... and New York and London and Bangladesh. It's why so many wildly talented men and women (mostly women, let's face it) are pushed out of their lifelong vocation. They