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Tony-nominated women playwrights say it's lonely at the top

Women playwrights
Tony-nominated women playwrights lean in 01:42

Tony-nominated playwrights Paula Vogel and Lynn Nottage say that gender inequality isn't just a problem in Hollywood -- it stretches to Broadway, as well.

Vogel has won a Pulitzer Prize, but she tells Meg Oliver of CBS News that it took her more than two decades to break through on Broadway with her play "Indecent." 

"Theater is no different than any other field," she explains. "It takes longer, I think, for women to break through." 

The scarcity of prominent female playwrights is evident when looking at what's currently on Broadway. 

Vogel is just one of two female playwrights represented on Broadway right now. The other is Nottage, who directed "Sweat." The two make up half of the best play nominees. 

"I would like there to be gender equity," said Nottage. "I would like the Broadway season to reflect sort of the demographic of the country."

This year marks just the third time that more than one female playwright was nominated for best play. Nottage believes it has to do with the surge of female empowerment around the country. 

"Women are standing up and leaning forward and asserting their power," she said. 

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