From writing Broadway plays to teaching playwriting in Columbia’s classrooms, Theresa Rebeck has made it to the top of the entertainment industry. This coming week, she will be honored at Barnard’s Athena Film Festival for her leadership as a playwright and author of books and screenplays. She’s now in the spotlight for Smash, the television series she authored, which will debut February 6 on NBC. Seminar, her comic play, is currently on Broadway with Alan Rickman in the starring role. As if that weren’t enough, she’s also working on her next novel. The Eye spoke with Rebeck about her path to literary success, the difficulties women face in show business, and what a Columbia student can do to be the next great playwright.

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