Joan Littlewood(1914-2002)

Joan Littlewood was the very first woman to be nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play. In 1961, she received the groundbreaking nomination for "The Hostage". Four years later, Joan would break ground again, as the very first woman to be nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. She received the second nomination for the 1965 musical "Oh, What a Lovely War". The show was also a nominee for Best Musical, for which Joan was a producer. Although she didn't win any of her Tony nominations, Joan Littlewood was able to break through as a pioneer in a field still dominated by men.