Jane Schoenbrun, Hannah Einbinder, and Gillian Anderson performed a live script reading of Steven Shainberg's "Secretary" at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, July 28. The 2002 cult film, centered on a sapphic power dynamic between a lawyer and his assistant, found new life through this theatrical interpretation.
Schoenbrun, known for experimental indie films like "Teenage Death and Sex at Camp Miasma," brought her distinctive sensibility to the project. Einbinder, the comedian and actress recognized from HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," lent her comedic timing to the material. Anderson, the veteran performer with a career spanning television and film, anchored the ensemble with her dramatic presence.
The reading transformed Shainberg's provocative screenplay into a live performance event. The original film starred Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader in its exploration of BDSM and unconventional romance. This theatrical adaptation leaned into the material's erotic and sapphic dimensions, reframing the story through a queer lens.
Live script readings have become increasingly common in Los Angeles's entertainment landscape, serving as fundraisers and creative experiments that allow performers to inhabit iconic roles. They occupy a space between theater and cinema, offering audiences an intimate encounter with performances that might otherwise remain confined to screen or stage.
Schoenbrun's participation suggests a continued exploration of transgressive narratives and sexuality in their work. The reading represented a rare convergence of Schoenbrun's experimental film practice with traditional performance, and it demonstrated the enduring appeal of "Secretary" within contemporary queer cultural discourse. The event underscored how cult films continue to circulate and generate new interpretations decades after their initial release.