Next week will see the release of “Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep”, a wonderfully research book that explores how Meryl Streep became the celebrated actress she is today. It goes way back to her upbringing in New Jersey, her training at Yale and Vassar University to her first successes on the New York stages and on tv and film with Holocaust and Kramer vs. Kramer. I have been able to read the book already and can wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone interested in Meryl’s early year and the process of becoming an actor. Make sure to pre-order your copy. For Simply Streep, Mr. Schulman has taken the time to answer some questions about the book and his research. Enjoy reading:

What made you interested in Meryl Streep’s early career to write “Her Again”?
I’ve always been an admirer of her work, but mostly knew her in her current incarnation: the top-of-her-game, self-deprecating diva who’s been our “Greatest Living Actress” for over three decades. When I started contemplating a book, I began asking myself: Who was Meryl Streep before she became iconic? Was she ever just a twenty-something working actress trying to figure out what to do with her life? How did she learn to do what she does? Can it even be learned? In other words, I was interested in the Meryl Streep we don’t know. It just so happened that the story of her artistic coming-of-age was also a story about New York in the 1970s, a period I’ve always been drawn to. And, of course, it was the story of her two great loves: John Cazale and Don Gummer. This period of her life was full of great characters, inherent drama, and deep, conflicting emotions—not unlike a Meryl Streep movie.

Theatre Workshop of Nantucket announced today that three-time Academy Award winner and 19-time Academy Award nominee Meryl Streep will appear at a special benefit cabaret Saturday, July 30 at the Nantucket Hotel. The evening will pay tribute to TWN’s 60 years of performing on the island. “On With The Show – A 60th Anniversary Cabaret” will feature theater songs and stories starring Streep; John Shea, TWN’s artistic director emeritus; and actor/director Joe Grifasi, who will recreate the cabaret group they formed while classmates at Yale. Individual tickets for the cabaret will be available March 15 through the TWN box office. Article courtesy The Inquirer and Mirror.

An all-star fundraiser has been announced for legendary keyboardist Bernie Worrell, who is a founding member of Funkadelic and who has worked with the Talking Heads, Fela Kuti, Mos Def and others. Worrell was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. The benefit will take place in NYC at Webster Hall on April 4 with all-star guests like George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Living Color, Rick Springfield, Paul Shaffer, Maceo Parker, BIll Laswell, Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison, B-52s’ Fred Schneider and many more, including filmmaker Johnathan Demme and actress Meryl Streep, who worked with Worrell on last year’s movie Ricki and the Flash. Tickets for that show are now on sale. Thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

According to Variety, Clive Owen, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher and Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska have joined Meryl Streep on the international jury of the Berlin Film Festival. Also on the jury are French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, “Sight & Sound” editor Nick James and German actor Lars Eidinger. As previously announced, Streep is the president of the jury. The festival also announced it would present its Berlinale Camera award to Tim Robbins for his achievements as an actor, director, writer and producer; U.S. producer, movie theater owner and distributor Ben Barenholtz; and German cinema operator Marlies Kirchner. The award is given to film personalities or institutions to which the festival feels particularly indebted and wishes to express its thanks. The festival opens next Thursday.

Meryl Streep will share her experience from decades at the top of the acting profession with the 300 emerging film professionals taking part in this year’s Berlinale Talents program. Streep confirmed she will hold a workshop for the Berlinale Talents on Sunday, Feb.14 during the Berlin International Film Festival. Streep is the president of the jury for the 66th Berlin festival. The 300 talents – emerging film professionals from around the world – were selected from a group of more than 2,700 applicants. They will take part in a series of workshops and masterclasses during the event, which runs Feb.13 – Feb. 18 concurrent with the Berlin fest.

Academy Award winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s documentary, “Song of Lahore”, is gearing up for a star-studded opening in the US. According to a press release, the documentary’s New York and LA premieres will be hosted by Meryl Streep. Song of Lahore is set to release in the US this November with premieres in New York City on the 3rd of November, in San Francisco on the 6th and West Hollywood in Los Angeles on the 9th. The documentary is based on the acclaimed Sachal Studios and their journey to New York, made in collaboration with Andy Schocken. It focuses on the music community of Lahore, which until the late 1970s, was world-renowned for its music and talent. In 2004, Izzat Majeed founded Sachal Studios to create a space for traditional music in a nation that had rejected its musical roots. After convincing a number of master musicians to pick up their instruments again, they quietly released some classical and folk albums, but an experimental album fusing jazz and South Asian instruments brought Sachal Studios worldwide acclaim. Many thanks to Frank and Marci for the heads-up.

Manhattan Theatre Club’s fall benefit will be in celebration of Tony and Emmy winner Christine Baranski. The November 2 event will attract a host of friends and colleagues including “Into the Woods” co-star Meryl Streep, Julianna Margulies, Alan Cumming and Nathan Lane. The evening will also feature appearances by Walter Bobbie, Cherry Jones, Rob Marshall, Paul Rudnick, Max von Essen and more. The benefit will take place at 583 Park Ave. Baranski, who is most recently known for playing Diane Lockhart on “The Good Wife, made her Broadway debut in the Tom Stoppard hit The Real Thing, is a longtime MTC collaborator and board member. All proceeds from the benefit will benefit MTC. For more information on the organization’s slate of Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, visit their official website. Many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

Meryl Streep will present designer Alber Elbaz with the Superstar award at The Fashion Group International’s Night of Stars on 22 October 2015. In July it was announced the Lanvin creative director would receive the prestigious prize and now WWD has confirmed who’ll be handing it over. He dressed Meryl in a golden gown for the 2012 Oscars, which makes the actress a good fit for the occasion. “The seamstress that made the dress worked for three days and three nights on the dress, and after she finished, she was sick for three days,” Alber recalled to Britain’s The Telegraph newspaper in 2012. “And you know, with the Oscars, you do the dress and you never know if they will wear it. I wanted so much for (Meryl) to wear it, just for this woman that didn’t go to sleep for three days, and just put so much love into the dress.” Many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

Meryl Streep will be Jury President of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. It will be the first time in her longstanding career that this world famous star takes on the role of a juror at a film festival. ”Meryl Streep is one of the most creative and multifaceted film artists. To mark our enthusiasm for her extraordinary talent we awarded her the Honorary Golden Bear in 2012 for her lifetime achievement. I am very happy that she is returning to Berlin and with her artistic experience will take on the chairmanship of the International Jury”, says Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick. Meryl Streep has been a guest at the Berlin International Film Festival on a number of occasions: in 1999, she was awarded the Berlinale Camera, and in 2003, together with Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman she shared the Silver Bear award for their performances in The Hours. In 2012, the Berlinale dedicated a homage to Meryl Streep and awarded her the Honorary Golden Bear for her lifetime achievement. On being appointed to lead the 2016 jury, Meryl Streep said today:

It is a thrill to return to the festival under any circumstances, but it is with great relish and anticipation I look forward to jury duty. The responsibility is somewhat daunting, as I have never been President of anything before, and I hope I can come up to the precedent set by the distinguished juries of preceding years. Grateful for the honor.

According to Variety, Meryl Streep has funded a screenwriters lab for women writers over 40, to be run by New York Women in Film and Television and IRIS, a collective of women filmmakers. The creation of the lab, and Streep’s involvement in its founding, was announced Sunday at a panel discussion presented as part of the Tribeca Film Festival. Called the Writers Lab, the screenplay development program aims to increase opportunities for female screenwriters over the age of 40. This year the initiative will accept submissions May 1-June 1, with eight winning scribes named Aug. 1. Among the mentors to participate in the Lab’s inaugural year are writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood (“Beyond the Lights”), producer Caroline Kaplan (“Boyhood”), and writers Kirsten Smith (“Legally Blonde”) and Jessica Bendinger (“Bring It On”). According to NYWIFT, Streep ponied up a “significant” contribution to fully fund the Lab. The actress has been a longtime supporter of NYWIFT. The Writers Lab will take place at a retreat in upstate New York. Many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.