What It's Like To Be a Man New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships: 1992, 1994, 1999 Marty Pottenger (born March 30, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American playwright, performance artist and theatre director.

[1] Joan Shigekawa, former Acting Chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts, named Pottenger as one of her favorite artists "...for her deep engagement with the lives of working people.

[7] In response to the success of her community performance project "home land security," the City of Portland, Maine asked Pottenger to develop a citywide initiative that would use the tools of stories, art and performance to address long-standing issues of discrimination and perceived prejudice within the city government and the school system, with the objective of increasing equity.

[13] It feels almost impossible to face let alone act on behalf of the planet in light of the scale and estimated impacts of global warming.

But by experiencing our collective power, we can face our fears, express our grief, locate our courage, take note of our history, and together take decisive action.

Pottenger has said she created Hearts, Minds & Homes in response to Portland's housing crisis with a 0% vacancy rate and the second-highest increase in rents in the nation.

A participatory story exchange project throughout Southern Maine created, produced and directed by Marty Pottenger in collaboration with an advisory team including Portland Police Chief Mike Sauschuck (former Marine); Major Cliff Trott, Director of Portland Vets Center/Vermont National Guard, SSG.

All The Way Home engaged both veteran and active duty military personnel who have served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan and are battling PTSD.

NEA Chairman Jane Chu and Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree attended an All The Way Home Veterans Story Exchange in 2015.

Pottenger wrote and directed this performance about the lives and work of 8 members of Local 200, Service Employees International Union at Syracuse University.

Abundance was a national community performance project written and 5-actor play directed by Pottenger about money and America.

It was co-produced with The Working Theatre and Cornell University Labor College and debuted at St. Peter's Church in New York City.

It was read by 35 New York leading citizens from theater, dance, religion, the military, unions, legal professions, publishing, education and business and had music by Terry Dame.

— Wall Street Journal "Regales you with intimate and ironic portraits of people and things in her life, even as she comments on the social contexts that control and shape those interactions.

What It's Like to be a Man was performed at avant-garde New York City art space Franklin Furnace (1987, 1988) where it received a "Jerome Award."

Pottenger also performed it at Pyramid Art Space, Rochester NY; Diverseworks, Houston TX with PS 122 Field Trips A census-taking, standup tragic comedy show that at times resembles an action-adventure magazine.

with The Working Theater in 2002, an initiative where union members develop performances about their experiences as workers, deepen connections, define issues and offer solutions.