Blogging about suffrage history
& suffrage centennial events
Early this year, I was at work when one of the reference librarians mentioned that Post-Star journalist, Maury Thompson, had discovered that a suffrage play was performed in Glens Falls in 1916. Being that I am the resident suffrage buff, she thought I might be interested in talking with Maury about it. I did. I found a copy of the play on Internet Archive, & mentioned it might be fun to put on the play. The Post-Star ran with the story, & I was directing a play for the first time since high school. I hadn't even read it yet. Luckily, the play turned out to by funny, & relevant. There was already a lot of buzz surrounding Charles Evans Hughes (1862-1948) Day, commemorating the Glens Falls native's unsuccessful run for POTUS in 1916. Todd DeGarmo, head of the Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library, suggested we produce it in conjunction with the Hughes exhibition & the events being planned. Hughes was the first major party candidate to campaign on the idea that a federal amendment was needed to guarantee woman suffrage. Until that time, many politicians continued to support the state by state suffrage effort. He also had a group of women some called "the Hughsettes" who actively campaigned for him, travelling by train through the states where women already had the vote. I put out a casting call in late August, & enough people auditioned for me to fill the cast. On a shoestring budget, & a 5 week/6 rehearsal production schedule, we were able to pull of the one-night centennial production of The Revolt: A Play in One Act by Ellis Parker Butler (1869-1937), a banker, & prolific writer. In the end, I wound up working with much younger actors than I anticipated. These girls, ranging in age from 11-17, had very different skill levels. Some of the girls had never been on stage before. Some had more acting experience than me. I warned them that I was a collaborative director, & they took to that fairly well. They made suggestions regarding their characters, & helped with blocking. We were working with a small stage, & minimal props, but they were always thinking of ways to make the props work better, helping with the flow of the action. All-in-all, this was a great re-introduction to directing. I hope you like our production. 0:23 Suffrage Song: Vote For Women, Keep It Up
1:15 Pro & Anti Suffrage Cosplay 5:03 Suffrage Song: Bring It To Pass In the Year (1912) 6:27 Introduction to The Revolt, Glens Falls, & Charles Evans Hughes 8:21 The Revolt: A Play in One Act by Ellis Parker Butler Director (& suffrage singer): Tisha Dolton Cast (in order of appearance) Pauline: Catie LeCours Grandma Gregg: Sandi Rhodes Susan Jane Jones: Kayla Toney Kate: Amelia Elmen Grace: Rosalie Carlsen Edith: Merista Nichols Ida: Carynn Bohley May: Cecelia Bayard The Ideal Husband as himself "Oooo"s: Jereme Young Cosplay: Frieda Toth, Renee Miller, Jereme Young
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