Stories of women’s suffrage will be the driving force of the School of Theatre’s next Stage II production.
“On To Victory” will be performed at 8 p.m. on Feb. 20-22, and 2 p.m. on Feb. 23 in the Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center.
The play is an original compilation of short parlor dramas written during the women’s suffrage movement.
Judith Palladino, professor of theatre/theatre for young audiences, compiled the plays and is directing the show.
“I did research for this show for about five years,” Palladino said. “I eventually came across a volume called ‘On To Victory,’ which was published in the 1980’s, that had all these plays written for and by women during the time of the suffrage movement.”
Palladino said the parlor dramas were intended to be performed in homes in front of friends, family and supporters of the movement.
“A lot of the people seeing these plays had most likely heard of the movement but were on the fence or didn’t exactly understand what it meant,” Palladino said. “In our show, the actors portray the men and women who supported suffrage, and the audience members are the friends and family who were invited into the parlor to watch the performances.”
Deanna Cooper, acting sophomore and actor in the play, said the show’s unique format adds to its depth.
“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever been in before,” Cooper said. “It’s very captivating because it’s made up of multiple stories instead of just one, like audiences may be used to. You get to see the stories of many people with many different perspectives on the suffrage movement, which is very engaging.”
Cooper said “On To Victory” is structured around an ensemble, with the cast playing multiple characters throughout the show.
“There’s not really traditional leading or supporting roles,” Cooper said. “Everyone gets to work together equally, which is really interesting.”
Cooper said the play was chosen for this season due to the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s ratification, which granted American women the constitutional right to vote.
“The play itself is a celebration of the 100-year anniversary of women gaining the right to vote, so that’s why we’re doing it now,” Cooper said.
Kelsey Oden, acting freshman and actor in the play, said the play showcases similarities between the suffrage movement and today’s society.
“The show stitches itself together in a way that shows how far we’ve come since the movement, but also how there are still battles being fought for women’s rights today,” Oden said.
Oden said the characters in the play resemble modern day women in more ways than audiences may expect.
“The women in these parlor dramas put each other down, pit themselves against one another and won’t make an effort to work together towards the ultimate goal,” Oden said. “I think it’s really important for people to see that, because we still have problems with it today. We need to raise awareness so we can change it and fight together for what we truly need.”
Oden said the final scene of the play is set in 2020.
“The ending scene is a call to action for modern day women to continue fighting for the rights we once fought for, and to prevent the men of the government from taking them away from us,” Oden said. “I think that makes everything ultimately come together very well.”
Oden said she encourages students, as well as the general public, to see the show.
“I think anyone around OCU should see this show,” Oden said. “I don’t think many people realize how often women today struggle with the same things we struggled with a hundred years ago,” Oden said. “We got the right to vote, but there’s still a lot to fight for.”
Tickets are $5 and may be purchased in advance through the ticket office in the Edith Kinney Gaylord Center, online or by calling the ticket office at 405-208-5227.
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