NOVEMBER 16 and 17, 2021!
Commissioned by the Associates of the Boston Public Library, the world premiere of ONWARD – Votes for Women is a documentary play created by Lisa Rafferty, with music arranged and composed by Adam McDonald.
The third event in the prestigious Pierce Performance Series, ONWARD celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. The production offers the voices and perspectives of the extraordinary women who fought for 70 years for equality. Over thirty historical characters from the movement, along with women leaders from our time, were portrayed by a cast of ten for three performances at Boston Public Library's Rabb Hall on November 16 and 17.
The cast played multiple roles throughout the 70-minute performance, including Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, Dr. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, Alice Paul, Mary Church Terrell, Shirley Chisholm, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Gloria Steinem. The script is created verbatim from documents from the Special Collection, and other speeches, letters, articles and interviews from a variety of sources. Suffrage music and songs were interspersed throughout, along with an original score.
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Visit the Pierce Performance Series page for more information,
through the Associates of the Boston Public Library.
2021 Cast
Stefanie Cloutier Joyce Kulhawik
Chris Everett Kat Lawrence
Alyssa Germaine Amie Lytle
Elaine Hom Regine Vital
Lily Kaufman Karimah Williams
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director: Lisa Rafferty
Music Director: Adam McDonald
Stage Manager: Michael Eckenreiter
Costume Design: Zoë Sundra
Lighting Design: Joe Cabrera
Scenic Artist Consultant: Kristin Loeffler
Assistant Stage Manager: Kelsey Whipple
Research: Jody McDonough
Graphics: Sarah Smith Design
Collaborators Adam McDonald and Lisa Rafferty
MUSICIANS
Conductor and Piano: Adam McDonald
Double Bass: Holly Alper
Percussion and Drums: Dylan Barber
Cello: Tom Holdener
Clarinet: Kenji Kikuchi
Viola: Carrol Lee
English Horn and Oboe: Mary O’Keefe
Flute, Alto Flute and Piccolo: Elena Rubin
Music Copyist: Daniel Gittler
The streaming/video of ONWARD was made possible by a financial support of the Scituate Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.