5 Women To Write Plays About
Over the past few years, more and more plays/musicals about magnificent, brilliant, creative women have hit the scene: “It’s True, It’s True, It’s True”, a restaging of the seven-month trial of Agostino Tassi for the 1621 assault of Italian baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi (based on surviving court transcripts) that integrates the historical event into the modern-day Me Too Movement. “The Other Mozart” by Sylvia Milo, a story focusing on Mozart's equally (and arguably more) musically gifted sister Nannerl. “The Independents” by Chris Ward, which dramatizes the life of Impressionist painter Mary Cassat and her reported relationship with Degas. "Einstein's Wife", a recently-completed reading of a work questioning the true impact of Albert Einstein's first wife on his legacy. Joyce Van Dyke’s "The Women Who Mapped The Stars", a love letter to the women 'computers' of the late 1800s and early 1900s at the Harvard College Observatory, who spent years classifying celestial data, only to pass off their findings to men who were the "real" scientists.
***For the record, there can be multiple plays/musicals about the same person. Please feel free to write something about these women if you feel inspired to do so!***
It excites and inspires me to see so many new works focusing not only on the contributions of these women, but also interrogating why their legacies have been buried and overshadowed by their male counterparts. So, here's a short list of female historical figures I think someone should write a play/musical about--whether that person is me, you, or someone else! :)
1. Enheduanna
The Akkadian poet Enheduanna (2285-2250 BCE) is the world’s first known literary author.
There is a debate as to whether Enheduanna was the blood daughter of Sargon of Akkad (Sargon the Great, 2334-2279 BCE) or if he just treated her as one. Regardless, this connection allowed her to ascend to the position of high priestess of the most important temple in Sumer (in the city of Ur), where she was given the responsibility to rewrite the legends about Sumerian gods to incorporate Akkadian ones. She seems to have been the first woman to hold this position, and her status as high priestess would have served as an exemplary model for those who followed her. Through her written works, she altered the nature of the Mesopotamian gods and the perception the people had of the divine.
Enheduanna is credited with creating the paradigms of poetry, psalms, and prayers used throughout the ancient world which led to the development of the genres recognized in the present day. It is believed her influence on the writing of the Babylonians is displayed throughout the prayers and psalms of the Hebrew Bible and the Homeric hymns of Greece.
She is best known for her works Inninsagurra, Ninmesarra, and Inninmehusa, or 'The Great-Hearted Mistress’, The Exaltation of Inanna’, and 'Goddess of the Fearsome Powers’. These hymns, appeals to the goddess Inanna, re-defined the gods for the people of the Akkadian Empire under Sargon’s rule, homogenizing the two religions. In addition to her hymns, Enheduanna is remembered for the forty-two poems she wrote reflecting personal frustrations and hopes, religious devotion, her response to war, and feelings about the world she lived in.
As with many successful women modern day, there is some controversy regarding the true impact of Enheduanna's artistic prowess. While scholars agree that there is no doubt that she existed, some question whether a woman could really write the hymns bearing her name. Scholar Jeremy Black has claimed that a male scribe likely composed the hymns on her behalf. This ignores the fact that the poet names herself in a number of her works (In "The Great-Hearted Mistress" at line 219 and in "The Exaltation of Inanna" at lines 66 and 81) to establish her authorship. Men are the worst when they try to discredit the achievements of women, amirite?
2. Asenath
Asenath was an Egyptian aristocrat from the upperclass, and reportedly a princess. This meant she was likely literate, or at the very least well-educated compared to the typical Egyptian woman. The meaning behind her name is "gift of the sun" or "gift of the sun-god." She was said to be the daughter of Potiphera, a priest of Heliopolis or On (which was the main site of worship for Ra, the Egyptian sun god). Asenath is said to have “despised all men and regarded them with contempt."
Despite her presumed intelligence, she was still treated as if she were property instead of a person: she was given (ugh) by the Pharaoh to Joseph to be his wife. Together, they had at least two sons: Ephraim and Manasseh, whose descendants made up the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, respectively. How they came up with those outlandish tribe names, idk.
Apparently within the religious sphere of Judaism, some Rabbis find it difficult to accept that Joseph, who refused the advances of Potiphar's wife because he was such a staunch believer in the Lord, would ever marry a woman who was not an Israelite (i.e a believer in the one God as opposed to the polytheistic Egyptian gods). This also would have what The Jewish Women's Archive calls "significant consequences" for the Israelite tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, as many in Judaism believe that the cultural identity of being a Jew is passed down matrilineally.
Consequently, there are two main Rabbinic approaches to the issue. One view presents her as an ethnic Egyptian who converted (either willingly or forcibly) in order to marry Joseph. This view proclaims that she accepted the belief in the Lord before she was married, therefore raising her children in Judaism. The second approach argues that Asenath was not an Egyptian by descent, but was actually descended from the family of Jacob. This view believes that God manipulated the trajectory of her life so that she would end up in Egypt, in order for Joseph to find a suitable wife. (This would of course make them somewhat related, as Joseph is also from Jacob's family). A legend that accompanies this theory states that Jacob put a special plate around her neck with the story of her birth, and that is how Joseph recognized her as an Israelite and agreed to marry her. Whichever story you believe, her legacy and its cultural impact is fascinating and offers a lot of interesting possibilities for a stage play or musical.
What plays have you read or seen that champion women of history? Do you know any women who deserve to have plays/musicals written about them? Let me know in the comments below.
Despite her presumed intelligence, she was still treated as if she were property instead of a person: she was given (ugh) by the Pharaoh to Joseph to be his wife. Together, they had at least two sons: Ephraim and Manasseh, whose descendants made up the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, respectively. How they came up with those outlandish tribe names, idk.
Apparently within the religious sphere of Judaism, some Rabbis find it difficult to accept that Joseph, who refused the advances of Potiphar's wife because he was such a staunch believer in the Lord, would ever marry a woman who was not an Israelite (i.e a believer in the one God as opposed to the polytheistic Egyptian gods). This also would have what The Jewish Women's Archive calls "significant consequences" for the Israelite tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, as many in Judaism believe that the cultural identity of being a Jew is passed down matrilineally.
Consequently, there are two main Rabbinic approaches to the issue. One view presents her as an ethnic Egyptian who converted (either willingly or forcibly) in order to marry Joseph. This view proclaims that she accepted the belief in the Lord before she was married, therefore raising her children in Judaism. The second approach argues that Asenath was not an Egyptian by descent, but was actually descended from the family of Jacob. This view believes that God manipulated the trajectory of her life so that she would end up in Egypt, in order for Joseph to find a suitable wife. (This would of course make them somewhat related, as Joseph is also from Jacob's family). A legend that accompanies this theory states that Jacob put a special plate around her neck with the story of her birth, and that is how Joseph recognized her as an Israelite and agreed to marry her. Whichever story you believe, her legacy and its cultural impact is fascinating and offers a lot of interesting possibilities for a stage play or musical.
3. Andrée Borrel
Although there have been several plays documenting the efforts of women during WWII, including "The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare" by Jonathan Christenson and "The Secret Reunion" by Adrian Davis, many do not mention the efforts of Andrée Borrel.
Borrel was a young working-class girl who became a French heroine of World War II. After joining the army at the ge of nineteen, she rose in the ranks and eventually joined the French section of special operations (SOE). On September 24 1942, Borrel and fellow SOE agent, Lise de Baissac became the first female agents to be parachuted into occupied France (Borrel dropped first). Because of her intimate knowledge of Paris, Borrel was sent there to work as a courier for the new "Prosper" network run by Francis Suttill. He was impressed with Borrel's performance, made her second in command of the Paris network in Spring 1943. Whilst working in the Prosper network, she participated in sabotage: raiding a power station, and supervising weapons drops.
In June 1943, several members of the "Prosper" network were arrested by the Gestapo, including Suttill and Borrel. She was interrogated in the Gestapo's Parisian headquarters and then held in Fresnes prison. She remained there until May 1944 when, together with three other captured female SOE agents, Vera Leigh, Sonya Olschanezky and Diana Rowden, Borrel was shipped to the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp in the Vosges Mountains of Alsace.
On July 6, 1944, 24-year-old Andrée Borrel and her three compatriots were given lethal injections of phenol, then incinerated in the camp's crematorium. Evidence collected immediately after the war by Squadron Officer Vera Atkins and Major Bill Barkworth of the SAS War Crimes investigation team (included in the the TV series Nazi Hunters), indicates that Borrel regained consciousness before being placed in the cremation oven and fought to save her life, facially scarring the camp executioner who was placing her in the oven. However, she was unable to escape and was put into the flames whilst still alive. Both the doctor who administered the injection and the camp executioner were later executed by the Allies for war crimes.
To me, Borrel's story mirrors that of Joan of Arc in many ways, as well as the experience of many modern day women whose lives have been touched by war. And think of all the complex, interesting monologues that could come from a play dramatizing her legacy!
Although there have been several plays documenting the efforts of women during WWII, including "The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare" by Jonathan Christenson and "The Secret Reunion" by Adrian Davis, many do not mention the efforts of Andrée Borrel.
Borrel was a young working-class girl who became a French heroine of World War II. After joining the army at the ge of nineteen, she rose in the ranks and eventually joined the French section of special operations (SOE). On September 24 1942, Borrel and fellow SOE agent, Lise de Baissac became the first female agents to be parachuted into occupied France (Borrel dropped first). Because of her intimate knowledge of Paris, Borrel was sent there to work as a courier for the new "Prosper" network run by Francis Suttill. He was impressed with Borrel's performance, made her second in command of the Paris network in Spring 1943. Whilst working in the Prosper network, she participated in sabotage: raiding a power station, and supervising weapons drops.
In June 1943, several members of the "Prosper" network were arrested by the Gestapo, including Suttill and Borrel. She was interrogated in the Gestapo's Parisian headquarters and then held in Fresnes prison. She remained there until May 1944 when, together with three other captured female SOE agents, Vera Leigh, Sonya Olschanezky and Diana Rowden, Borrel was shipped to the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp in the Vosges Mountains of Alsace.
On July 6, 1944, 24-year-old Andrée Borrel and her three compatriots were given lethal injections of phenol, then incinerated in the camp's crematorium. Evidence collected immediately after the war by Squadron Officer Vera Atkins and Major Bill Barkworth of the SAS War Crimes investigation team (included in the the TV series Nazi Hunters), indicates that Borrel regained consciousness before being placed in the cremation oven and fought to save her life, facially scarring the camp executioner who was placing her in the oven. However, she was unable to escape and was put into the flames whilst still alive. Both the doctor who administered the injection and the camp executioner were later executed by the Allies for war crimes.
To me, Borrel's story mirrors that of Joan of Arc in many ways, as well as the experience of many modern day women whose lives have been touched by war. And think of all the complex, interesting monologues that could come from a play dramatizing her legacy!
4. Mary Lou Williams
Mary Lou Williams was a jazz pianist, singer, and composer who performed with and composed for many of the great jazz artists of the 1940s and ’50s. She was one of the first women to be successful in jazz. A prodigy with perfect pitch, her professional debut came at age 12, when she substituted for a pianist in the Buzz and Harris Revue, a traveling show. Over the next few years, she played for artists such as Jelly Roll Morton, Willie “the Lion” Smith, Fats Waller, and Duke Ellington.
This next paragraph is all thanks to Encyclopedia Britannica because they explain it better than I can: In 1927, when her husband, saxophonist and bandleader John Williams, moved to Oklahoma to join the popular Andy Kirk and the Twelve Clouds of Joy, Mary Lou Williams took over the leadership of his band. During her time with Kirk, the band became well known for her stunning solo piano and highly original arrangements, including “Froggy Bottom,” “Walkin’ and Swingin’,” “Little Joe from Chicago,” “Roll ’Em,” and “Mary’s Idea.” She is widely credited as a major influence for the Kansas City–Southwest Big Band sound that Twelve Clouds of Joy helped to popularize.
After transitioning to bebop and composing music for dancers, in 1954 she went on a hiatus and converted to Catholicism. During this time, she focused her attention on the Bel Canto Foundation, which sought to help addicted musicians return to performing. Williams also turned her apartment into a halfway house for the poor as well as musicians who were grappling with addiction. This initiative (and her hiatus) may have been triggered by the death of her long-time friend and student Charlie Parker in 1955, as he struggled with addiction for the majority of his life. In 1957, She returned to performing and founded Mary Records, the first such company established by a woman.
Throughout the 1960s, her composing concentrated on sacred music, hymns, and masses. The first mass written after her hiatus was “Black Christ of the Andes (St. Martin de Porres).” She also wrote what she called "Mary Lou's Mass", which was later performed at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City in April 1975. This was the first time a jazz musician had performed at the church.
Come on, TELL me Mary's story isn't perfect for a jukebox musical.
5. Edmonia Lewis
Edmonia "Wildfire" Lewis was the first African-American + Native-American woman to become a professional sculptor. Known for her neoclassical sculptures and paintings of famous abolitionists, she is thought to have obtained much of her inspiration from her own heritage.
According to the Smithsonian African American Art Museum, Lewis was orphaned before she was five, and lived with her mother's nomadic tribe until the age of twelve. Despite the pervasive racism and sexism of the time, she was able to pursue higher education at Oberlin College (one of the first institutions to admit women and black people). Unfortunately, her time there was cut short when she was accused of poisoning two of her white roommates. Though she was thankfully acquitted of the charge, she had to endure not only a highly publicized trial but also a brutal beating by a mob of white vigilantes. Subsequently accused of stealing art supplies, she was not permitted to graduate.
Despite only a small amount of training/experience, Lewis started creating medallion portraits and portrait busts of well-known abolitionists. Sales from this allowed her to travel to Europe, where she honed her sculpting skills. Settling in Italy, Lewis displayed a unique trait among sculptors there: she rarely employed Italian workmen, instead choosing to complete the majority of her work sans assistance. Her reasoning for this was likely due to a lack of money and to ensure her work's originality.
Although most of Lewis' works have not survived today, her legacy remains. If a play or musical was written about her, I can imagine the staging would incorporate beautiful moments of physicality as a way for actors to embody these sculptures. Racism and sexism is still a pervasive issue within the arts as well, so I believe any audience would be able to connect and empathize with her story.
What plays have you read or seen that champion women of history? Do you know any women who deserve to have plays/musicals written about them? Let me know in the comments below.
Comments
Post a Comment