Blue Stockings performance highlights education equality
The Homestead Theatre department performed the play Blue Stockings on April 27- 29, 2018, in the James Barr Auditorium. The production focused on four ladies attending Girton College, fighting for their right to graduate.
The show displayed a strong message of how women have to fight for an education in the 1800s and how that fight still carries into today’s generation. Renee Schwarz, senior, played Celia Willbond, one of the four main girls attending the college. “I loved being in this show because of the message that it tells… It asks some hard questions and really takes a harder look at the history of women’s education,” Schwarz said.
The play’s message was a main factor that persuaded Ms. Amelia Figg Franzoi, director, to select this production. “ It’s about women fighting for their right to graduate. When you see the play or read it, there’s still issues that we’re still talking about today. It’s not just about women, but it’s about education equality in general,” Figg-Franzoi said.
With Blue Stockings being the last show of the year, the actors begin to reminisce on their acting experience, both old and new. “I think Blue Stockings has been my favorite show just because of the character I got to play, the difficulty of the content and the small cast, I have loved every show I have been apart of and will miss it dearly after I graduate,” Schwarz said. While Schwarz has been in multiple Homestead productions, the play also welcomed new actors, such as Will Slawson, senior. “I read up on the play and liked it a lot, so I memorized a monologue and auditioned the next day,” Slawson said about his last minute decision to try out for the show.
The cast expressed that a lot of hard work and dedication went into creating this production. Costumes, makeup, stage crew and assistant directors are just some of the many people and elements that brought the whole show together.
Leticia Marson, sophomore, has been part of costumes for two years. “We pull and alter costumes, we fit every actor and we make sure that all the actors are ready for each scene,” Marson explained about her role backstage. Frances Mackinnon, junior and assistant director of the play, had many responsibilities in the production. “I stay on book, I write blocking and I monitor the well-being of the cast. I also call the show, which means I say when all the cues are going to happen,” Mackinnon said.
Gwen Cain, senior actress, was pleased with the cast’s performance and wants the audience to feel like they gained insight into the everyday struggles of women in the 1800s. “I hope they took away a deeper understanding of the struggles women have had to go through to get any assemblance of rights,” Cain said.
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