(TYA, Children’s Theatre, Amateur, Professional, Educational)
From the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, and the launch of the women’s right’s movement, women worked tirelessly for their right to vote. After 72 long years the 19th Amendment was passed, and women were legally allowed to cast their ballots for the first time in the 1920 election. This movement spans decades and involves many women. Playwright Jes Marbacher deftly crafts a work in two Acts, the first focusing in on Susan B. Anthony’s attempt to vote and subsequent arrest in 1872, and the second on Alice Paul and the suffragettes of the 1910’s. Women’s suffrage was a complex issue for a lot of people and students of today have a hard time wrapping their heads around why. Even more difficult to understand is why many of these issues still exist today. That is the perfect reason to produce this play, to remind people that these issues are still not fully taken care of.
PLAY DETAILS:
- 35M 20F (doubling and tripling recommended) (All roles are playable by any age or gender of actor)
- About 2 hours.
- Several fluid settings
- ORDER #3166
Available for ALL producing groups.
COMMENTS
COMMENT by Meghann Beauchamp, Director of the Premiere Production at NHTP — “This is a difficult work. It is dense material and touches on all numbers of issues. Every rehearsal turns into a history lesson. We start to tackle a scene and think that it’s relatively straightforward, but in reality it has so many layers. Women’s suffrage was a complex issue for a lot of people and students of today have a hard time wrapping their heads around why. Even more difficult to understand is why many of these issues still exist today. Susan B. Anthony was fighting for equal pay 150 years ago and women are still fighting for it today. The historical figures portrayed in Well-Behaved Women broached issues that no one wanted to talk about, shaped policy, and changed our nation. They were truly extraordinary.”
PERUSAL MATERIALS
- Perusal Pages File Available here: WellBehavedWomenPERUSAL (The PDF file contains the first half of the play along with all background information.
- PRINT BOOK: FIVE Plays fromThe New Hampshire Play Project — Volume 1 in the Plays for Young Audiences series is an economical way to peruse this play and four others HERE
- EMAIL us for rights and information. Be sure to give us anticipated performance dates and the address of your group and, if different, your theatre. Please also include a contact name and phone number.
PURCHASING REHEARSAL MATERIALS:
(Any PDF purchased will be emailed to your email address — if you need to provide that to us (not the one on your PayPal account?), email us. CDs will be mailed to a snail mail address) Before we ship any rehearsal material we will need your performance dates, the name of your organization and the theatre where you will perform.
- Script in PDF format — Order #3166a : $25.00 (from which you will be authorized to copy for your production)
- First Performance Amateur/Educational Royalty — Order #3166d : $65
- Second Performance Amateur/Educational Royalty — Order #3166e : $55
- Professional Royalties will be quoted upon application
PRODUCTIONS:
- New Hampshire Theatre Project, Portsmouth — October 2020 (Virtual Reading)
- PREMIERE: New Hampshire Theatre Project, Portsmouth — 2016
BILLING CREDITS
The following is how the credits should read in all programs, posters, fliers, handbills and other promotional advertising for the show:
Well-Behaved Women
Adapted by
Jes Marbacher
A New Hampshire Theatre Project Young People’s Playscript
NOTE: The names of the Playwright(s), Composer, Lyricist, and Bookwriter shall be equal in size, type, coloring, boldness, and prominence. No billing shall appear in type larger or more prominent than the billing to the Authors except for the title of the play.
ALSO:
THIS NOTICE MUST APPEAR IN ALL PROGRAMS, ON ALL POSTERS AND PUBLICITY MATERIALS AND INTERNET ADVERTISING/WEBPAGES FOR THE PLAY:
“Well-Behaved Women is presented through special arrangement with Leicester Bay Theatricals. All authorized materials are also supplied by LBT, www.leicesterbaytheatricals.com”
Other Plays in the New Hampshire Theatre Project Young People’s Playscript Series
(The Individual Plays: Forest Secrets, Sheriff of Nottingham, Galileo’s Pendulum,
Well-Behaved Women, Once Upon A Candlemas In King Arthur’s Court)
from the catalog of
