By Makalie Farmer
A hush settles over the crowd. The faintest sound of the pitter-patter of feet echoes around the auditorium as small shadows dance underneath the closed curtain. The stage creaks and groans as big sets are being methodically and precisely placed. In a flurry, the director comes out from behind the curtain to address the crowd. She thanks everyone for coming and steps back behind the curtain. The red barricade finally separates revealing a captivating scene. The show begins at last, drawing the audience back to the 1920’s.
The theatre department performed “This One Thing I” Do at 7 pm on Thursday Oct. 17 and 2 pm and 7pm on Saturday to tell the story and history of women’s suffrage
“I think this show tells a story that needs to be told,” junior Hannah Hillis said. “Even though this show is centered around two women, is has a huge sense of off the people who contributed to this movement.”
The women’s rights movement began in 1848 at a women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. Women like Susan B. Anthony (played by senior Natalie Porter), Elizabeth Cady Stanton (played by junior Hannah Hillis) and several others spent the next 50 years circulating petitions and giving public speeches. The play focuses on Anthony and the journey she took to fight for the right to vote.
“I’m very proud of the students and the work that they’ve put into the show,” theater teacher and director Kathy Fisher said. “Their hard work, dedication, and talent is what really brought this show together.”
A total of 33 students spent more than a few weeks preparing and perfecting their performance. It takes several working parts to put on a fully functional show. It takes actors, set designers, stage managers, costume and makeup artists, and tech support.
“I really hope people really get to see the flow of the suffrage movement and what women did for it,” said Hillis.
The show was performed Thursday night, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday night, skipping a Friday night performance to allow for actors to participate with student groups at Friday night’s football game against Haltom.
“Doing the makeup and costumes allows me to get another aspect of theatre,” junior Carlee Lamb said. “Most of the costumes in the show were made from scratch.”
Fisher, Lamb and several theatre tech students handmade over 10 dresses for the show.
“I want to pull people out of our world and I want to take them back to the past,” Fisher said. “Maybe they’ll see that if something is important to you it’s worth working hard for.”
