By Samantha Baird
Brigham Young University’s Contemporary Voices Festival brings us Suffrage, by Utah’s Jennifer Nii, and a gem it is as it explores two very important themes. It’s a little unbelievable that only 100 years ago women were given the right to vote in America. What a lot of people don’t know is that Utah gave women the right to vote before the 19th amendment was passed and that is what BYU is celebrating by including a concert reading of Suffrage in their annual Contemporary Voices Festival. The Contemporary Voices festival features award-winning play scripts that ordinarily wouldn’t be seen on a BYU stage. Suffrage is a relatively new script, written by Salt Lake City native, Jennifer Nii, first produced at Plan-B Theatre in 2013. Knowing all of this, I couldn’t have been more excited to see the reading, and I was not disappointed.
If you’ve never attended a concert reading, it is not a fully staged production. In a concert reading, it is simply the cast usually wearing blacks (or some other solids or basic costume), no props, no set, and no special effects. The beauty of concert readings is that the focus is entirely on the words of the script. Suffrage takes on the intersectionality of religion and feminism as it discusses how polygamy in the early LDS church and women’s right to vote are connected in ways that we, as audience members, may have never known. Producing it as a concert reading gives the audience a chance to focus on the words of those topics and not be distracted by a lot of design elements on stage.
The story follows sister wives Ruth (Juniper Taylor) and Francis (Marion Pack) through the late 1800s and the fight for women’s right to vote. Ruth is very outspoken and stands up for what she believes is right, while Francis stands up for what she believes is right in a much more conservative way. Taylor delivers an inspiring performance that made me leave the theatre wanting to do more to make a change. Similarly, Pack’s Francis is so sincere, I left wondering how the things I say affect people and what I can do to inspire change, even if I myself don’t feel comfortable fighting. Samantha Daynes reads the stage directions, beautifully painting the scene around Taylor and Pack. The direction by Shelley Graham, assisted by Emily Trejo, is brilliant and pulls you in so much that before you know it the show is over and you’re left wanting more.
If you have the chance to see Suffrage at BYU for its final performance on January 16, do it. It is a can’t miss event. Due to the mature themes of all shows in the festival, youth under the age of 14 will not be admitted. Take note, the reading runs around 75 minutes without an intermission. Following the performance, please stay for the post-show discussion to share your thoughts and hear the thoughts of others about the show. Buy your ticket now and don’t miss the chance to hear the story of women’s suffrage you may have never known about.
Brigham Young University Presents Suffrage, by Jennifer Nii.
Brigham Young University, Harris Fine Arts Center, Nelke Theater, 800 E Campus Dr, Provo, UT 84602
January 11 and 16, 2020, 7:30 PM
Tickets: $5
BYU Arts Facebook Page
Contemporary Voices Facebook Event
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