Play reading at First Parish UU

Greg started the play by opening up the service as the UU does, lighting the chalice light, reading a wonderful quote and making announcements for the community and then we started.

My smile just makes me feel giddy.  Watching the participants read their lines; watching the audience absorb the words of the We Did It For You character women past and present, watching their faces, listening to them laugh and witnessing their silence.  Alice Paul talking about her hunger strike and being force fed through a tube in her nose strikes silence in the audience.  Singing the songs is priceless with the looks on faces young and old.  Billie Jean King reminiscing about beating Bobby Riggs and Hillary Clinton giving her famous speech about women’s right are human rights!

Presenting this play reading to a UU parish is a great idea.  The congregants are the characters.  it didn’t matter whether they were men or women, young or old.  As long as they can read it works!  Two young boys ran the audio visual; Sam following the script being prompted to change the pictures projected digitally.  Jack was in charge of filming a master shot of the reading.

Radical 60’s woman was played by Chris, Eva’s husband.  He was adorable letting his shoulder length Hawaiian black hair down, wearing sunglasses, a headband, an “I Love the Beatles” T-shirt and a tie-dyed skirt.  He played the part beautifully.  A picture was taken of him and I for posterity.

After we sang I Am Woman, I got back up on the stage and grabbed the hand mic and thanked everyone.   I spoke about where the play has been and where it can go, where it needs to go.  Afterwards everyone was so enthusiastic.  The Peace and Justice Committee at other UU churches were there and they want to do it.  I started a cast list for volunteer people wanting to be in a play production.

The young woman who played Bella Abzug told me afterwards she just experienced discrimination in her job.  She was amazed how she felt, because she’s a women’s studies major and knew about discrimination but never really felt it.  The play had a big impact on her.  Two young sisters under 10 y/o came up to me and said they loved it, especially the beginning.

I feel we are on our way.  I handed out lots of postcards.  Everyone in the audience has become an agent marketing the play and their enthusiasm will sell it.  It’s all very exciting.

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