Tennessee artists mark 100 years of women's suffrage in story and song

The 100th anniversary of American women getting the vote is August 2020, and Tennessee artists already are planning to celebrate in story and song. 

At least three plays will be performed in Knoxville in 2020 to commemorate Tennessee's pivotal role in the 19th Amendment's passage.

Tennessee was the 36th and last needed state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in August 1920. It was a dramatic climax on Aug. 18, 1920, when legislator Harry Burn of Niota changed his "no" vote in the Tennessee House of Representatives to "yes."

Two Knoxville theaters and a Middle Tennessee artist are creating plays about the historic event. Two are musicals; the third a docudrama. 

'The Burn Vote'

The show with the longest planned run is River & Rail Theatre's "The Burn Vote." The musical premieres Aug. 18, 2020, at the theater's new 111 State St. location.

Founding Artistic Director Joshua Peterson said the play, about two hours with an intermission, will have 12 to 18 performances over two to three weeks. Exact dates and admission aren't set.

The play with a two-man, six-woman cast focuses on Burn and his mother, Febb Burn. It was Febb's letter to her son urging him to support suffrage that caused Harry to change his mind and his vote. 

Tennessee playwright Chris Cragin-Day and Nashville musicians Don and Lori Chaffer were commissioned to create the musical set in the summer of 1920. They also wrote River & Rail's annual Christmas play, "The Unusual Tale of Mary and Joseph's Baby."

"The Burn Vote" is still being developed, Peterson said. That means some songs will get cut and others added. He expects the play to include about 20 songs with 60% of the production music and 40% dialogue.

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Febb and Harry

Febb Burn is the main protagonist, Peterson said. The story's based on primary materials and research; much of what people wrote or said during the suffrage battle is quoted.

"This musical really is the story of Febb. We have imagined — and it's not too far to imagine — that she is a mother who would want her son to go out in the world and be his own person. She wants him to make his own way; she doesn't want to be a voice in his ear telling him what to do," Peterson said.

The story does imagine that Febb Burn and prominent Knoxville suffragist Lizzie Crozier French knew each other. "We have imagined Lizzie said to Febb, 'This is too big not to tell your son your opinion,' " Peterson said.

Peterson said the idea for the play came from Liz Stowers of Knoxville, who also underwrote its writing. "She told me the story and I said, "I've never heard of this. ...That's a real story.? That's a good musical."

Suffrage

A second play, "Suffrage: War of the Roses" is created by Knoxville writers Linda Parsons and Jeanette Brown. It will be performed by the Flying Anvil Theatre's Hammer Ensemble in August 2020. The ensemble often performs works that address social issues. 

Performance dates aren't set, but Parsons said one or two shows will be at the Flying Anvil, 1300 Rocky Hill Road, and at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay  St. Both will be ticketed shows; admission isn't set. 

The eight-actor cast will also perform an outdoor show at downtown Market Square. Donations will be requested there. After the play, there will be a procession to the Market Square statues that mark Tennessee's role in the amendment fight and passage.

"Suffrage: War of the Roses" focuses on the few weeks before the August vote. "There was a lot of tension with things going back and forth, legislators changing their votes back and forth," Parsons said.

The play includes a chorus of three "gossips" who help carry the plot with conversations on era-appropriate telephones. About an hour long,the play is created without large sets or props, making it mobile and available to other groups.

The play's creation began with discussing how to mark the 19th Amendment anniversary. "Jeannette and I jumped in and really wanted to develop it and bring out the different struggles and factions and show it warts and all," Parsons said. 

'A Vote of Her Own'

Middle Tennessee artist Candace Corrigan and her nonprofit American Entertainment Works company will present the third play, "A Vote of Her Own,' in 2020.

The theatrical musical debuts 7:30 p.m. May 30, 2020, at the Bijou Theatre, 803 S Gay St. Another show is planned for Aug. 6, 2020, in Murfreesboro. Admission and other details aren’t set. Part of the proceeds will go to East Tennessee’s Suffrage Coalition.

“A Voice of Her Own” is set in Nashville in the summer of 1920. Background projections will create scenes of the Tennessee legislature and Nashville’s Union Station. The play includes songs whose words were spoken by Lizzie Crozier French of Knoxville, Elizabeth Avery Meriwether of Memphis and Anne Dallas Dudley of Nashville. Those three women are the suffragists memorialized on Knoxville's Market Square statue.

“I love to use the characters' own words in a song. It really helps bring the story to life.” Corrigan said. "It will be how Southern women won the vote, I want it to be fun and easy to understand."

Corrigan’s no stranger to the suffrage story. Twenty-five years ago, she was part of a musical theatrical production “The Perfect 36” that debuted at the Bijou. That show became a public television special.

More celebrations to come

There will be more ways the area will celebrate the 19th Amendment anniversary, including an East Tennessee History Center exhibit.

Other artists and organizations are likely to create events or programs with money awarded from the city of Knoxville's $25,000 Suffrage Seed Fund .

The fund is a competitive grant program focusing on educational and arts programming with awards from $100 to $5,000. Organizations must be headquartered in Knoxville or support a project that will significantly benefit Knoxville citizens. Proposals are due by October 1, 2019; applications are at knoxfriends.org/seed-fund.