S76 - The Good Fight by Anne Bertram - 9+m, 9+w
A full-length historical drama based on the true story of Grace Roe, an early-twentieth-century English women's suffrage activist who organized a bodyguard of women trained in martial arts to protect the movement's leaders.
Labels: big cast, drama, historical
posted by Jim Vogel at 9:24 PM
7 Comments:
Written by a local twin cities playwright, The good fight follows the true story of women suffragette's who were tired of the very legal police brutality of their time and learned Jiu Jitsu in order to defend themselves from the police. I think it is timely in a policital arena where the right to vote is under attack, and certain elements of the ICE/police force are allowed to bypass warrants and due process, watching these remarkable women find a way to fight back in long skirts and heels could be an inspiring story for our times. The original cast was 11 people with doubling. I am a bit biased though because I was in the original cast back in the day. I thought staging it in the round would be a really fun challenge.
I question the appeal of a play about the pre-WW I British Suffrage Movement. There are multiple characters, around 20-22. I found the most interesting parts were those taken from the records where legislators were arguing the women's vote. Not for me.
Also of note: The touring production of Suffs, the musical about the US Suffrage movement is scheduled for the Orpheum in April, 2026.
I think The Good FIght is very well written. The cast is quite large (I think I counted 22) and there are a number of scene changes but they are simple sets. It would require a dialect coach, probably a historian and a fight coach as some of the scenes are quite physical.
Would definitely need a good fight choreographer. I think it is an interesting story and has a lot of action. It is a very big cast (doubling possible?). It would resonate with the political time, with themes of fighting for equality, not backing down from oppression, as well as the nuance and complexity of activism (what is ok? Violence? Property damage? Engaging in a world war effort?) which is interesting to think about and engage with. The last few seasons have been very female-heavy in both themes and characters, so we will want to be mindful of that in season 75 and find a good balance.
I like that it provides good opportunities for female actors, but I am not sure people are wanting to watch the play about political issues. Sanctuary City did not sell this season and I think as we go deeper into the 4 years it will feel any more ready to address it. With such a large cast we would not want it mid-season and I don't think it is a celebratory opener or closer for Season 75. No from me.
This gets a yes from me. Some of it feels very relevant right now. "It is eight years since the word militant was first used to describe what we were doing." I do not think we should shy away from doing theatre that might be seen as "too political". All theatre is political. And we are seeing some theatre companies producing successful productions of obvious "political" plays recently. "Sanctuary City" was very successful with Frank Theatre last February. And the most popular plays at Six Points Theater the last three years were all female-focused and "political".
It's a yes for me. I think people are ready to fight the good fight, and as such I see this production as being inspirational to our audiences. There might also be some possible tie-ins... a talk back with a historian? or panel on equal rights that can address how far we've come and what is happening to further the cause(s). Larisa asked about double casting... I saw a production several years ago that double cast very effectively.
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