More than a century after American women won the right to vote, a new generation of young performers is rediscovering the struggle that made it possible.
More than 20 students from Greenville County Schools will take the stage July 7-9 in an all-county production of “Suffs,” the Tony Award-winning musical about the women who fought for the passage of the 19th Amendment.
“It’s an opportunity for our students to explore history and make it relevant for them,” said Harry Culpepper, who is directing the production. “The final song is ‘Keep Marching,’ and that truly resonates with our young people because they know they are the future.”
The show will be presented at 7 p.m. each evening at Greenville High School. Admission is free, although reservations are requested.
Written by actress and composer Shaina Taub, “Suffs” traces the efforts of activists including Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells and Carrie Chapman Catt as they battle opposition, imprisonment and internal disagreements in their quest for women’s suffrage.
Taub’s Tony Award-winning musical score spotlights yearning ballads and rousing ensemble numbers.
Facing adversity
Culpepper, theater teacher at Woodmont High School and lead theater teacher for Greenville County Schools, said students have enjoyed discovering the courageous historical figures in the show who fought and often suffered for the right of women to vote.
“They’ve really explored and didn’t realize everything that happened,” he said. “They didn’t realize several of the suffragists were force-fed with feeding tubes on a hunger strike and the violence that was experienced in this movement.”
The production brings together students ages 13 to 18 from several Greenville County high schools and middle schools. Productions of “Suffs” on Broadway and on tour famously featured an all-female cast, including in the male roles, but the Greenville County Schools’ production includes both young women and young men.
It marks the second year of Greenville County Schools’ All-County theater program, which Culpepper helped establish after directing last year’s “Hadestown: Teen Edition.”
This year’s production became possible after Culpepper successfully applied for a national grant that awarded free performance rights to only 12 school programs nationwide from more than 100 applicants.
Culpepper’s scenery is inspired by historic ballot boxes and other voting-related artifacts. The production includes projections of suffrage-era images and more modern voting-related imagery — connecting the past and present.
“We’ve come so far, but the march is still going,” he said. “We’re still working toward equality and opportunity and accessibility for everyone.”
Students have taken ownership behind the scenes as well, helping choreograph scenes, design projections and assemble historical images used throughout the show.
“I get emotional multiple times throughout the show,” Culpepper said. “It’s moving and inspiring to see these kids speak and sing these words. I can’t explain the power of that.”
Reservations are available through the GCS Theater Arts Facebook and Instagram pages.
Want to go?
What: “Suffs,” the Musical
When: July 7-9, 7 p.m.
Where: Greenville High School, 1 Vardry St.
Tickets: Admission free, but reservations are requested
Info: facebook.com/GCSDTheatre
