history

I Just Learned that . . .

not voting

I’m reading Louise de Koven Bowen’s memoir Growing Up with  City. She became a Suffragette after reading about the British Suffragettes who locked themselves to fences in protest. She figured if these women would take such actions, there must be good reason to want to vote. (She was not an uneducated or stupid woman by any stretch so go figure. We sure can’t assume anything about people in the past.)

She describes the speeches she gave and the events she attended in this movement. After the women got the vote in 1923, Bowen was shocked that so few women did vote. I found a fascinating article that states that in 1923 in Chicago only 35% of women voted. The reasons were surprising to me. Some women didn’t believe politics was feminine. Some had husbands who wouldn’t permit it. The chart above shows all the reasons and data.

So the lesson is assume nothing. I had assumed that most women would vote after such a long fight for the right.

How to Understand Isreal in 60 Days or Less

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In How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less, Sarah Glidden shares her thoughts and experiences on a Birthright Tour she took to Isreal. Guarded and skeptical, Sarah agrees to go on a Birthright Tour with her friend Melissa. The title is deliberately tongue in cheek and Glidden certainly knows no country can be understood after a short bus tour.

The purpose of the tours is to educate Jews from other countries about the history of Israel. Growing up with little teaching about her faith or the history of Israel, Sarah was quite skeptical. She’s got a Muslim boyfriend who worries that she’ll return a Zionist.

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At every stop, Sarah expects to hear just a bunch of propaganda. She questions everyone and everything. She is surprised to learn the complexity of the issues inherent in Isreal’s politics and history. She also winds up admitting that her tour guide and other speakers are genuinely understanding of the other side or know much more about the problems than she does.

The narrative is sincere and authentic. I did feel the book is a truthful, considerate story of an American girl’s tour of Israel. The end isn’t pat. Sarah continues to struggle with what to think about Israel and its history. I appreciated how genuine the story was. The illustrations are realistic and fitting.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge

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London Mailbox

Each week Cee of Cee’s Photography challenges bloggers with a fun prompt. This week we’re to find photos of subjects that begin with X or have the shape of an X.

If you want to see more X photos, click here.

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Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge

Westminster Abbey
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William (Shakespeare)

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Waterfall in Riau, Indonesia

Each week Cee of Cee’s Photography challenges bloggers with a fun prompt. This week we’re to find photos of subjects that begin with W and have at least 2 vowels.

If you want to see more W photos, click here.

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Red Velvet

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Dion Johnstone as Ira Aldridge, CST

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presented an excellent production of Red Velvet by Lolita Chakrabarti. The story of the first African American to play Othello on the London state in 1833, the story explores racism. As we know, abolition was a hot issue in the mid-1800s. In England there were protests against the slave trade.

When Ian Keen, who starred as Othello, fell ill the manager of the Covent Garden Theater chose Ira Aldridge, a black actor from America to play Othello. Some in the cast were excited and supportive, but Ian’s son and another actor were strongly opposed.

Aldridge was a fine, thoughtful actor, whose goal was to work in London. He takes his art seriously and gives a passionate performance the first night. However, the critics were shocked to see an actor of African heritage on stage and their reviews were venomous. The manager, Pierre LaPorte is a good friend of Aldridge and he counsels the actor to tone down his performance. Yet we can see that Aldridge can’t rein in his perfectionism. His desire to bring Othello to life as he reads the play leads to disaster. A consummate professional, Aldridge pushes the edges of his performance.

The performances were all pitch perfect and the play was compelling as it showed a chapter of theater history, I wasn’t aware of. The play has been produced in London and New York. If it comes to your hometown, I highly recommend you check it out.

The Minutes

Written by Tracie Letts, The Minutes stars Billy Peterson as the mayor of a middle American town called Big Cherry. The play focuses on a town council meeting where the newest member of the council can’t stop wondering why no one will answer his questions about Mr. Carp, a councilman who’s no longer on the council or why last week’s meeting minutes are delayed. No one is willing to explain this.

As the meeting on this stormy night proceeds, the audience is treated to jibes about small towns and their small minds. The Steppenwolf Ensemble members Francis Guinan plays the oldest council member who goes on and on, annoying many with his suggestion on what to do with the freed up parking space. This issue hints at the problem, the elephant in the room, which is the absence of councilman Mr. Carp. Whenever Carp’s name comes up, the council members get silent. What are they hiding?

Like a dark version of Parks and Recreation, Letts satirizes the trivial aspects of small town government. Should a Lincoln Smackdown be part of the town’s festival? Should the town pay for a new fountain commemorating their history and enabling people with disabilities to see clear to the bottom be funded? (Trivial to those on the council who aren’t the least bit PC.) Should Mrs. Innes be allowed to ramble on and on?

You know there’s more to Mr. Carp’s absence and, of course, the title clues you into the significance that last week’s meeting minutes have not been presented. But I highly doubt you’ll guess the disturbing end to the play, which finishes at the Steppenwolf January 7 and then will open on Broadway.

The performances, as is the case 99% of the time at Steppenwolf, were great. Both Billy Peterson and Cliff Chamberlain, who plays the town newcomer who wants to be active in town politics so he can make a difference, were excellent.