ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø

Women’s right to vote may be thought of as a given today, but the fight to be allowed to vote in political elections was a long, drawn-out battle that dominated the late-nineteenth and early twentieth century. Did you know that Queen Victoria, one of the most powerful women in the world at this point, called the fight for women’s rights a “mad, wicked folly�? Although the suffrage movements in the USA and the UK followed different strategies, they were united in their end goal. At the turn of the century, several prominent pro-suffrage playwrights wrote plays to support the movement and its historical impact has continued to influence playwrights and composers today. This guide explores how the American and British suffrage movements have been portrayed on stage, looking at the key figures leading the way and the ideology behind the movement.

Terminology

• Hunger strike: A prolonged refusal to eat, carried out as a protest by a prisoner.
• 19th Amendment: The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote, a right known as women's suffrage.
• World War One: Also called "The Great War," a conflict between the Central Powers (including Germany and the Austria-Hungary Empire, among others) against the Allied Powers (including England, France, the United States, and others). The war began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914, and lasted until the Armistice of November 11, 1918.

Key Dates & Events

• 1848 - The first US women’s rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York.
• 1890 - The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) is established.
• 1897 - The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) is founded, led by Millicent Fawcett.
• 1903 - The Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in Manchester, England by Emmeline Pankhurst.
• 1914 - World War One breaks out.
• 1918 - Following the end of World War One, women over the age of 30 are granted the right to vote in the UK.
• 1917 - The National Women’s Party is formed in America.
• 1920 - The 19th Amendment is passed into America law, granting women the right to vote.
• 2022 - The Public Theater’s production of Suffs premieres Off-Broadway.
• 2023 - After first being staged as a work-in-progress, Sylvia: The Musical premieres at London’s Old Vic Theatre.