History is very selective, which is why playwright Joan Bryans laboured to breathe life back into suffragette women whose stories faded from the public eye with her play Rebel Women, which runs Oct. 16 to Nov. 1 at Metro Theatre.
Bryans said she only had a basic knowledge of suffragettes and what they endeavoured to accomplish, but never knew how widespread the cause was and how many heroines paved the way for gender equality.
鈥淚 read widely, and I must鈥檝e read something and then I just was, you know how you wander around Google and the Internet, and I read something else,鈥� she said.
鈥淚 was really reading about suffragettes in London, England and then I found there were some Canadians involved. I thought that was more interesting.鈥�
It didn鈥檛 take long for this discovery to lead to more and more tales of trailblazing women about their riveting and sometimes eccentric stories.
鈥淲ithin a week I was totally hooked,鈥� Bryans said. 鈥淎nd of course now, with the Internet there鈥檚 just so many stories out there.鈥�
After scratching the surface, the stories started piling up.
鈥淚 was just swamped with stories and then I discovered that one of these Canadians was called the Slasher,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I thought, 鈥業 have to write about this Slasher, whoever she is.鈥�
What curiosity Bryans had for Canadian suffragettes led her to write a play about the standout stories.
In its first rendering, Rebel Women had dozens of characters, but Bryans had to whittle it down, which was a painstaking process, she says, because she was connected to each story.
The storyline traces the fight to win the vote for English women, including the help from some Canadians in early 20th century England. It utilizes speeches, journals, letters and written material of the real women the characters are based on in an effort to tell their stories directly.
鈥淚 was just inspired by them,鈥� she added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 incredible. History is very selective so I hope I鈥檓 redressing the balance a bit.鈥�
After many edits, the play premiered at the Jericho Arts Centre last January to rave reviews and with a cast of about 15 鈥� the biggest Bryans has ever written for and directed.
鈥淚鈥檝e done this before,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou write the thing and you hope for the best. It was preview night, it was the first time we had an audience and the show ended and the whole audience just erupted.鈥�
That reaction led to a sold out, multiple-week run at the centre.
鈥淭here鈥檚 bits in the play that gives me goosebumps every night,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey also sing. There鈥檚 songs in it because these women had original songs in the period and they鈥檙e written by suffragettes.鈥�
Many of these songs were written from jail, she noted, and her actors give them a haunting performance.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the original words of the women,鈥� Bryans noted. 鈥淚 had chosen to write the play using the material of the women themselves. It鈥檚 like 95 per cent their own words.鈥�
Bryans鈥� Vital Spark Theatre Company has put on many plays either written or directed by her 鈥� sometimes both as is the case with Rebel Women. She鈥檚 been involved in theatre for many years as an actress, producer, writer and director.
鈥淚 just hope people come out and expose themselves to these wonderful stories and have a good evening of theatre,鈥� she said.
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