About the Show -
APRONS AWAY: WOMEN’S WORK ON THE MOTHER ROAD
The most famous highway in the world. Twenty-four determined women. And Route 66 was changed forever.
All through the Route 66 era, some women put their domestic skills to work while others tackled man-sized careers. With their aprons tied on or flung to the prairie winds, two dozen women tell the story of Route 66 as you’ve never heard it before - through the voices of the women who left their indelible mark on the Mother Road!
Aprons Away: Women’s Work on the Mother Road is an original stage play about the work, careers, and contributions of women along the most famous highway in the world - Route 66 - with music, lyrics, and script by Cheryl Eichar Jett. Narrative monologues performed by an ensemble cast tell a new version of the Route 66 story you’ll never forget!
“…great insight into the stories of some of the strong women that made Route 66 what it was and still is today.” - David J. Schwartz, Pics on Route 66
L to R on stage, Nancy Horrell as Narrator, Kathy Metzger as Lucille Hamons, and Cindy Conner as Lucia Rodriguez; and L to R below stage, Brittany Ann-Marie Taylor as Carmen, a WAC, and Brittany Roper as Margaret, a Harvey Girl, all know “when to suck it up” in the original song, “Making Good in a Man’s World,” the finale to Act One in the Pontiac production June 22-23. (Photo by Mitchell T. Fransen, courtesy of the City of Pontiac.)
L to R on stage, Lisa Green as Dorothea Lange, Darla Hoffmann as Narrator, and Liz Vincent as Adeline Van Buren; and L to R below stage, Brooke Sauter as Hazel Funk Holmes, Stephanie Rhein as Edna, a Phillips 66 Highway Hostess, and Karen Wright as Ray Eames sing “Bandanas tied around our curls” in the original song, “Making Good in a Man’s World,” the finale to Act One in the Pontiac production June 22-23. (Photo by Mitchell T. Fransen, courtesy of the City of Pontiac.)
APRONS AWAY: WOMEN’S WORK ON THE MOTHER ROAD A BIG SUCCESS IN PONTIAC IL JUNE 22-23!
The Route 66 Association of Illinois and Pontiac Tourism co-sponsored two performances of the new full-theatre-length production of Aprons Away: Women’s Work on the Mother Road on June 22-23, at the Eagle Performing Arts and Conference Center in Pontiac, Illinois. The performances were part of the 15th anniversary celebration of the Route 66 Association Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac! The play, written and directed by Cheryl Eichar Jett, featured an all-female ensemble cast of actors; read more about the actors here.
Both the Saturday evening and Sunday matinee performances were nearly full, and several comments of “this play should be performed in every Route 66 city and town” were heard.
Representatives from other cities and states have expressed interest, so watch for announcements of additional performances soon!
“…the untold history of the women who played important roles…in the history of Route 66.” - Geoff Ladd, Assistant Director, Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway
The cast of the Pontiac production salutes the crew and audience. (Photo by Mitchell T. Fransen, courtesy of the City of Pontiac.)
Kathy Metzger as Lucille Hamons in the first two-act, full-length production at the Eagle Performing Arts and Conference Center, Pontiac, Illinois, June 22-23, 2019. (Photo by Mitchell T. Fransen, courtesy of the City of Pontiac.)
