Aprons Away: Women’s Work on the Mother Road premiered Saturday, October 28, 2018 at Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois. The 45-minute, one-act version of the play was featured as the final session of the fourth annual Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference.
The play, written and directed by Route 66 author-historian Cheryl Eichar Jett, told the story of women’s lives and work along historic Route 66 through a series of monologues. Two narrators, portrayed as contemporary family members, set up the play with their reminiscences of a Harvey Girl ancestor, followed by monologues of fourteen strong, talented, and determined women of Route 66.
Professor Carolyn Conover of the Blackburn College Theatre Department served as Theatrical Advisor and provided invaluable assistance and wise counsel. Austin Carter handled lights and Brandon Pease did sound and projections.
Members of the ensemble cast were: Darla Hoffmann (Edwardsville IL) and Sherry Meyer (Palos Heights IL) as the Narrators; Sarah Chapman-Wiser (Edwardsville IL) as Hazel Funk Holmes and Juli Lynne Charlot; Cindy Conner (Alton IL) as Florence Thompson and Lucia Rodriguez; Cheryl Eichar Jett (Edwardsville IL) as Dorothea Lange and Suzanne Vanderbilt; Marilyn Kinsella (Fairview Heights IL) as Mary Colter and Marilyn Jorgensen Reece; Kathy Metzger (Edwardsville IL) as Lucille Hamons and Lillian Burton; Elizabeth Olwig (St. Louis MO) as Harvey Girl and Cynthia Hare Troup; and Casey Weeks (Edwardsville IL) as Ray Eames and Joy Nevin.
The next production of Aprons Away: Women’s Work on the Mother Road will be presented at the Eagle Theater and Performing Arts Center in Pontiac, Illinois, on Saturday-Sunday, June 22-23, 2019. The Pontiac performances will be the first for the new two-act, theater-length production. Watch this space for full details and ticket ordering information.
Photo above of Elizabeth Olwig as Harvey Girl by David J. Schwartz.
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