A Vote of Her Own

  "A Vote of Her Own" is the story of the last campaign to pass the 19th amendment. Filled with political intrigue and public debates that are comical and even absurd to modern audiences, this new musical also underscores an impassioned belief in equal voting rights for all Americans.

" A Vote of Her Own"  is based on diaries, speeches newspaper accounts and memoirs, from that  summer of 1920 in Tennessee, where the final votes were cast. We've written ten new original songs that capture the hopes and fears of both sides.  Vintage songs are also woven throughout the show. The debut is now set for August 20, 2022. The songs have been recorded with a ten-piece orchestra and casting is underway.  We have a podcast series about the making of the musical and resulting film that you can access here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXwHAe6n6NhXyjSpi4u4M0A.

 We have received numerous grants, but are still raising money to help cover the cost of the production (Hall rental, costumes, crew).

From Candace Corrigan, playwright, songwriter:
Years ago I read something that profoundly changed my life. It was an article that described a collection of diaries written by local women during the Civil War. I was intrigued enough that I went to the library archives and read the originals. The honesty was so clear, and the writing so full of courage. I wrote a song from one of the diaries using the woman’s words. Later I would write a series for public radio that included 12 portrait songs, derived from women’s words, written 1803-1960.

I toured the show extensively and won my first Best Documentary series from American Women in Radio and Television. Telling the stories of bravery from a woman’s perspective became a compelling cause of my own. I followed the Sampler series with another 12 songs from a southern perspective in Through A Woman's Voice, 1779-1965. Both series were funded by state humanities councils and state art councils. Both series won national broadcasting awards. Some years later I wrote a public television special that also won awards, on the last campaign to win voting rights for American women. That became a stage production, then a public television special,  now a DVD and video-rich essay www.howsouthernwomenwonthevote.com

As we got closer to the 100th year anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment,  a little known story of the cooperation of the African American community leaders and the suffrage organizers in 1920 had come to light that made me realize that the story was worthy of a new production.  Here is a song from Act I of " A Vote of Her Own" based on a speech given to the first Tennessee League of Women Voters convention, given in real life by Frankie Pierce. https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/523038978

This project is sponsored by American Entertainment Works, inc, a 501c3 not for profit organization. AEWorks produces and creates authentic, engaging entertainment arts that document and preserve the American cultural experience. "We call it creativity with a conscience because it's not enough to lose yourself in a good story... you should find yourself there as well."

Key personnel in "A Vote of Her Own"

Candace Corrigan http://candacecorrigan.populr.me/candace-corrigan www.candacecorrigan.com playwright, songwriter, video editor, producer. "I have made a career out of using the words of women to write musical and theatrical works. I have been particularly focused on the inspiration of the suffrage quest, and in light of new research related to race, I couldn’t help but write a new musical for the 100th year anniversary."
Alan Reitano https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-reitano-4b5116 /playwright, technical director  Working for country artists such as Martina McBride, Mr. Reitano has perfected the use of rear projection and LED screens that we will be using for our virtual stage sets. He also has a deep love of history and telling a story in an engaging and historically accurate manner.
Dr. Carole Bucy historian, professor, author, historical consultant Ms.Bucy has appeared in the 2020 PBS special "By One Vote" and has written an extensive essay and curriculum guide for How Southern Women Won the Vote.
Cosette Collier https://www.mtsu.edu/faculty/cosette-collier recording engineer Ms. Collier is a professor at the recording engineering school at MTSU. She is currently producing a new version of Songs for the Cause, a collection of antique suffrage songs that will be used in our production.
Janne Henshaw http://www.jannehenshaw.com songwriter, vocalist, musician Classically trained with a BA in music and MA in ethnomusicology, Ms. Henshaw has written and recorded music for her own CD's and is a vocalist and principal musician for Songs for the Cause.
In "A Vote of Her Own" history will be presented in an entertaining, historically accurate, and thought-provoking way, through the magic of :
        * gorgeous, authentic costumes
        * fabulous music, both vintage 1920's music, and original songs
        * virtual stage sets (e.g. the opulent lobby of the Hermitage Hotel, the grandeur of the Capitol    building in Nashville, etc.)
        * enormously talented actors and musicians

Please consider donating to this project...Invest in the future by honoring the past.