HERSTORY 2: WE RISE, features new plays highlighting the struggles and triumphs of unsung heroines. This International Women’s Day, we invite you to learn more about these amazing women, the ways they transformed our world, and to see their stories come to life on stage this Friday and Saturday evening.

Performances will take place at the Silk Road Art Gallery in New Haven, March 10th and 11th, at 7pm. Performances will be followed by a Q & A with actors, writers, directors, and organizers. There is a $10 suggested donation.

Warning: Mentions of death and suicide.

ABOUT THE WOMEN

 

KAPLANA CHAWLA was an immigrant from India who became one of the first woman of color to go into space. She moved to the United States in 1982 to study science and engineering at the University of Texas in Arlington. As a research scientist and as an astronaut, Dr. Chawla advanced NASA’s understanding of our universe. Dr. Chawla passed away along with seven other crewmates in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

Hailey’s character in A Moment of Silence was inspired by LEELAH ALCORN, a transgender Ohio teen who took her own life on December 28th, 2014. She posted her suicide note on her Tumblr, which has since been deleted. The note ended with this: “My death has to mean something. My death needs to be counted in the number of transgender people who commit suicide this year. I want someone to look at that number and say “that’s &%@ed up” and fix it…”

   

IDA LUPINO was one of Hollywood’s first female directors. She immigrated to the United States from England. She created The Filmmakers, and independent film company, alongside her husband. Her directing credits include Not Wanted, Never Fear, and The Hitch-Hiker. LEONOR FINI was an experimental artist from South America. Her sculptures merged animal (mainly big cats) and human forms. She was bisexual, polyamorous, and proud of her sexuality.

  

ANNA MAE AQUASH was a Native American activist in South Dakota during the 1970s. She was an advocate for education, employment, and civil rights for Native women and Indigenous communities. During her time as an activist she was under investigation from the F.B.I. Anna Mae passed away in 1976. Today, her death remains an unsolved mystery.