BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Bringing Historical Women to Life on Stage

This past Saturday, I was in a show written by my theatre teacher, Virginia Byrne, called "THE WOMEN OF WORCESTER". It celebrated women who were born in or made a difference in Worcester, Massachusetts. I played Frances Perkins, the first female Secretary of Labor under FDR. She created the New Deal, which forever changed the expectations that people had on their government. Other women that were honored in the play were, Dorothea Dix, Abby Kelley Foster, Esther Howland, Jane Goodwin Austin, Josephine Wright Chapman, Mabel Knowles Gage, Olive Higgins Prouty, Esther Forbes, and Elizabeth Bishop. They created the Valentine, wrote influential poetry and books, fought for the rights of the mentally ill, were social reformers, and game changers in the political world. It was empowering to be apart of this production, because it can open your eyes to all of the changes that happened in your city, by women, that you never realized before. We ended the show with a song from "THE ROYAL WORCESTER CORSET COMPANY", Also written by Virginia Byrne, and my music teacher, Kallin Johnson. It was called " The Heart of The Commonwealth", and it tied the end of the show together in a bow. I liked my costume, especially the glasses. They reminded me of Thomas Edison! I hope that more of Worcester will be able to see this show someday because it is eye opening to see all of the history that is around us that is never really taught to us. Before playing her, I did not have any clue who Frances Perkins was, or what she did. I'm glad I got to know who she was because of the major contributions she made to today's society. Look up the ladies from your city, and see the contributions she made to your world. It is very empowering.