Stewardess! at History Theatre

1958. Mary Pat Laffey begins work as a stewardess for Northwest Orient Airlines. While thousands of young women applied for the position, only a handful are chosen. Weighed, measured, trained and smiling, Mary Pat embarks upon a job that she quickly realizes is “unfair.” While her male counterparts can work past the age of 32, Mary Pat and her female cohorts put up with endless weight checks, are prohibited from marrying, can’t wear glasses and must retire when they turn 32.

Set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement and the birth of feminism, this play tells the story of one woman’s fight over the span of 20 years to transform the lives of the women she works with by joining a union, taking legal actions and changing the consciousness of the men she works with. A stylish, entertaining and relevant piece, Stewardess! tells the story of how one woman stood up to a corporate giant and made a difference. Go, Mary Pat!