American Cantata
by Dennis Poore, Elaine Kendall, Elaine Moe, John Sanford

Name: American Cantata
Brand: Dennis Poore
SKU: 9780573681936

American Cantata Book Cover — American Cantata Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

120 mins Present Day Ensemble Cast Interior Set Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes

Synopsis

A celebration in music and drama of the spirit and imagination of American women; covering three centuries of their triumphs and tragedies.

The vignettes, virtually all accompanied by original songs, portray Sally Hemmings, the slave who bore children to Thomas Jefferson; Molly Maguire, 19tth century labor firebrand; Mary Surratt, accused in the Lincoln conspiracy; Elizabeth Custer, wife of the General; the innovative dancer Isadora Duncan; singer Bessie Smith; stateswoman Golda Meir; singer/dancer Josephine Baker; Eleanor and Alice Roosevelt; artist Georgia O'Keefe and 12 other notable, quotable and remarkable women.

Dramatic unity is provided by the narrator John Sanford, author of the book from which the vignettes were chosen.

Scenes include the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, in which twelve dozen girls perished, and many other historical milestones in which women played significant roles.

The musical deals with exceptional lives in the arts.

politics, entertainment,and science.

Press Reviews

"Rarely, if ever, do plays celebrate their subject matter as well...American Cantata easily won my vote as the best celebration of American womanhood in recent reckoning."
— The East Villager

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Woman One Soprano; plays Ms. Blauvelt, Peggy’s Friend, Rosina Sacco, Survivor, Over and Past, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Ensemble	female	—	Soprano; plays Ms. Blauvelt, Peggy’s Friend, Rosina Sacco, Survivor, Over and Past, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Ensemble
Woman Two High Soprano; plays Molly Maguire, Maria Mitchell, Isadora Duncan, Over and Past, Protester, Ensemble	—	—	High Soprano; plays Molly Maguire, Maria Mitchell, Isadora Duncan, Over and Past, Protester, Ensemble
Woman Three Mezzo-Soprano; plays Sally Hemmings, Librarian, Witness, Bessie Smith, Josephine Baker, Ensemble, Polly Ann Henry (optional scene)	—	—	Mezzo-Soprano; plays Sally Hemmings, Librarian, Witness, Bessie Smith, Josephine Baker, Ensemble, Polly Ann Henry (optional scene)
Woman Four 2nd Soprano; plays Peggy S. Arnold, Dame Shirley, Baby Doe, Spectator, Golda Meir, Georgia O’Keeffe, Ensemble	—	—	2nd Soprano; plays Peggy S. Arnold, Dame Shirley, Baby Doe, Spectator, Golda Meir, Georgia O’Keeffe, Ensemble
Woman Five 2nd Alto; plays Sister, Elizabeth Custer, Girlfriend, Editor, Ella Bloor, Eleanor Roosevelt, Marion Davies, Ensemble	female	—	2nd Alto; plays Sister, Elizabeth Custer, Girlfriend, Editor, Ella Bloor, Eleanor Roosevelt, Marion Davies, Ensemble
Piano on stage	—	—	on stage
Bass on stage (optional)	—	—	on stage (optional)
Guitar on stage (optional)	—	—	on stage (optional)
Julian a writer, male, Baritone-Tenor; plays all male roles	male	—	a writer, male, Baritone-Tenor; plays all male roles