Lesson Overview
Featured Article: “Friendship, Betrayal and the Fight: ‘Suffs’ Tells the Suffragist Tale in Song” by Jennifer Schuessler
Growing up, Shaina Taub was a theater kid with a special interest in civil rights and the history of social change. She became a songwriter and playwright. In 2014, after reading about the women’s suffrage movement, the campaign to win women the right to vote, Taub decided to write a musical about it. Her musical “Suffs” opens in New York City in April.
In this lesson, you will read about “Suffs,” listen to some of its songs and then come up with an idea for a theater production of your own that portrays a social movement.
Warm-Up
Listen to the song “How Long” from the musical “Suffs,” which was originally titled “Suffragist”:
Then, respond to the following questions:
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What do you notice about this song? Which lines stand out to you?
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What do you notice about the people singing?
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What is the song about? What are two things you learned about this moment in history from it?
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What do you think the title of the song “How Long” means?
Questions for Writing and Discussion
Read the article, then answer the following questions:
1. What is “Suffs” about? When does it take place?
2. What were some aspects of the suffrage movement, and the people involved, that fueled Taub’s interest in creating a musical about it?
3. Listen to Nikki M. Jones, who plays Ida B. Wells, a journalist and suffragist, sing “Wait My Turn” from “Suffs.” What is this song about? What role did race play in the suffrage movement? How did Taub take it into consideration for the musical?
4. Can you think of other examples of history or social movements portrayed in theater, film, TV or song? What is the power of portraying history through art?
5. Do listening to these songs and reading about “Suffs” spark your interest in learning about the suffrage movement, or other political movements? Why or why not?
6. In what ways do you think the fight for suffrage correlates to current events?
Going Further
Taub was inspired to write “Suffs” after reading the book “Jailed for Freedom” by Doris Stevens about the women who fought for the right to vote in the United States. Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspired to write “Hamilton” after reading “Alexander Hamilton,” by the historian Ron Chernow.
Think of a social movement in history that is interesting to you, such as the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s, Native American activism, the fight for L.G.B.T.Q. rights, the Black Lives Matter movement, women’s rights movements or the current struggles against voter disenfranchisement.
Imagine you were to create a musical about that movement. Write a synopsis of your musical, create a publicity poster for it or write one of its songs.
Here are some prompts to get you thinking about your production:
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What is your musical about? What social movement or time period does it explore?
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Which historical figures would be the stars? Would you focus on real-life characters or create new ones?
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What would be one important moment in the musical?
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What would you title your production?
Additional Teaching and Learning Opportunities
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