Photo By Timothy Hale | Kate Campbell Stevenson, left, is presented a certificate of appreciation from Maj....... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – What do Bessie Coleman, Louis Arner Boyd, and Eleanor Roosevelt have in common?
They all overcame many gender-based and societal obstacles to achieve great personal and historical success.
They are also portrayed by Kate Campbell Stevenson in her one-woman show “Women: Back to the Future.”
A 25-year music, theater and education professional, Stevenson brought her lively and educated show to the U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command headquarters, here, as part of Women’s History Month, sponsored by the Office of Army Reserve History.
“Women’s stories have been there all along, we just have to be willing to dig to find them,” said Stevenson. “I present these women to plant a seed in each and every one of you to show that you can overcome any obstacle, just like they did.”
Her portrayal of Coleman, the first African-American female pilot; Boyd, who explored and mapped the fjords of Norway and Greenland and used sonar to map many underwater geographical features of the North Atlantic; and Roosevelt, who overcame her fear of public speaking to campaign for her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and later serve on the United Nations Human Rights Commission, were presented in period clothing and song.
Stevenson, from Silver Spring, Maryland, said her inspiration for developing the program was inspired by her children. While they were in school, she realized the portrayal of women throughout history was lacking in many of their textbooks.
“I became concerned that were not very many strong women role models that were really being emphasized in the curriculum,” she said. “So that is when I put together my program for my daughter and my son to show that women have been there and active participants in history and leadership.”
For her, Stevenson said deciding which women to portray is an easy choice.
“There are millions of women to choose from but their story has to speak to me,” she said. “As an artist, I have to be able to really connect with them so I can share that passion with the audience.”
Her engaging performances are interspersed with period clothing changes, interacting with pre-recorded dialogue, songs and personal monologues from each of the women portrayed. She said that spends hundreds of hours researching each woman in order to provide an educational and entertaining program.
Stevenson’s dedication was not lost on the FORSCOM/USARC audience.
Capt. Candice Piraino and Maj. Shedonta Gordon, both with the USARC G-33, attended the performance.
“I didn’t know anything about these women. It was great! She was perfect!” Piraino said.
“I like how she tied women’s history into today’s military,” Gordon said.
Stevenson said that what audiences see when she performs is truly her.
“What you see is me,” she said. “I’m passionate about what I do. When I perform, not only am I performing for the audience but I’m also performing for myself.”
It is her passion for history, which brought Stevenson to USARC for the Women’s History Month program.
Jennifer Friend, a museum specialist with the Office of Army Reserve History, saw Stevenson perform at Fort Bragg in 2009.
“I was trying to come up with an idea to celebrate Women’s History Month. Then I remembered her performance,” Friend said.
“The women she portrays are so inspiring. She really shows how far women have come and the achievements and contributions they have made. If you didn’t come and see her, you really missed out,” Friend said.
| Date Taken: | 03.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.17.2015 15:35 |
| Story ID: | 157267 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Hometown: | SILVER SPRING, MD, US |
| Web Views: | 324 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, One woman’s walk through history, by Timothy Hale, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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