First Ladies Trilogy on Stage at WAC
Wild About Harry | Friday | March 15 | 7 pm
Double Feature: Mrs. Ike & Distant Camelot | Saturday | March 16 | 7 pm
Winona Arts Center | 228 E 5th St.
winonaarts.org
The Winona Arts Center, 228 East 5th Street, presents First Ladies Trilogy on March 15 and 16 in conjunction with Women’s History Month. First Ladies Bess Truman (1945-53), Mamie Eisenhower (1953-61), and Jackie Kennedy (1961-63) will appear in live stage performances over two nights.
Each First Lady will be presented once. Bess Truman, portrayed by the playwright Kay Sebring-Roberts Kuhlmann, will appear in a 90-minute performance, including a coffee house intermission, on Friday, March 15, beginning at 7:00 pm. Mamie Eisenhower and Jackie Kennedy will appear separately, but in a double bill, on Saturday, March 16, 7:00-9:00 pm, with a coffee house dividing the two performances. Lacey Korb portrays Jackie Kennedy, and Kuhlmann portrays Mamie.
“What is particularly interesting about these First Ladies is that they are so different from each other. Different personalities, different styles, and with husbands whose Presidencies, one after another, create an important snapshot of pivotal U.S. history at mid-twentieth century,” the playwright notes. Kuhlmann promises that the portrayals will be of interest not just for Women’s History Month, but also because we are in a Presidential election year.
Playwright Kay Sebring-Roberts Kuhlmann created all three of the one-woman pieces under commission of the National Archives. The three solo plays have been performed at eight presidential libraries in the past three decades. Now, Winona audiences can see them in a two-evening series.
Tickets are available at Music Mart (formerly Hardt’s Music) until March 15 at 4:00 pm and on Eventbrite. The Friday performance is $15, the Saturday double bill $20. To attend both evenings and see all three performances, patrons can purchase a Trilogy Pass for $30. All ticket prices increase by $5 at the door.
The Winona Arts Center and Kay Sebring-Roberts Kuhlmann are members of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.