Historical drama featured at 1891 Fredonia Opera House

Submitted photo
Christina Rausa, portraying Susan B. Anthony.

7/10/2006 - Susan B. Anthony Alive!, a one-woman historical drama featuring living history actress Christina Rausa, will be presented by the 1891 Fredonia Opera House Saturday at 8 p.m. The production is being presented as a featured part of the village of Fredonia’s Victorian Dazzle Festival.Anthony dedicated her life to the women’s suffrage movement. Her work paved the way for the passage in 1920, 14 years after her death, of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Born to a Quaker family with long activist traditions, Anthony developed a sense of justice and moral zeal early in life. After teaching for 15 years, she became active in the temperance movement. But because she was a woman, she was not allowed to speak at temperance rallies. This experience, and her acquaintance with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, led her to join the women’s rights movement in 1852. Ignoring opposition and abuse, Anthony traveled, lectured and canvassed the nation for the vote, ultimately becoming a national leader and one of the most powerful organizers of the women’s movement. She also campaigned for the abolition of slavery, women’s rights to their own property and earnings and women’s labor organizations. In 1900, she persuaded the University of Rochester to admit women. Anthony remained active in “the cause” until her death at 86 in March 1906.Bringing this outspoken pioneer to life on the stage is Rausa, a professional actress for more than 25 years. She is a Fredonia resident who has worked regionally and toured extensively throughout New York and Pennsylvania. She is a two-time recipient of Buffalo’s Artie Award for her portrayal of Emily Dickinson in William Luce’s The Belle of Amherst and for ensemble work in Ronald Harwood’s The Dresser. She also was an Artie Award nominee for her work in Educating Rita by Willy Russell.Rausa also is recipient of the Ann Burnstein Award for service to the community through radio and drama. She can be seen and heard in numerous radio and television commercials throughout the Rochester and Buffalo area.Susan B. Anthony Alive! is an original work written by Rausa in cooperation with the League of Women Voters. “The work has proven to be most inspiring despite the fact that when asked by the League of Women Voters to write and perform the piece, I initially was inclined to turn them down, afraid of the daunting nature of such a project,” Rausa said. “I am sincerely grateful to the league for not letting me off the hook.”Tickets are $9 general admission and may be purchased in person at the Opera House Box Office or by phone at 679-1891, Tuesday through Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 2 to 5 p.m. The event is made possible with public funds from NYSCA, a state agency, and the United Arts Appeal of Chautauqua County. This event is also an Angel Ticket Program event. Funding from the United Way of Northern Chautauqua County provides a limited number of complimentary tickets through human service organizations to individuals and families whose circumstances otherwise would prevent them from attending a live performance. For information on the Angel Ticket Program, contact the Opera House at 679-1891.For information on the Victorian Dazzle festival, call 1-888-FREDONIA or visit http://www.festivalsfredonia.com/


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