“A Great Mollie”: Readers Theater Performance at the German American Heritage Center -- September 27.
Sunday, September 27, 1:30 p.m.
German American Heritage Center, 712 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Presented in conjunction with the venue's current exhibition Everyday Lives, Extraordinary Voices: Ruth Suckow's Iowa, the latest program in the German American Heritage Center's popular "Kaffee und Kuchen" series is the readers-theater presentation of A Great Mollie, Suckow's silly yet serious work that will be performed on September 27.
A comic tour of the Iowa farm country in the early years of the 20th century, Suckow's A Great Mollie glories in country neighborliness, but sharply references limitations small towns level over its women. The strength of the story many claim as Suckow’s best is the character at its heart, Mollie Schumacher, a young unmarried woman whose instincts and predilections have nothing to do with her world’s definitions of the place of women. She loves nothing better than getting under the hood of her old Ford and tinkering until, once more, she’s got her old car singing. She’s excited by opportunities to change things, by unique attempts to make a living in ways unimagined by others. Mollie is a fun-loving traveling salesman who gets far more out of visiting people than making money. But her future is clouded by the attitudes the small-town holds of what’s becoming for a woman. She’s a wonderful personality who lives in a world where her value is undercut by traditional views of what a woman should do and should be.
As stated at EBSCO.com: “Ruth Suckow (SEW-koh) was an American author known for her regionalist writing that focused on the lives of Midwestern families, particularly those of German immigrant descent. Born into a family with a liberal minister father, Suckow grew up in various Iowa communities, shaping her perspective on rural life. She pursued her education at Grinnell College and the University of Denver, where she earned her degree in 1917, and developed skills in beekeeping to support herself financially. Suckow's literary career began in the 1920s with her first published work, 'Uprooted,' and she contributed to several prominent periodicals of the time.
“Her notable works include The Bonney Family, which reflects her own upbringing, and The Folks, regarded as her most accomplished novel portraying Midwestern family life. Throughout her life, Suckow resided in various cities, including New York City and California, but considered Cedar Falls, Iowa, her home. Despite a decline in her literary recognition during the 1940s and 1950s, she continued to write until her passing in 1960, leaving behind a legacy that highlights the intricacies of small-town American life and the immigrant experience.”
The readers-theater performance of A Great Mollie will be presented at Davenport's German American Heritage Center on September 27, with refreshments for this “Kaffee und Kuchen” event served at 1:30 p.m. and the program beginning at 2 p.m. Guests are welcome to bring their own mugs if they wish; disposable cups are provided, but mugs from home will help the venue reduce waste. Participation is free for Heritage Center members and $8 for non-members, and more information is available by calling (563)322-8844 and visiting GAHC.org.
