'An Old Woman Speaks' About Changing Roles

April 29, 2018 at 1:00 a.m.

by Lara Hightower

Jules Taylor, left, has adapted the poems of Sue Coppernoll, right, to create “An Old Woman Speaks.” The two have been friends for years, but Taylor says Coppernoll’s abilities as a poet had been a secret to her until this year.
Jules Taylor, left, has adapted the poems of Sue Coppernoll, right, to create “An Old Woman Speaks.” The two have been friends for years, but Taylor says Coppernoll’s abilities as a poet had been a secret to her until this year.

ArkansasStaged will present "An Old Woman Speaks" -- a play that uses the words written over the span of nearly 60 years by Fayetteville activist Sue Coppernoll -- on May 2 at Stage 18 in Fayetteville. Jules Taylor, who is credited as having "orchestrated" the production as well as performing in it, says all it took was reading one of Coppernoll's poems for inspiration to strike her.

"I didn't even know Sue was a poet, but I sat down and read them," says Taylor. "I read the first one, and I thought, 'This woman has such a story to tell.' The first one was written in 1968, and I knew just by reading it that she was not only an amazing writer, but she was chronicling her journey as a woman."

FAQ

‘An Old Woman Speaks’

WHEN — 7 p.m. May 2

WHERE — Stage 18, 18 E. Center St. in Fayetteville

COST — Free, with a suggested donation at the door to benefit Moms Demand Action Arkansas

INFO — Email arkansas.staged@gma…

Taylor's task was to organize the wealth of material into a cohesive story, appropriate for a staged version of the work. She says the finished work is a unique look at the development of a woman as she ages and as social mores and constructs change around her.

The production will include three performers: Old Woman (Kathy Forbes), Middle Woman (Jules Taylor) and Young Woman (Blue Brasher), who will present the poems written by Coppernoll during specific times of her life. Musician Jori Costello is creating a soundscape for the production.

"One of the things that has been really fascinating for me was to be able to hear in Sue's voice the changes that have happened for women," notes Taylor. "[In the early poems,] Sue is writing about how she got married really young, as she was expected to. She had five kids by her mid-20s. She had to give up whatever she was doing to raise her family and concentrate on her husband. But she kept writing through it all. It is really interesting to read her perspective during that time period as she was living it and expressing it through writing.

"I love honoring that part of Sue's journey as a pioneer -- for all of the women who had to go through that journey to where we are now."

-- Lara Hightower

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NAN What's Up on 04/29/2018

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