Get to Know the Women of ‘Suffs’

Direct from Broadway comes the acclaimed Tony Award®-winning musical Suffs, about the brilliant, passionate and funny American women who fought tirelessly for the right to vote.

From the singular mind of history-making artist Shaina Taub, this “thrilling, inspiring and dazzlingly entertaining” (Variety) new musical boldly explores the triumphs and failures of a struggle for equality that’s far from over.

Here’s a quick guide to the show’s key female characters.

Alice Paul: Co-founder and head of the National Woman’s Party (NWP), Paul organized groundbreaking protests and strategies, including the 1917 picketing of the White House, which helped lead to the passage of the 19th Amendment. After securing voting rights for women, she continued her advocacy, championing the Equal Rights Amendment throughout her life.

Carrie Chapman Catt: President of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), Catt led the "Winning Plan," a state-by-state and federal strategy that united diverse suffrage efforts. After the 19th amendment's ratification, Catt founded the League of Women Voters.

Ida B. Wells: Co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Wells was a prominent journalist and an anti-lynching activist who challenged both racial and gender injustice throughout her life,

Lucy Burns: Alice’s best friend and co-founder of the NWP, Burns played a vital role in organizing direct action campaigns, including the 1917 White House picketing.

Doris Stevens: College student, writer and secretary of the NWP.

Ruza Wenclawska: Polish factory union organizer in the NWP.

Inez Milholland: Labor lawyer, socialite and the public face of the NWP.

Mary Church Terrell: American civil rights activist, journalist and teacher.

Phyllis Terrell: Suffragist and civil rights activist who worked alongside her mother, Mary Church Terrell.

Molly Hay: Catt’s second in command at the NAWSA.

Alva Belmont: Philanthropist divorcée who funds the NWP.

SEE THE SHOW

See Tony Award®-winning musical Suffs October 7-12 at The Smith Center.