In 1891 a brilliant 23-year-old woman won an architecture contest to design the Woman’s Building for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. What should have been the start to a flourishing career in architecture became career-ending. Throughout the two-year process of building the Woman’s Building, the architect quietly endured bullying, micromanaging, and undermining until she finally spoke up. In a time when women were defined as physically and intellectually weaker than men, her concerns were not only not heard, but she was sent to a sanitarium. Diagnosed with melancholia due to overexertion. Silenced. After the fair, her building was destroyed and she never built another building again. Her name was Sophia Hayden and she deserves better.
Playwright Stephanie Walker will offer a staged reading of her new play, “Sophia Hayden Deserves Better” on December 10 (7:30 pm) and 11 (2:00 pm), 2022, at the Heartland Theatre (1110 Douglas Street, Normal, IL). A $5 donation is requested for admittance. Reservations are recommended by booking a ticket online at www.heartlandtheatre.org or writing boxoffice@heartlandtheatre.org Seating is limited.
