After six seasons, “Famous and Infamous Women of the West: The Cody Monologues” is coming to a close. The play, which brings women from Cody’s history to life onstage, has been performed in the town nearly every summer since its creation in 2016. It has also been performed all over the state by a touring company.
Bethany Sandvik, the play’s writer and director, was inspired to begin writing after reading about Caroline Lockhart, a journalist who lived in Cody during the early 20th century. Sandvik realized that part of Cody’s history had been forgotten, so she began writing a play that would memorialize that history.
“There's so many women that helped shape Cody that aren't even remembered anymore,” Sandvik said. “And I think especially Caroline, if she knew she was not remembered, I think it would devastate her. So I'm glad that I could bring her back into the limelight, as it were.”
Sandvik conducted research for the play through the Park County Archives and the McCracken Library at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. She also interviewed some of Cody’s older residents, who had had first-person interactions with some of the play’s characters, such as Dr. Francis Lane. Sandvik then staged the first production at the Studio Theatre at the Cody Center for the Performing Arts, where she is the theater director. Now, though, since Sandvik is retiring from the Studio Theatre, “The Cody Monologues” is playing its last season.
Looking back on the show’s run, Sandvik says she was most surprised by the people who were not from Cody who were still eager to learn about the town’s history.
“People are really appreciative to learn something that they really didn't have any idea existed, people that they didn't know existed, and how important they were,” she said.
Sandvik, who also stars in the show, added that she was grateful for the community of actresses that it created over its six seasons.
“We've had a total of 23 actresses in this show. And we're all just kind of this weird, quirky little group of actors and women who normally probably wouldn't be in the same circles. But because we have this thing in common, we're a very close group of women…and we're very connected by this powerful story,” she said.
The final run of “Famous and Infamous Women of the West: The Cody Monologues” will play from June 27th-29th at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody.
