Thursday, July 11 marks the beginning of the fourth season of Famous and Infamous Women of the West: the Cody Monologues.
The play tells the stories of eight women who have influenced the town of Cody throughout the years. However, each performance only has six monologues, so the performances vary. Bethany Hamilton Sandvik, the writer and director of the play, said she was inspired by Caroline Lockhart, who was a journalist in the 1920s.
"Reading about Caroline, her nemesis was Dr. Lane, so I thought it was fitting to do her side of the story," said Sandvik. "And then of course people love to hear about old-time ladies of the evening, so I went to the first madame of Cody."
Sandvik said she has added characters throughout the years like Estelle Ishigo, a Caucasian women who was incarcerated at Heart Mountain with her husband. She said she hopes the monologues of these women can help people realize the importance of women in the history of the West.
"I just hope the play inspires people to learn more about these women because I think it would be quite a shame to have them lost in history," she said. "They've done so much for this town and this state."
Sandvik said after each Thursday performance, there will be a talk back where historians and authors will chat about the influence of these women to the West. More information can be found here.
