Mode of Program Participation
Performances and Arts
Participation Type
Performance
Presentation #1 Title
Sisters of the Mother Forest
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This one-woman/three-character original play explores the remarkable lives of Dr. E. Lucy Braun (1889-1971) and her sister Dr. Annette Braun (1884-1978)—the first two women to earn PhDs at the University of Cincinnati. Drawing on the conference theme of “Extreme Appalachia,” a key message of the work is the life-changing role that a 1934 research trip to the virgin forest of Lynn Fork near Pine Mountain in Kentucky had upon the sisters in the second half of their long and productive lives—from shaping the trajectory of their influential ground-breaking research in ecological science and forestry, and their pioneering roles in the history of modern environmental conservation and activism. Through the characters of Lucy, Annette and a modern narrator, the play explores the intertwined personal and professional lives of the two sisters, who never married and were nearly inseparable for nearly 80 years. While their Victorian dress and manners were viewed as “quare,” the “Science Sisters” were befriended by people throughout the region who granted them access their mountains throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s to conduct their extensive forest research centered in the mixed mesophytic forest of eastern Kentucky. Their more than 25 years of fieldwork culminated in the central thesis of Lucy’s most famous and enduring book, Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America (1950): that this area was the “mother forest” of all of eastern North America by serving as a glacial ecological refugium during the last ice age. With a running time of 40-45 minutes and minimal staging requirements, the play is intended for both formal and informal educational settings—including classrooms, small auditoriums, and park campfires. The performance will be followed by a separate “Integrating Dramatic Arts across the Appalachian Curriculum” workshop, which will feature how to use this play (or similar works) as an educational tool for many of the topics explored by the play, including the history of ecological science and the early conservation movement, women’s history and women in science, and the unique biodiversity of the Appalachian forest region.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Playwright and performer Dr. Alice Jones is an environmental geographer and director of EKU’s Appalachian Studies Program whose research focus centers on the relationship between land use and water quality in eastern Kentucky communities. She is also a life-long thespian with many acting and performing credits in community and regional theater. The play draws together three of her dearest loves: plucky, strong and interesting women; Appalachian Kentucky; and theater as an expression of both creative and intellectual passion.
Sisters of the Mother Forest
This one-woman/three-character original play explores the remarkable lives of Dr. E. Lucy Braun (1889-1971) and her sister Dr. Annette Braun (1884-1978)—the first two women to earn PhDs at the University of Cincinnati. Drawing on the conference theme of “Extreme Appalachia,” a key message of the work is the life-changing role that a 1934 research trip to the virgin forest of Lynn Fork near Pine Mountain in Kentucky had upon the sisters in the second half of their long and productive lives—from shaping the trajectory of their influential ground-breaking research in ecological science and forestry, and their pioneering roles in the history of modern environmental conservation and activism. Through the characters of Lucy, Annette and a modern narrator, the play explores the intertwined personal and professional lives of the two sisters, who never married and were nearly inseparable for nearly 80 years. While their Victorian dress and manners were viewed as “quare,” the “Science Sisters” were befriended by people throughout the region who granted them access their mountains throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s to conduct their extensive forest research centered in the mixed mesophytic forest of eastern Kentucky. Their more than 25 years of fieldwork culminated in the central thesis of Lucy’s most famous and enduring book, Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America (1950): that this area was the “mother forest” of all of eastern North America by serving as a glacial ecological refugium during the last ice age. With a running time of 40-45 minutes and minimal staging requirements, the play is intended for both formal and informal educational settings—including classrooms, small auditoriums, and park campfires. The performance will be followed by a separate “Integrating Dramatic Arts across the Appalachian Curriculum” workshop, which will feature how to use this play (or similar works) as an educational tool for many of the topics explored by the play, including the history of ecological science and the early conservation movement, women’s history and women in science, and the unique biodiversity of the Appalachian forest region.
