Metro Philadelphia<\/p>\n
As Philadelphia prepares to commemorate America\u2019s 250th birthday<\/a>, a new production at People’s Light<\/a> is shining a spotlight on a lesser-known chapter of the region\u2019s history \u2014 one that helped reshape medicine, women\u2019s education, and healthcare around the world.<\/p>\n More than a century ago, a groundbreaking group of women arrived in Philadelphia, determined to do something society told them they could not \u2014 become doctors. Now, their stories are stepping into the spotlight in ‘The Woman Question,’ a play tracing the lives, ambitions, and resilience of the 1894 graduating class of the Woman\u2019s Medical College of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n A Philadelphia story with global impact<\/strong><\/p>\n Running through May 24, the production centers on the first degree-granting medical school in the world created exclusively for women. Set in Philadelphia during a period of immense social change, the play blends archival history with theatrical imagination to tell the stories of women who pursued medicine despite systemic barriers, public criticism, and limited opportunities.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a radically joyful play and theatrical feast about a revolutionary group of students and faculty who changed the face of medicine,\u201d said Zak Berkman, producing artistic director at People\u2019s Light. \u201cThey discovered their calling in our backyard and constructed tools for resistance that are more necessary today than ever.”<\/p>\n Written by acclaimed theater-maker Suli Holum and directed by Melissa Crespo, the production shines a light on the global community of students who traveled to Philadelphia in the late 19th century to study medicine. Some came from across the United States, while others journeyed from countries around the world, all united by a determination to enter a profession that largely excluded women at the time.<\/p>\n The play\u2019s roots stretch back a decade, when Holum first discovered the story of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first Native American woman to earn a western medical degree from the college. That discovery launched years of research in collaboration with archivists from Drexel University\u2019s Legacy Center<\/a>, where Holum explored letters, diaries, photographs, and personal documents connected to the school\u2019s students and faculty.<\/p>\n