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The Burn Vote is a world premiere original musical about the true story of Tennessee’s role in the ratification of the 19th amendment. No one expected that the final step in securing women’s voting rights would come down to the state of Tennessee, much less to the tie-breaking vote of a 24-year-old junior legislator, Harry T. Burn.

In the heat of a second round of voting, after voting against ratification previously, Representative Burn turned to a letter he had received from his mother, Febb Burn, in which she ever-so-gently urged him to vote for suffrage. This tiny nudge turned into a tipping vote that swayed national momentum and changed history.

Through Americana folk music, ensemble-driven storytelling, and a whopping dose of humor, The Burn Vote reminds us that the work of justice is almost never grand and sweeping but small and seemingly insignificant. Seventy long years of protests and advocacy, imprisonment and violence, can come down to a few words exchanged between a mother and son.

Directed by Amelia Peterson
Music and Lyrics by Don and Lori Chaffer
Book by Chris Craigin Day

River & Rail Theatre, 111 State Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-407-0727, www.riverandrailtheatre.com