In recognition of Women’s History Month, the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to present a free performance of the play In Their Footsteps on Saturday, March 30, at 1:30 p.m., at the Union County Performing Arts Center’s Hamilton Stage, located at 360 Hamilton Street in Rahway.
The Hamilton Stage production of In Her Footsteps is presented through the Union County Department of Economic Development, Office on Women. Admission is free of charge but seating is limited and pre-registration is required. In their Footsteps honors five American women who served in the Vietnam War, using their own words to tell the story. One of the five women featured in the play is Judy Jenkins Gaudino, a resident of Summit.
“Over 50 years ago, thousands of young American women went to Vietnam to serve their country. For the most part, these women’s stories remain untold,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “In Their Footsteps recovers this lost chapter of women’s history in vivid detail.” “On behalf of the Freeholder Board, I would like to thank Ms. Gaudino for her participation in this project, and for her efforts to raise awareness about the lives and experiences of women in war,” Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski added.
The afternoon includes:
> A short talk and introduction by Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski.
> Debut of the Union County Women Making History Video, featuring Judy Jenkins Gaudino.
> Showing of the play In Their Footsteps.
> Question and Answer session with Judy Jenkins Gaudino and actors.
In Their Footsteps was created by the non-profit theatre company Infinite Variety Productions, through interviews with five women who served in Vietnam: Ann Kelsey (Special Services Librarian), Judy Jenkins Gaudino (Special Services Recreation Employee), Jeanne “Sam” Christie (Red Cross, Donut Dollie), Lily Adams (US Army Nurse), and Doris “Lucki” Allen (US Army Intelligence Specialist). Infinite Variety Productions was established in 2011, and is dedicated to sharing the many unknown stories from women’s history.