The West Old & New Vol. III Issue I January 2014 | Page 18

Monologues by the
Demimonde of
Butte’s Red Light
The play “Scarlet

Ribbons,” featuring monologues by some of Butte’s sportin’ women,
circa 1890s, opened Thursday June 7th in
2007 in the Dead Cat Café of the Covellite
Theatre in Butte, Montana. In these fictionalized stories seven women shared how they
rebelled against the “cult of domesticity,”
and “true womanhood,” to make a living in
the wild mining town of Butte.
Each woman giving a different perspective on the events that led her to Butte’s Venus Alley. Morgan, a young Irish
girl, explains how she met the man of her dreams at Butte’s dating service for Irish immigrants. Sarah, a widow after a
mining accident, tries to balance her moral duties as a mother with three mouths to feed. Ruby, a freed slave, verbalizes
her struggle with the reality of freedom. Bonnie, who has fallen into alcoholism after being jilted and having her son
taken away tries to reconcile life’s trials. Chin Lee, addicted to morphine, recites the story of how she came on a contract to America. Babette, dissuaded from her true calling, muses over women’s vanity and dangerous powers, while
Maddy reminisces on life in the mining camps of the west as she prepares to leave her tenure as madam of the Dumas.
After the first production another character, Jesse a mail-order bride, was added to the cast.
The show ran for three nights with a matinee performance on Saturday and the house was packed every time. The play
was a pass-the-hat fundraiser with the profit going to the Citizen’s for Preservation and Restoration of Butte to help defray the costs of the restoration of the Dumas Brothel and raised $1,300.00. The play has been produced twice since
2007 at the Silver Dollar Bar in Butte. “Scarlet Ribbons,“ was written by Susan Faye Roberts.

Western Gal Speak
Weekly blog on
Contemporary & Historic Montana

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The West Old & New Page 18