IC News

In 2011, Ithaca College theatre professor Kathleen Mulligan and her husband David Studwell traveled to Kerala, India, on a Fulbright Scholarship to develop her project “Finding Women’s Voices.” Mulligan was invited to teach a workshop on the power of voice at the Sakhi Shelter, a refuge for women and children who have escaped domestic abuse. At the end of the evening, Studwell asked the shelter’s director what they needed more than anything. The most crucial thing they could use, they said, was a mode of transportation to rescue victims from violent situations. The seed for a life-changing project was planted.

When Mulligan and Studwell returned to the United States, they hosted the first Wheels for Women Cabaret at the Hope Summer Repertory Theatre in Michigan, where several Ithaca College Theatre Arts students were working at the time. Their goal was to raise enough money so the shelter could purchase an auto-rickshaw. They exceeded that goal, and the students who participated urged Mulligan to make the cabaret an annual event at Ithaca College. Now, 10 years later, the event has become a full evening of performances and a treasured tradition. The Ithaca College Department of Theatre Arts held the 10th Annual Wheels for Women Cabaret on Jan. 29 and proved that theatre is alive and well in our campus community, and so is the potential for real social change.

“It feels incredible,” said Mulligan. “I can’t believe it’s been 10 years. I’m so proud of all we’ve been able to do, and I think it’s become a wonderful tradition in the Department of Theatre Arts.”

Although the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cabaret into the virtual realm, the participants were quick to find benefits to the new medium. Inspired by the virtual work of fellow student organization Black Artists United, the Wheels for Women team saw an opportunity to expand their repertoire. This year’s cabaret featured not just singing, but also spoken word poetry, dance routines and art displays. Alumni from the last 10 years were invited back to perform, which ensemble performer Hannah Clarke Levine ’18 pointed out may not have been possible in a “normal” year.

“When I was at school, the cabaret was something that we looked forward to every year,” said Levine. “In a way it’s fitting that it’s on Zoom this year. It’s great that alumni are able to participate without having to travel to Ithaca, and I think it's a really special way to honor Wheels for Women as an organization.”

Board member and social media manager Tristen Tierney ’22 said Wheels for Women has shown him not only the power of community engagement, but the power of all art to make a difference in people’s lives.

“It’s something I’m going to cherish for a long time, and hopefully I’ll be able to come back and participate in some more alumni events after I leave IC,” said Tierney. “It’s been difficult for me sometimes to see how my art can make a difference, especially during this time. But events like Wheels for Women remind me that my art can provide stability and support, and doing what I love can make a difference.”

For the final performance of the evening, the cast of ICTA’s 2020 production of “Pippin,” which was canceled when the pandemic first struck, gathered together on Zoom to perform the song “Morning Glow.” It was a reminder of both what had been lost and gained in these confusing times, and expressed the sense of hope and community Wheels for Women has provided so many people over the last 10 years.

“You don’t have to be Bill Gates or a big organization to make a difference in the world,” said Mulligan. “I hope that my students realize that a lot of people doing a little bit can make a big change. And I think it’s a really worthy effort to support some women on the other side of the world that need a little support and need a way to move toward financial independence and away from their abusers.”