A best-selling American author will bring the overlooked story of one of Seattle’s most influential women to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August.
Madam(e) Lou, written and performed by USA Today best-selling author Kate Danley, tells the true story of Lou Graham, a German migrant, businesswoman and bordello owner who helped shape Seattle during its frontier era but was later largely written out of the city’s history.
The solo show will receive its global premiere at Paradise Green from 17 to 30 August, as the United States marks 250 years since its Declaration of Independence.
Blending humour, historical storytelling and contemporary reflection, the production explores how gender, power and moral judgement have determined whose achievements are remembered.
Danley, a winner of the Panowski Playwriting Award, has spent more than a decade researching Graham’s life and influence.
Despite Seattle celebrating its male founders, Danley argues that Graham’s contribution has been overlooked because of her involvement in the sex trade.
Graham became a wealthy businesswoman and financial backer during Seattle’s rapid growth at the end of the 19th century. She was also associated with causes including racial equality, social justice and women’s independence.
Her legal battles helped establish case law that Danley says continues to provide one of the few available legal defences for some immigrants in the United States.
Danley said: “I never meant to become one of the top Lou Graham experts in the world, but every answer I sought led to a greater mystery.
“What I uncovered is an erased woman who was responsible for helping create the 18th wealthiest city in the world.
“I hope this show inspires people to care for the forgotten voices of the past that built their communities.”
Now known internationally for coffee, grunge music, Frasier and its modern technology industry, Seattle has repeatedly reinvented itself.
Madam(e) Lou asks why a woman who helped finance and shape that transformation has no monument and remains largely absent from the city’s official history.
Madam(e) Lou will be performed at Paradise Green during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 17 to 30 August.
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