A free performance of “Independence: The True Story of Dr. Mary Walker” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2, in SUNY Oswego’s Marano Campus Center auditorium (room 132) will present the life of a local figure who gained national prominence. 

Presented by ARTSwego, the SUNY Oswego Theatre Department and the Oswego County Historical Society, this production tells the story of the Town of Oswego native earning increasing fame for her role in the Civil War and championing women’s rights and other then-progressive causes in the 19th century. While admission is free, tickets are required and can be reserved via tickets.oswego.edu or any campus box office.

The production also will be presented at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, in Oswego High School’s Robinson-Faust Theatre. For tickets to the high school performance, visit ticketleap.events/tickets/ohsdrama/drwalker.

A Civil War surgeon and only the second woman in the United States to get a medical degree, Walker is to date the only woman to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Born in the Town of Oswego in 1832, she was also a radical free thinker, suffragist, dress reform advocate and an unfiltered speaker and writer. 

Walker was 33 years old when the Civil War ended, and she spent the rest of her life tirelessly campaigning for her causes. She advocated not only for women’s right to vote, which she said was inherent in the Constitution and did not need an amendment, but she believed in a woman’s right to a divorce to free herself of a bad marriage and the freedom to wear pants, which she said was a healthier alternative to a corset and long skirt kicking up dust and barnyard filth. 

Her dedication has earned a pair of recent noteworthy pieces of recognition. In August 2023, Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia was renamed Fort Mary Walker, the only such facility named for a woman. In 2024, she is being commemorated on the American women’s series of quarters.

Actress Kathie Barnes will star in this production in the role of Walker.

The production came about when Lloyd J. Schwartz, the writer and director, read an article on Walker, having never previously heard of her. Schwartz couldn’t shake the idea that Walker’s life was dramatic, intense, pertinent and could captivate an audience. “Independence” had its 2017 world premiere in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the women’s movement for the 100th anniversary of women earning the right to vote in New York state.

A talkback and reception, sponsored by the Office of Career Services, will follow the SUNY Oswego performance. This program is supported in part by the Student Arts Fee, administered by ARTSwego.

This program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Persons with disabilities needing assistance to attend the SUNY Oswego event should contact the box office at least 48 hours in advance by calling 315-312-3073 or email tickets@oswego.edu.