(from left) Kortney Adams, Regin Vital and Lyndsay Allyn-Cox at a workshop performance of “A New Era” in 2022. PHOTO: MAGGIE HALL
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This month, Plays in Place and The National Parks of Boston launch “Suffrage in Black and White,” a series of three site-specific plays that explore the intersection of race and citizenship through the perspective of Boston’s abolitionist and suffrage movements. One play will premiere each year through 2026 to spotlight diverse local talent.
The project has been a long time coming. The National Parks of Boston and Plays in Place, an organization that partners with local cultural institutions to produce site-specific plays, began collaborating on the effort in 2020. They commissioned local playwrights to create three original works and worked with artists and history experts to bring the stories to life as vividly and historically accurately as possible.
“The stories we most want to tell are the ones that haven’t received the attention they deserve,” says Jess Meyer, a producer at Plays in Place who worked extensively on the project.
Bostonians can now finally enjoy some of the fruits of that labor. “A Light Under the Dome,” written by Patrick Gabridge and directed by Courtney O’Connor, is the first play in the series and will premiere this month. “A New Era,” written by Miranda ADEkoje and directed by Summer L. Williams, and “Nothing But Victory!”, written by Ginger Lazarus and directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, are scheduled for the next two years.
“A Light Under the Dome” actors Regine Vital, Bridgette Hayes and Thomika Bridwell in 2023. PHOTO: Jess Meyer
Historical locations play a central role in these productions. “A Light Under the Dome” is performed in the Senate Chamber of the Massachusetts State House. The story takes place in 1838, when Angelina Grimké gives a speech in which she advocates the abolition of slavery and women’s rights. The speech took place in this very room.
“A New Era” focuses on Black suffragette and community leader Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, who gathers seven strong women of color in her home to strategize about fighting for civil and gender rights. This show will be performed in 2025 at King’s Chapel Parish House in Beacon Hill, near Ruffin’s former home. “Nothing But Victory!” depicts a 1915 protest for women’s suffrage that took place at Faneuil Hall. The performance will be performed in 2026 at Faneuil Hall, where the historic event took place.
Liza Stearns, director of visitor engagement, education and the arts for the National Parks of Boston, says, “As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, carefully researched and creatively produced performing arts projects like this one shine a spotlight on the many and diverse people who have played their role as active citizens in shaping the country’s vision of equal rights and equal representation.”
“A Light Under the Dome” will be performed at the Massachusetts State House from August 12-15, with matinee and evening performances each day. Admission is free, but visitors must reserve a seat in advance.
The productions cover the true, accurate history, but are accessible to a modern audience. Plays in Place also does not shy away from references to our present day. Grimké’s speech, in which he calls for equality for all groups of the population, will sound strikingly familiar.
“These plays seem so modern,” says Meyer. “We often use the theater model to talk not only about where we come from and how far we’ve come, but also about how far we still have to go.”
