‘A breath, a heartbeat, and a prayer’

Wise words spoken directly from Plays in Place’s A Light Under the Dome and it was just what it took to muster speaker Angelina Grimké ’s strength and courage.  Stirringly portrayed by Amanda Collins, Grimké was the first woman to stand and speak out in front of the Massachusetts State Senate to fight for what is right.  What was brought to light was Grimké’s careful strategy, passion and the surrounding events that unfolded around a handful of humble yet powerful women who historically embarked together to brave their own struggles for the sake of others.

United we stand.

Directed poignantly and powerfully by Courtney O’Connor and commissioned by the National Park Service, Plays in Place presented Patrick Gabridge’s A Light Under the Dome for a limited sold out run with waiting list availability only from August 12 to 15 live and in person at the Senate Chamber of the MA State House in Boston, Massachusetts.  The production was approximately one hour with no intermission.  Click here for more information and for more on Plays in Place.

Plays in Place has been noted for taking a significant historical moment in time and infusing it with multiple perspectives as the audience witnesses it in the place where it happened. It is the first of three plays of the Suffrage in Black and White series commissioned by the National Park Service.  A Light Under the Dome examines the scope of Grimké’s significant speech and its effects on this united group of women and the turmoil surrounding them.  It was not just the reenactment of the speech itself, but included the build up and the fallout surrounding this occurrence.

Amanda Mujica’s colorful period costumes ranged from stripes to plaids to puffed sleeves combined with Rachel Padula-Shufelt’s well coiffed wigs to make each well adorned and inspiring individual stand out in their own distinct way.  Collins as Grimké embodied a string of emotions through wringing hands, hesitation and anxiety to make the speech of her life in front of thousands back in 1838 only held up by the women who supported her. 

Though it was not thousands that surrounded Collins’s exiled Southerner Grimké when she made her personable, articulate and convincing speech about women’s rights which included suffrage as well as abolishing slavery like it was on that pivotal day on February 21, 1838, it was no less an immersive experience as the audience was welcomed to open seating inside the pristine and regal senate chambers while these five individuals freely roamed the room.  Surrounded by the detailed crown molding and towering chandelier in the Senate chambers, Andrew Duncan Will’s rich sound design articulated the commotion in the room and the looming chaos that erupted outdoors.  

American educator and abolitionist Susan Paul (Thomika Marie Bridwell), Anti-slavery and absolutist Maria Weston Chapman (Marge Dunn), Vice President of the Convention 1838 Anti-Slavery Women Lydia Marie Child (Bridgette Hayes), and Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society member Julia Williams (Regine Vital) surrounded repentant slave owner Grimké and all had vested interest and offered unyielding support to Grimké as their unique stories were weaved into the production.

Dunn, having starred as Sherlock Holmes in Greater Boston Stage Company’s Miss Holmes Returns, still masters that commanding gleam in her eye and knowing grin.  Chapman was a powerful and resourceful presence in the room and one that the other individuals looked to for guidance.  Each individual shared their personal lives including a particular highlight as Bridgette Hayes as Lydia Marie Child reflected that she married a man who was good with dreams but bad with money.   Regine Vital as Julia Williams was in a battle of her own fighting everyday to free her sister from slavery.  However, the camaraderie between these women was never so well depicted than when they marched arm in arm during the 1838’s historical day of terror.

Gabridge’s script unveiled the hardships and grim reality of the freed in the north and the still enslaved in the south as the fight continued to abolish slavery and segregation.  These influential women fought for everything they have and still faced oppression from every side.  Gabridge’s script imbues a contemporary undertone that some aspects of Boston still have not changed including and not limited to Boston’s continuously sky high rent. 

A Light Under the Dome was an informative and eye-opening experience while also expressing to the contemporary viewer to continue to call for change in today’s society and fight for what is right as well as a firm plea to love thy neighbor as thyself.

Directed poignantly and powerfully by Courtney O’Connor and commissioned by the National Park Service, Plays in Place presented Patrick Gabridge’s A Light Under the Dome for a limited sold out run with waiting list availability only from August 12 to 15 live and in person at the Senate Chamber of the MA State House in Boston, Massachusetts.  The production was approximately one hour with no intermission.  Click here for more information and for more on Plays in Place.