AMHERST — She was the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree, a fierce abolitionist, a writer and a women’s rights activist. She also defied gender norms of the time by refusing to take her husband’s last name after she married.
Lucy Stone, born in 1818 in West Brookfield, was arguably one of the most prominent voices in the U.S. in the 19th century for women’s rights, including allowing women to vote. Now an online play sponsored by the Jones Library brings her story to life.
“I Now Pronounce You Lucy Stone,” which will be live-streamed Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m., is a one-woman play in which Judith Kalaora channels Stone and talks about her life in the 1800s, from the the tensions of Antebellum Boston, the struggle to end slavery and to expand women’s rights, and her study of Greek and Hebrew. As press notes put it, Stone “vehemently insists that the Holy Bible has been mistranslated to oppress and objectify women.”
This event is free and open to all, but reservations are required. Attendees will receive a link to view the teleconference upon registration. For more information and to reserve your spot, visit www.joneslibrary.org or email Janet Ryan at ryanj@joneslibrary.org.
The presentation, about one hour long, is the work of a Boston organization, History At PlayTM, LLC, that produces a number of plays and living history demonstrations. Kalaora, the group’s founder and artistic director, previously worked as an 18th-century historical interpreter in Boston.
With History at Play (their website is historyatplay.com), she has also performed “A Revolution of Her Own,” a production about Deborah Sampson, a Massachusetts woman who became the first woman to enlist and fight with American military forces when she disguised herself to join the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
Kalaora’s performance as Sampson became an official selection of the 2015 United Solo Theatre Festival in New York City.
Kalaora’s March 9 presentation as Lucy Stone is also taking place in recognition of the 100th anniversary in 2020 of passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. The play will be followed by a Q&A session with Kalaora.
Also online at the Burnett Gallery at the Jones Library this month is a group exhibit showcasing work by five painters — Pat Cahill, Elisa Campbell, Shirley Fredrickson Conant, Adele Gladstone-Gilbert, and Susan McQuaid — and photographer Bernie Kubiak. Visitors to joneslibrary.org/virtualburnett can also find links to the gallery’s January and February virtual shows.
Steve Pfarrer can be reached at spfarrer@gazettenet.com.