NEWBURYPORT — The First Religious Society, Unitarian Universalist Church presents “Her Own Sweet Voice” by James Funston at the Pleasant Street church.
Performances take place Oct. 17, 18, 19, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. at 26 Pleasant St., Newburyport. Admission is by suggested donation of $20 and can be purchased online at www.newburyportacting.org.
The First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist is celebrating their 300th anniversary, and Amesbury playwright James Funston has written a play inspired by the abolitionist sermons and writings of real-life FRS minister Rev. Thomas Wentworth Higginson, and it is set on the eve of the Civil War. Although slavery was outlawed in Massachusetts in 1781, the practice of enslavement persisted long after. The play features the quest for freedom by a young woman named Mutala, who lives a life of involuntary servitude in a High Street mansion in Newburyport.
The play combines historical fact with fiction, celebrates the church’s history as a beacon of light against oppression, and tells a story that is both provocative and hopeful. Directed by Marc Clopton of The Actors Studio of Newburyport, there will be a brief discussion after each performance.