More than a dozen notable Gloucester citizens who lived centuries ago will come to life on stage in a new show of historic proportions titled "Beauport Anthology."
On Friday, June 4, the public will have an opportunity to see the show in a historic setting at the 1806 Meeting House of Gloucester's Unitarian Universalist Society at the corner of Middle and Church streets in the heart of the city.
This production is the creation of Jay DiPrima, who has taught at O'Maley Middle School for the past eight years. But his background is varied. He studied theology as an undergraduate at Gordon College and ultimately received a doctorate in educational theatre from New York University.
"I have always been interested in history and more specifically historical characters. There are certain charismatic characters in history that bring about change through ideas and action," said DiPrima, who teaches performing arts. "I have a lot of passion for Gloucester and the more you dig into the people here in the archives, the more details you find."
This show will first be performed for middle and high school students in the Gloucester Public Schools, in which nine local actors will re-enact short historical monologues crafted by DiPrima.
"Part of the desire was to make Gloucester characters more accessible to our kids and bring them to life. There's a lot of names that repeat themselves in history," he said. It is my goal to provide students with a glimpse into their own history and culture as heard through the voices of their ancestors. Based upon historical record, the monologues will reflect the nuance of the period, but are written with the goal of dramatization."
Captain John Smith (1580-1631) is one of them. He will be played be Duncan Nelson, an English professor at the University of Massachusetts, Boston who will breathe life into this New World explorer, on a voyage in 1605.
DiPrima himself will play the role of noted American artist Fitz Henry Lane and John Murray (1741-1815), the preacher who established the first Universalist church in the United States in the town of Gloucester.
Duncan Nelson also will play the role of Howard Blackburn. Others in the show are: musician and producer Bradley Royds as General Ben Butler; actor Gordon Baird as James Babson and Capt. George Eldridge; drama teacher Talia Brown as Elizabeth Phelps Ward and Easter Carter; actress Tina Greel as Tammy Younger and Peg Wesson; David Adams as Samuel Sawyer and Lord Robt. Sheffield who drew up the Gloucester charter; actress Nora Messier as Judith Sargeant and Abigail Sommes; musician Jim Buhrendorf as Chief Masconomet.
Each profile, about three minutes long, captures the character and essence of their contribution to the town. DiPrima used historical documentation as well as scholarly writings to define each character, using both primary and secondary sources for his project.
"Some of the profiles are chilling, as Nora Messier's Abigail Sommes embodies the object of accusations in local witch trials, falsely accused by children and prosecuted in a mob mentality," noted Baird, also a writer. "Some are an illumination of history as is David Adams' Samuel Sawyer and its follow-up with his lawyer Gen. Ben Butler, a Civil War hero, who returned to administer and eventually challenge the disposition of Sawyer's huge fortune. All are educational — the audience will learn many things they didn't know about our local heroes."
This project follows the dream of DiPrima who has long pursued this vision.
"The lessons and parallels are striking as the local actors bring the historical personalities more clearly into a more human framework. These people were not gods, they were human and facing many familiar challenges and objectives that we face every day. Their humanity translates well in DiPrima's original scripts," said Baird.
A classroom set of the Beauport Anthology monologues are available for any teacher in the Gloucester Public Schools who has an interest in them as an instructional tool.
The research and production were funded by the Massachusetts and Gloucester Cultural Council, as well as the Gloucester School Connection.
Gail McCarthy can be reached at 978-283-7000 x3445, or by e-mail at gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com.
IF YOU GO
What: "Beauport Anthology" — A Collection of Dramatic Monologues of Historical Characters from Gloucester 1600 — 1900.
When: Friday June 4 at 8 p.m
Where: The Meeting House at the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church at the corner of Middle and Church streets. The show is 70-minutes. Admission is $5 at the door.
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