Harriet Jacobs - The Kansas City Repertory Theatre

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THE PLAY THE CHARACTERS Note: All roles are portrayed by African-American actors. HARRIET JACOBS LEARNING GUIDE | 2010 Harriet Jacobs We meet Harriet, a slave on the Norcom plantation in Edenton, NC, when she is 15 years old. She possesses an intelligence and centeredness beyond her years. These traits are equally attributable to the strength that surely any slave must have had to endure, and a personal wisdom and acuity passed down from insightful parents and grandparents. Harriet has a social savvyness, a dexterity that serves her well both with her family, peers, and slave-owners. She is very educated, and slips easily between a more casual slave vernacular of the time to the formal language used in her writing, and when addressing the audience. She is not “putting this on” or “talking proper,” she is an adept and unconscious “code-switcher.” She is pretty, but does not embrace nor consciously exploit her looks; in her setting they are more often a liability than a blessing and she is aware of this. Grandma Harriet’s strong-willed, well-liked, free grandmother. Mary A house servant and field hand, Mary has fewer of Harriet’s social and language graces. She is in awe of, and dangerously jealous of, Harriet. Tom A field slave. Handsome, strong, good natured, and charismatic. He loves Harriet. Master Norcom The White Master. The town doctor, he carries himself with a confident swagger. He fancies himself a Godly, family man. Mistress Norcom The White Mistress. Once beautiful and carefree, she is a victim of her environment. She is hateful toward her female slaves and wary of her husband. She has born a child every year since her marriage at 17. Samuel Treadwell Sawyer A white lawyer from a prestigious family. He is intrigued by Harriet’s intellect and physically attracted to her. Daniel A field slave. Joseph and Louisa Harriet’s children. Cast members also play a variety of ensemble roles. Kansas City Repertory Theatre: Harriet Jacobs | 4
THE PLAY THE STORY Setting: A crawl space measuring nine feet long, seven feet wide and three feet high and other locales in Edenton, North Carolina. Time Period: 1827-1832 HARRIET JACOBS LEARNING GUIDE | 2010 “I found my voice... so that my voice might find its way into the world….” - Harriet Jacobs Harriet Jacobs is inspired by the true story of Harriet Ann Jacobs, who wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861), one of the first open discussions about the abuses endured by slave women. Playwright Lydia Diamond’s adaptation weaves other slave narratives and spirituals into Harriet’s story, resulting in a powerful testament of personal resilience and an unflinching look at the female slave experience. We meet Harriet in the tiny confines of the crawl space above her Grandmother’s house where she has found refuge. As the play begins, she appeals to the audience, “I must explain. If you would understand. Please. I try to understand myself. This reality that has brought me to, this reality. I try to make sense of it, and so I ask that you try as well.” Harriet’s life is different from many in her situation. She is educated, having been taught to read and write by a former mistress, and has never been physically harmed. As a house slave, her station in life is seemingly more comfortable than other slaves, like her friend Mary, who must also work in the field. And, she is fortunate to have access to her well-liked Grandmother, a freed slave, who passes down her wisdom and personal strength. But Harriet knows that, as a slave, her body is not her own. For years, starting at age 12, she has fended off the sexual advances of her master, Dr. Norcom, enduring his constant harassment along with the tirades of his jealous wife. For protection, she begins a relationship with a white, unmarried lawyer, Samuel Treadwell Sawyer, hoping this liaison will end her torment. Instead, Norcom continues to pursue her even after she bears Sawyer two children. When Norcom threatens to sell her children, Harriet plans her escape. Harriet’s story is, ultimately, one of survival and triumph. Though enslaved, she finds her voice, leaving us the legacy of her journey from slavery to freedom. The run time for Harriet Jacobs is approximately two hours, including intermission. Kansas City Repertory Theatre: Harriet Jacobs | 5
Page 1 and 2: ISSUE 09 STUDENT MATINEE SERIES LEA
Page 3: Photo: Michael McClure Dear Friends
Page 7 and 8: THE PLAY THE AUTHOR - CONTINUED Mot
Page 9 and 10: THE AUTHOR HARRIET JACOBS -TIME LIN
Page 11 and 12: THE PLAY THE PLAYWRIGHT Lydia R. Di
Page 13 and 14: THE PRODUCTION NOTES FROM THE DIREC
Page 15 and 16: THE PRODUCTION SET DESIGN - CONTINU
Page 17 and 18: THE PRODUCTION DESIGN ELEMENTS COST
Page 19 and 20: THE PRODUCTION DESIGN ELEMENTS LIGH
Page 21 and 22: THE PRODUCTION SPOTLIGHT ON AN ACTO
Page 23 and 24: THE PRODUCTION SPOTLIGHT ON REP STA
Page 25 and 26: PRE OR POST-SHOW ACTIVITY HARRIET J
Page 27 and 28: PRE OR POST-SHOW ACTIVITY - CONTINU
Page 29 and 30: BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE PRE-SHOW ACT
Page 31 and 32: AFTER THE PERFORMANCE: REFLECT & CO
Page 37 and 38: STATE AND NATIONAL STANDARDS Harrie
Page 39 and 40: STUDENT MATINEE INFORMATION TIPS FO
Page 41 and 42: STUDENT MATINEE INFORMATION CONTINU
Page 43 and 44: EDUCATION AND OUTREACH—POST SHOW
Page 45 and 46: KANSAS CITY REPERTORY THEATRE 2010-
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