WHAT IS THE MARGARET GHOST?
A gripping play about the life of Margaret Fuller—author, editor, journalist, literary critic, educator, Transcendentalist, and women's rights advocate....
Written by local playwright Carole Braverman, The Margaret Ghost is a witty, engaging look at the struggles of a woman too intelligent to fit into the narrow role of a nineteenth-century woman, and too passionate to settle for less than the full human experience. From the parlors of Cambridge to the streets of Rome, The Margaret Ghost follows Fuller as she searches for truth, beauty and love amid the tides of history.
Theatre@First, in association with the Margaret Fuller Bicentennial, is proud to revive our 2006 production of The Margaret Ghost, bringing it to Belmont with the entire original cast!
WHO IS MARGARET FULLER?
Today we consider Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) one of the guiding lights of the first wave of feminism. She helped educate the women of her day by leading a series of Conversations in which women were empowered to read, think and discuss important issues of the day. She empowered generations to follow through her groundbreaking writings, especially her landmark book Woman in the Nineteenth Century. Among her many accomplishments, she was the first American to write a book about equality for women, the first woman foreign correspondent and first war correspondent to serve under combat conditions, the first woman editor on a major daily newspaper, and the first woman permitted to enter Harvard Library as a researcher.
Born in Cambridge, Fuller lived, wrote and taught throughout New England and was a close associate of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau and Bronson Alcott, the leading lights of the Transcendentalist movement. Relocating to New York, she worked as a literary critic and editor of The New York Daily Tribune before moving to Italy during the Revolution of 1848, which she chronicled from the front. With her husband, revolutionary Angelo Ossoli, and their young son, Fuller set sail for America in 1850, but their ship caught fire and wrecked off Fire Island. Young Nino is buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery, where there is a memorial to Fuller that reads in part: By birth a child of New England, By adoption a citizen of Rome, By genius belonging to the world.
By presenting The Margaret Ghost, Theatre@First introduces new audiences to that genius and invites them to discover Fuller’s legacy.
ABOUT THEATRE@FIRST
Theatre@First is Somerville’s largest community theatre, with over 100 participants annually and a loyal following of over 500 audience members per show. Since our founding in 2003, we have grown to fill an important niche in the thriving Somerville arts community, drawing on the talents and support of individuals and organizations throughout the area.
Theatre@First’s mission is to work together to provide a fun, friendly, and creative theater experience for cast, crew, and audience alike. We welcome volunteers at all levels of experience, without regard to race, color, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, body type, age or disability. We encourage a supportive environment in which to work, play, grow, and explore new areas of the theatre arts. We offer affordable and eclectic performances to the community, aiming to surprise, delight, entertain, and educate our audiences.
ABOUT THE MARGARET FULLER BICENTENNIAL
The Margaret Fuller Bicentennial is an opportunity to celebrate and learn about an extraordinary woman and continue her globalvision of equality and human rights. The year-long celebration of the 200th anniversary of Fuller’s birth includes programs and events, ongoing exhibits, a traveling display, walking and driving tours, and resource materials for youth, adults, religious and secular leaders.
The Bicentennial hopes to raise awareness of Margaret Fuller, so that her story may inspire people of all ages to follow her leadand think independently, express their thoughts clearly, defend their convictions with courage, learn through dialogue and thefree exchange of opinions, believe in the equality of all people, and be open to change. Then her legacy will be assured.
OUR AUDIENCE
Theatre@First and the Margaret Fuller Bicentennial reach out to students, professionals, history buffs, lovers of literature, patrons of the arts and anyone who enjoys a good love story with pithy quotes. We draw from communities throughout Eastern Massachusetts and across wide demographic categories.
ABOUT THE FIRST CHURCH OF BELMONT, UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST
Theatre@First is thrilled to bring The Margaret Ghost to the beautiful stage at First Church Belmont, adjacent to the town common, just a short stroll from the shops and restaurants of Leonard Street and a quick drive from Cushing Square.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Theatre@First
Margaret Fuller Bicentennial