One-Woman Show In Ridgefield To Shine Light On Forgotten History

RIDGEFIELD, CT — When Judith Kalaora brings her one-woman show "I Now Pronounce You Lucy Stone" to the Keeler Tavern Museum this weekend, it will be a work in progress. All of her shows are.

Kalaora is the founder and artistic director of History At Play. She and her troupe's ensemble breathe new theatrical life into historical times and figures, but it's her one-woman shows that have received the most notoriety. Her debut performance in "A Revolution of Her Own!," chronicling the life of Revolutionary War soldier Deborah Sampson, has been touring non-stop since 2010.

The actor/historian says the sweet spot for her choice of subjects is "influential but forgotten." Astronaut Christa McAuliffe; Hollywood starlet and technological genius Hedy Lamarr; and Annie Adams Fields, an author and philanthropist, are among Kalaora's previous historical star turns.

Lucy Stone, the subject of the Keeler Tavern show, was the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree, a fierce abolitionist, and a women's rights activist. Susan B. Anthony credited Stone for her own involvement in the women’s rights movement. But if Stone is remembered at all today it's usually as the first woman to maintain her maiden name when she was married, according to the historian.

"I'm still doing research on her and still finding new material on her and I'm still willing to change the script to improve it and to incorporate new anecdotes and new information," Kalaora told Patch. It's the same with all her subjects: 12 to 18 months of data collection and primary source research is followed by procurement of props and costumes, then set design. Only when she has a firm grasp of these visuals will she make the decision whether to make the show traditional theater, an audio-visual program, or — as is the case with "I Now Pronounce You Lucy Stone," a more immersive experience that invites the audience in past the "fourth wall." The show will be performed in the Garden House at the Keeler Tavern Museum, where Kalaora says the house lights will be bright enough to accommodate the audience getting involved in the action.

This performance is part of Ridgefield's Votes for Women series, which explores the history of the women suffrage movement and celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment. "I Now Pronounce You Lucy Stone" is just one show in a whole year of programs including exhibits, theatrical and musical performances, field trips, discussions, film screenings, and more to commemorate this anniversary.

History At Play will present "I Now Pronounce You Lucy Stone" on Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. in the Garden House at Keeler Tavern Museum. Admission is free, made possible by the support of the Wadsworth Russell Lewis Trust Fund. Registration is available online.