Natalie Daise Presents BECOMING HARRIET TUBMAN
By: Sally Henry Fuller Sep. 19, 2015
Natalie Daise, the playwright and performer, had been following Harriet Tubman up and down the east coast for many years. Only she didn't realize it. Born in Rochester, NY, where Harriet Tubman worked as an abolitionist and not far from the Auburn, NY home where Harriet lived her final years, Daise later moved to Beaufort, SC where Harriet first served as a spy. It was also where Gullah Gullah Island, Nick Jr's award winning preschool show , was based. And it was there, while reading an historical journal, that Daise first discovered that there was more to Harriet Tubman than she'd learned in elementary school.
"I've always been fascinated by powerful women, " Daise said. "And I've always wondered how they grow into themselves. How did Harriet -- enslaved, illiterate, abused -- become this iconic and heroic figure? The how was every bit as interesting to me as the who and what." So when Daise began researching "Becoming Harriet Tubman" she looked beyond the stories of derring-do, to find the people who helped shape her. "It was her mother, Harriet Green, who I first identified with. I mean, who knows somebody better than their mother?"
In "Becoming Harriet Tubman," Daise becomes five characters: the narrator, Harriet Green, the woman who was Ariminta's first mistress, the field hand who played a role in the traumatic brain injury that haunted Harriet the rest of her life, and, finally, Harriet herself. When the show debuted at Charleston, SC's Piccolo Spoleto in 2012, it received an A+ rating with the Charleston City Paper saying, "Natalie is a masterful storyteller." It has since played at theaters, schools and universities throughout the southeast. While Natalie Daise is best known for her role as Ms. Natalie on Gullah Gullah Island, "Becoming Harriet Tubman" is not a show for preschoolers. However, it's great for elementary-aged children through adults.
It's not too late to get theatre tickets.
An audio excerpt of the show, featuring original music from Kim and Reggie Harris can be found here:
https://soundcloud.com/greenroomreviews/natalie-daise-in-becoming
Other info here:
http://nataliedaise.com/becoming-harriet-tubman-2/
2015 United Solo, the world's largest solo theatre festival, currently in its 6th year, will present 150 shows from six continents at Theatre Row: 410 West 42nd Street, New York City. TICKETS, with a price of $19.25 (including a $1.25 theatre restoration charge) are available at Theatre Row box office, 410 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036, as well as over the phone at 212.239.6200 and online at telecharge.com. More details can be found at www.unitedsolo.org
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