Video: The Huntington Releases Mini-Documentary on TONI STONE

The Huntington has released a mini-documentary about Toni Stone and their upcoming production of the tenacious and inspiring original play written and directed by Lydia R. Diamond and inspired by the book Curveball: The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone by western Massachusetts journalist and author Martha Ackmann. 
 
Based on Ackmann’s book, Diamond’s uplifting new play follows the experiences of Toni Stone, an ace ballplayer who knows her stats and has a great arm. Rejected by the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League because of her race, she becomes the first woman to play professional baseball on a man’s team in the Negro Leagues, shattering expectations and creating her own set of rules. Filled with humor and the love of the game, Huntington favorite Diamond knocks it out of the park with this beautiful, rich portrait of a trailblazing woman.
    
Boston native and renowned dancer and choreographer Ebony Williams will choreograph the baseball in Toni Stone, bringing the movements of the game to life on stage. Known as one of the two dancers matching Beyoncé in the iconic “Single Ladies” music video, as well as the Associate Choreographer for the musical film In the Heights, Williams has danced and choreographed with some of the biggest names in Hollywood and was named “one of the top 25 dancers to watch” by Pointe Magazine. Much of her early training took place in Boston at the Roxbury Center for the Performing Arts, Boston Ballet School and Citydance, and Boston Conservatory.