THE ABOLITIONIST'S REFRAIN to Make World Premiere at Boston Center for the Arts

Malcolm Ingram, an Elliot Norton Award-winning actor, will portray Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier in a new original play "The Abolitionist's Refrain" at the Boston Center for the Arts on Saturday, May 30.

Set at the close of the Civil War, "The Abolitionist Refrain" by Michael Cormier is an intimate reflection on a pivotal moment in the life of John Greenleaf Whittier-a man remembered today largely for his pastoral poetry, yet once one of the fiercest abolitionist voices in America. Before literary fame softened his public image, Whittier used language as a weapon against slavery and injustice, helping to move a divided nation toward the recognition that every man and woman must count equally.

"This play asks us to reconsider what history chooses to remember-and what it allows to fade," said Punctuate4 Artistic Director Myriam Cyr. "At Punctuate4, we are committed to telling stories that matter. 'The Abolitionist Refrain' is one of those stories. It reminds us that progress is never inevitable; it is carried forward by individuals willing to risk reputation, comfort, and sometimes everything, in order to insist on the humanity of others."

Ingram has acted in London's West End and on Broadway, as well as on TV in the UK and US. Most recent local appearances include "Reparations" at Gloucester Stage (Elliot Norton Award), "Bedroom Farce" and "Sherlock's Last Case" at the Huntington Theatre and "The Chairs" and "Heisenberg" at Shakespeare and Company. Malcolm was an actor in the UK for twenty years before coming to America to study with the renowned voice teacher Kristin Linklater. He has appeared in "King Lear" and "Richard II" at Actors Shakespeare Project and at the Berkshire Theater Festival. Malcolm is a retired Associate Professor of voice and acting at Syracuse University's Department of Drama.

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