UMass Lowell Professors to Appear at Talkbacks for THE LOWELL OFFERING

Drs. Robert Forrant and Bridget M. Marshall of the University of Massachusetts Lowell will appear in free post-show talkbacks on March 26 and March 29 after performances of the world premiere of The Lowell Offering at Merrimack Repertory Theatre.

Dr. Forrant, a specialist on the history of Lowell and the Merrimack Valley, and Dr. Marshall, a specialist on the history of Lowell's "Mill Girls," will host free post-show discussions after the 7:30 p.m. performance of The Lowell Offering on Thursday, March 26, and after the 2 p.m. performance on Sunday, March 29. MRT Executive Director Bonnie J. Butkas will moderate.

To RSVP for these free events and to purchase tickets, please visit MRT.ORG.

Written by Andy Bayiates (Lost Laughs: The Slapstick Tragedy of Fatty Arbuckle and 45 Plays for 45 Presidents at MRT) and Genevra Gallo-Bayiates (45 Plays for 45 Presidents at MRT) and directed by Jess Hutchinson, the world premiere tells the true story of Lowell's Mill Girls and their literary publication, The Lowell Offering.

Dr. Robert Forrant is the Distinguished University Professor, Co-Director, and Senior Research Fellow of the History Department of the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at UMass Lowell. He teaches courses on global labor issues, labor history, immigration, and international development.

Dr. Bridget M. Marshall is an Associate Professor in the English Department of the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at UMass Lowell. She has published articles on gambling addictions in Gothic novels, witchcraft trials in western Massachusetts, phrenology and physiognomy in the Gothic novel, comic books in the classroom and plagiarism in popular culture.