Capital Repertory Theatre will host a free public matinee performance of “Friend of a Friend: Tales of the Underground Railroad from the Capital Region” at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at 111 N. Pearl St., Albany. For more information, call 445-7469 or visit www.capitalrep.org.
“Friend of a Friend,” written by Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill and Jill Rafferty-Weinisch, and featuring a cast led by Kevin Craig West and Capital Rep STAR Program graduate Bianca Stinney, is a refreshing tale told in the living newspaper style that shines a light on the importance of the Capital Region and Upstate New York in the Underground Railroad movement.
The audience meets Stephen and Harriet Myers, editors of the abolitionist Northern Star newspaper; the freeman Solomon Northup, who describes his kidnapping from Saratoga Springs and the 12-year journey to return home; the Mott sisters, Quaker anti-slavery activists who lived right in Albany; and variety of other local heroes. Based on New York State archival documents, Friend of a Friend brings to life real people who made a real difference in the troubled times that led to the Civil War.
The On-The-Go! School Tour Program is in its 14th year of bringing theater to the greater Capital Region student community. Thanks to a matching grant from the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, Capital Rep doubled the reach of its school programming along the route of the historic waterway. The May 18 performance, which culminates the five-week tour, is a celebration of that important expansion.
“Friend of a Friend: Tales of the Underground Railroad from the Capital Region” is free and open to the public. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. The show is recommended for children third grade and older. No one under age 5 is admitted to the theater.
For more information about “Friend of a Friend” or On-The-Go!, contact Christine Sheehan at 382-3884, ext. 112 or [email protected].