FIRST WORLD THEATRE ENSEMBLE
in collaboration with
QUINTESSENCE THEATRE
presents

RICHARD LAMONTE PIERCE’S
SOJOURNER

Richard LaMonte Pierce’s one-person play about activist Sojourner Truth was available on demand May 10 - 23, 2021  

First World Theatre Ensemble presented an on-demand virtual production of Richard LaMonte Pierce’s Sojourner in collaboration with Quintessence Theatre Group.

Sojourner was presented as a full virtual production, prerecorded and available on demand for audiences
to watch when they like May 10 - 23.

The one-person show starred Zuhairah McGill, who has toured the production across the country and was nominated for the Outstanding Leading Actress Barrymore award for originating the role in 2002. McGill is the Founding Artistic Director of First World Theatre Ensemble and a three-time winner of the DC Excellence in Black Theatre award and the Black Arts for Social Change Award, among others.

McGill co-directed the full virtual production with
Quintessence Artistic Director Alexander Burns.  

McGill plays Sojourner Truth, the abolitionist, women’s rights activist and author who was born into slavery and eventually became a confidante to Abraham Lincoln and master debater with Frederick Douglass. Now quite old, Sojourner Truth tells the story of her enslavement not in the American South, but in the North, as well as her dramatic escape and subsequent fight to tear down slavery across the country. This devastating yet inspiring tale provides a compelling and personal lens into pre-Civil War America and Sojourner Truth’s extraordinary life. 

“From June to August 2020, First World Theatre held Town Hall meetings to discuss systemic racism in the arts here in Philadelphia and across the nation,” says McGill. “To keep the promise of making change in the theatre community, I approached Alex about doing this project. I thought this would be a good start to moving towards healing and understanding of each other’s position and history.” 

“At Quintessence, we focus on epic works of classic theatre,” says Burns. “As Quintessence strives to move the classics forward, we look to the extraordinary people and events in America’s past that have defined the course of our nation. Just as Shakespeare brought the kings and queens of England to his stage, Quintessence expands its definition of classic to welcome the epic figures of American history to ours. Sojourner Truth’s bust sits in Emancipation Hall, the first sculpture to honor an African American woman in our Nation’s Capitol Building. And yet many do not know the tale of Sojourner Truth or how much we owe to her. We are honored to join First World Theatre in presenting Richard LaMonte Pierce’s dramatization of the life of one of America’s greatest heroes, performed by one of Philadelphia’s finest actors, believing it is essential to use the power of theatre to remember and revisit our past in order to better understand its context and relevancy to our future.” 

FIRST WORLD THEATRE ENSEMBLE

(FWTE) brings to the stage selected classic and original works intended to raise audience awareness regarding critically important social issues. Each play produced by First World Theatre Ensemble addresses local to global social issues and is partnered with organizations and field professionals whose work relates to the social themes of the play in a strategic effort to respond to the needs of and provide direct support for audience members affected by the issues addressed in the plays. FWTE distinguishes itself by producing daring yet professional quality theatre, as in the days of the Negro Ensemble, nurturing and showcasing new talent and new works while bridging the gap between the theatre we produce and the change it seeks to create. 

CAST

Zuhairah McGill
Sojourner Truth

CREATIVE TEAM

Zuhairah McGill
Director

Alex Burns
Director

Phillip Todd
Director of Photography

Jairous L. Parker
Sound Design

JoJo Glodek
Light Design

Lee Cortopassi
Camera Operator

Maggie Davis
Production Stage Manager