Harriet Jacobs' 'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl' comes to life Feb. 25 at ECC
Harriet Jacobs' autobiographical 1861 novel "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" will be brought to life on stage by actress Cherita Armstrong at the Elgin Community College Arts Center on Thursday, Feb. 25. The Literature to Life stage presentation will be performed at 7 p.m. in the ECC Arts Center's SecondSpace Theatre, Building H, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.
Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery in 1813 and escaped to the north in 1842 after spending an arduous seven years hiding in her grandmother's attic. Later in her life she became an abolitionist speaker and self-published "Incidents in the Life of Slave Girl," her firsthand account of the traumas of slavery particularly for women and children.
The Literature to Life adaptation of Jacobs' vital and historic work premiered in 2006, and was commissioned by the New York Historical Society. Exploring the themes of resilience and survival, the stage adaptation culminates in Harriet Jacobs' powerful and moving experiences during the years she spent hiding in The Loophole, a small crawl space in her grandmother's attic.
Wynn Handman adapted and directed this Literature to Life stage presentation of Jacobs' autobiographical novel. This one-person performance features Cherita Armstrong performing sections of the book verbatim and portraying upwards of seven characters. A discussion follows the performance.
"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" is part of the Literature to Life series and is a program of Young Audiences New York. Literature to Life aims to bring to life the world of important American literary works with performances that create an atmosphere of discovery and imagination. The New York-based American Place Theatre which produces the Literature to Life series has received over 30 Obies, 16 Audelcos, and celebrated over 50 seasons.
This presentation is supported by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund, a program of Arts Midwest, that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts with additional contributions from the Illinois Arts Council, The Crane Group, and General Mills Foundation.
Tickets are $25. Tickets for all performances in the ECC Arts Center are available online at tickets.elgin.edu or at the ECC box office located in the arts center. Box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. To purchase tickets by phone, call (847) 622-0300. All major credit cards are accepted.