Bessie and Sadie Delany, two African-American sisters who have lived during every decade of the 20th century, struggled to meet success in times when racism and segregation thrived.
"Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years," showing in Spaulding Auditorium tonight, tells the true story of their experiences, challenges and achievements.
The play is Emily Mann's stage adaptation of a memoir coauthored by the Delany sisters and New York Times reporter Amy Hill Hearth.
It played on Broadway for nine months and went on the road for 14 months, earning three Tony Award nominations, three Critics Circle Awards and three Drama Desk Awards.
The Nebraska Theater Caravan has decided to take the Delany sisters' story back on the road. Dartmouth, which is hosting the play as part of its celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, is the first stop on a tour which will primarily include African-American colleges.
The drama opens with the sisters' inviting the audience into their home as they prepare for an annual celebration of their late father's birthday. They then recount 100 years of memories to their guests.
"They open their home to us and share with us the history of their lives and their family," said Director Jaye Austin-Williams. "It is a journey through their history in this country."
Austin-Williams said the two main characters display "very different natures" to the audience. Bessie is the type of person who "takes everything to heart," and might be considered a modern-day manic-depressive.
Sadie is a loving and even-tempered woman who is most concerned with making her guests comfortable.
The director said the most poignant moments in the play occur "when we really zoom in on the essences of each of these women."
For Sadie, that moment occurs when Bessie brings up their mother's death. "We are forced to sit with her and experience the desolation she feels," Austin-Williams said.
Bessie comes to a strong emotional juncture when she struggles with her memories of racism. She thinks back to segregation and the Jim Crowe laws, and she reacts with "rancor and rage," Austin-Williams said.
But the sisters also have positive memories to share. Both of them managed to succeed in breaking social boundaries.
Bessie was one of the first two black women to become a licensed dentist in New York, and Sadie was the first black woman to teach domestic science at the high school level.
In directing "Having Our Say," Austin-Williams has focused on "capturing the joy and exuberance" of the sisters' celebration.
"They're human beings, and no matter how old and frail they get, there is always the joy of welcoming someone into one's home," she said. "It infuses the whole atmosphere with an aliveness that makes all of their stories vivid and clear."
The director has also concentrated on showing the bond which developed over the two sisters' 60 years of living together.
She has tried to bring out the ritualistic elements of the food preparation and has worked to "really build little magical moments" which occur between the sisters.
Austin-Williams said the play is a valuable drama for college students to view, because the characters give a rare perspective on the United States in the 20th century.
"Putting the historical landscape of this country into an African-American female perspective is a very powerful thing," she said.
She said the women "speak very openly and candidly about periods in this country that were profoundly painful for them," and the play makes a history lesson "fun and engaging."
The Delany sisters' memoir was written when Bessie was 101 and Sadie was 103. Sadie still lives today, but Bessie died in 1995 at the age of 104.
Tickets for "Having Our Say" are on sale at the Hopkins Center box office. They cost $17.50 for the general public and $8.50 for students.
