Song Marshall

Ghostlight Ensemble will present its original adaptation of The Woman of Colour: A Tale – the story of a biracial heiress on her travels from Jamaica to England to marry as a condition of her father’s will – at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 11 at the Berger Park Cultural Center.

The play is part of Ghostlight’s For Your (Re)Consideration, a staged reading series that explores the works of historically overlooked female writers.

Based on the novel of the same name, which was published anonymously in 1808, The Woman of Colour: A Tale is the story of Olivia Fairfield, the biracial protagonist and orphaned daughter of a slaveholder. She is forced to choose between marrying her white, first cousin or becoming dependent on a mercenary elder cousin. Through Olivia’s letters, the audience is privy to not only the story of her life, but her impressions of Britain and its inhabitants as only a Black woman could record them. She gives scathing descriptions of London and the British people, as well as progressive critiques of race, racism and slavery.

Like the novel, Ghostlight’s adaptation will explore the interconnections of race, gender and class, as well as examining cultural identity and colonial power.

Ensemble Member Song Marshall, who co-adapted the novel and plays Olivia in the show, said working on the project has been an interesting challenge.

“This story has so many layers and gleaning the best nuggets from such a robust text has been truly challenging,” she explained.

But, as a fan of Jane Austen and other works of the period, Marshall added, it was also incredibly satisfying to “see such a different take on the genre – one that features someone who looks like me at the center of it.

“I am so thrilled to help bring this story to life for others to enjoy. People who enjoy Jane Austen-style stories and/ or interesting takes on the ‘marriage plot’ of the Regency time period will thoroughly enjoy this story as well.”

Marshall, originally from Los Angeles, moved to Chicago in 2009 and has worked with numerous companies around town, including The Other Theatre Co., Raven Theatre, Broken Nose Theatre and The Plagiarists. She is a company member of Ghostlight Ensemble Theatre and of Terra Mysterium and was most recently seen as the Engineer in The Plagiarist’s I Build Giants.

The show was adapted by Marshall and Ensemble Member Holly Robison, who also directs it. The cast includes: Marshall as Olivia with Ensemble Members Justin Broom, Sydney Ray and Kayla V. White, as well as collaborators Andrew Jessop, Allison McCorkle and James Sparling. Full biographies are available online.

The staged reading of The Woman of Colour: A Tale takes place 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at the Berger Park Cultural Center (The Downey House) in Edgewater (6205 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660). A brief talkback will follow the reading. Seating is limited and reservations are suggested.

Tickets are pay-what-you-will, with an average donation of $10. By donating more, if you are able, you help offset the cost for those who can’t afford to give. To reserve a spot, email boxoffice@ghostlightensemble.com and let us know how many people will be attending. You may donate in advance at https://www.ghostlightensemble.com/the-woman-of-colour or at the door.

We are still observing COVID protocols. Masks and proof of vaccination for individuals ages 5 and up, OR a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of entry are required for entrance. Rapid antigen or at-home tests are NOT accepted as proof of negative COVID-19 status.

Featuring a variety of distinct voices and styles from different historical periods, the readings that make up For Your (Re)Consideration seek to bring attention to remarkable women who have been sidelined by history for reasons that had nothing to do with their talent and everything to do with their gender and, in many cases, their race.

Sometimes referred to as the Other Canon, the work of these early female writers dates are as much the building blocks of modern theatre as those of their male counterparts. Some good, some great, some successful in their time, some way ahead of their time, these women have found themselves all but erased from history and rarely, if ever, produced today.

The series is curated by Ensemble Member Holly Robison, who said she struck on the idea for the series a few years ago when she came across The Enchantment by Victoria Benedictsson, who was said to be an inspiration for Hedda Gabler and Miss Julie.

“I thought it was absurd that those plays are heralded as classics and performed all the time, but I had never even heard of Benedictsson or her play,” Robison said. “I started thinking — what else was missed because the author was a woman? Or what plays and playwrights were never cultivated?”

Robison is also a Producing Director with Ghostlight Ensemble and a Chicago-based director, actor and improvisor. In addition to curating For Your (Re)Consideration, Robison has directed a staged reading of Miss Elizabeth Bennet for the Jane Austen Society of North America's Annual Meeting and productions of An Ideal Husband and Picasso at the Lapin Agile for Ghostlight. She is a cast member and producer with Improvised Jane Austen.

Find out more about The Woman of Colour: A Tale, For Your (Re)Consideration and the entire 2021-2022 Season at GhostlightEnsemble.com.