“Phillis In Boston”

This November, Revolutionary Spaces debuts Phillis in Boston, an original new play dramatizing a key moment in the nation and the life of celebrated poet and enslaved author Phillis Wheatley. Published in 1773, her book “Reflections on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral” was the first known book of poetry by an English-speaking person of African descent and the third book published by an American woman.

Written by award-winning playwright Ade Solanke and directed by Emmy-nominated director Regge Life, Phillis in Boston explores the multiple struggles for freedom underway in 1773 Boston. The play celebrates friendship, love, community, and joy by centering Wheatley’s relationships with her friend and confidant Obour Tanner, her husband-to-be John Peters, and the dynamic abolitionist Prince Hall. Phillis in Boston also examines slavery in New England through the lens of Wheatley’s complex relationship with her enslaver Susanna Wheatley, who supported Wheatley’s literary ambitions even as she kept her in bondage.

This one-act play debuts at Old South Meeting House in Boston on Friday, November 3 (with preview performances on November 1 and November 2) and will run for five weeks. Premium and standard tickets are on sale now at RevolutionarySpaces.org and discounts are available for group bookings of 10 or more people.