HBO’s hit series The Gilded Age blends fictional characters with historic figures, so audiences may not realize that Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, who spoke in (fictional) Peggy Scott’s home during season 3, was a real suffragette, author and activist. 

Harper was the most popular Black poet of the 19th century, the first Black women in America to publish a novel, and a speaker at the 1873 “Colored Convention” held in Dover, Delaware, one of a series of meetings held across the nation to discuss equal rights, and educational and economic opportunities for Black Americans. 

Harper’s inspiring legacy comes to life at UD on Sunday, Sept. 14, with the premiere performance of The Artistry and Activism of Frances Harper, which brings together UD alumni, current students and community artists on the 200th anniversary of Harper’s birth in a multidisciplinary production that reclaims her history and honors her resilience.

“It’s historical,” said Lynnette Young Overby, professor emeritus of theatre and dance, who directs the production. “It helps us to see where we are today, based on where we came from, the issues that were prevalent at that time and how they continue to have an impact on who we are today. “

The Artistry and Activism of Frances Harper is produced by Sharing Our Legacy Dance Theatre, a company under UD’s Community Engagement Initiative that prepares and performs research-based productions inspired by the arts. It marks the continued collaboration between Overby and P. Gabrielle Foreman, Paterno Family Professor of American Literature and professor of African American studies and history at Penn State University. 

The performance illustrates how Harper’s work captures the Black American experience, including her poems “Blessed Hope,” “Slave Mother,” and “Sketches of a Southern Life,” as well as her novel Iola Leroy and short stories. 

The evening also includes original music by Ralph Russell, David Horton and Vianne Reay; performing artist Sharia Benn narrating Harper’s works; and a rendition of “Every Time I Feel the Spirit” written by UD alumnus Arreon Harley-Emerson and performed by the Elevate Vocal Arts choir. 

“Art-based research - illuminating a topic through performance, seeing it come to life- enables audiences to appreciate issues while being entertained,” Overby said. 

There will be a 20-minute talkback following the performance, with future performances at Penn State, Baltimore and Dover. Learn more about Harper’s legacy through the Colored Convention Project’s Frances Ellen Watkins Harper at 200 exhibition. 

Tickets can be purchased online at www.rep.udel.edu, by phone at 302-831-2204, or in person at the REP box office located at 110 Orchard Rd., Newark, Delaware, Tuesday – Friday, noon to 5 p.m.

The Artistry and Activism of Frances Harper
Sunday, Sept. 14, 3 p.m.
Mitchell Hall