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Actress Stephanie Jackson plays a real, 19th century figure, Elizabeth Keckley, whose courageous life is chronicled in the one woman show, "They Called Me Lizzy," presented at The Keeler Tavern Museum on March 20, from 4-6 p.m. Keckley was born a slave in 1818 but her expert sewing skills allowed her to purchase her freedom and her son's. After living in St. Louis, she settled in Washington, D.C., where she became a much-admired seamstress. Eventually, she was hired by Mary Todd Lincoln, with whom she became close. As a result, Keckley had an insider's view of the Lincoln White House during some pivotal times.
"They Call me Lizzy" is a production of The East Haddam Stage Company, founded in 2002 by Casey and Kandie Carle. The production is directed by Kandie Carle. Stephanie Jackson, who stars as Elizabeth Keckley, lives in Farmington, CT and graduated from the University of CT. She has played the Keckley role since 2006, but was also seen in Tiwanna Lewis's social issues theatre piece "Slice of Life" and took on the role of the ancient African leader Yaa Asantewaa in a UCONN production. For the past 15 years, Jackson has also worked as an assistant special education teacher.
An educational powerhouse for its glimpse of history and a woman defying the odds against her, "They Called Me Lizzy" is described as a "dramatic recounting of Lizzy's experiences that is much more than a slave narrative, it is a human story, at times tragic, at times triumphant, always fascinating." Tickets for the show are $15. For more information, visit the Museum's website.
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