In a quiet corner of Northeast Philadelphia, history will speak again.
Inside the historic Byberry Friends Meeting House, audiences will step into the charged atmosphere of 1850s Philadelphia, where abolitionists Robert Purvis and Harriet Forten Purvis rallied neighbors to resist one of the nation’s most controversial laws. Rather than watching from theater seats, visitors will sit inside the very type of rooms where these conversations once unfolded.
“This Monstrous Law! Robert and Harriet Purvis and the Fugitive Slave Act,” presented by the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia and Millicent Sparks Productions, blends theater, music and historical interpretation to recreate local resistance to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 — legislation that forced ordinary citizens to assist in the capture of enslaved people seeking freedom.
The production will be staged June 6 at the 1808 Byberry Friends Meeting House, just steps from where many of the real-life events occurred.
For creator, writer and producer Millicent Sparks, the production is about more than revisiting the past. It is about preserving stories she believes remain deeply relevant today.
“It is important to put these programs out there, to keep our history alive, especially now when there are threats and actions to erase it," Sparks said.
Sparks, CEO of Millicent Sparks Productions, specializes in living history programming centered on the African American experience. Her productions use professional actors to bring historical figures to life.
“I use professional actors to breathe life into historical figures and transport audiences back to a different time,” she said.
Adding another layer to the performance is the portrayal of renowned 19th-century singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, known internationally as “The Black Swan.”
Historian Jack McCarthy, director of the Poquessing Trail of History project, which commissioned the performance, said the setting itself helps bridge the gap between past and present.
“Rarely do we get an opportunity to understand history as if we had lived it. It will be thrilling to see these icons of early Philadelphia speaking again in one of the few remaining buildings from their lives," McCarthy said. "This is where historic preservation really comes alive.”
“This Monstrous Law! Robert and Harriet Purvis and the Fugitive Slave Act” will take place Saturday, June 6, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Byberry Friends Meeting House, 3001 Byberry Road. The event is free to attend, though registration is required due to limited capacity. More information is available online.
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