“Massachusetts: A Song of Itself” is a program about the history of the Commonwealth told through the eyes of its marginalized and all too often forgotten people who influenced the growth and early struggles incurred in the formation of our state. The 90 minute presentation will take place at the First Congregational Church, 4 Main St, Stockbridge on Apr 18 at 3:00 PM. Tickets are available here.
Through passionate and creative storytelling, music, poetry and song, Regie Gibson, our state poet laureate, backed by a group of outstanding musicians, gives voice to a wide range of historical characters and their aspirations, hopes, and struggles. He leads the audience on a journey from the early days of the English settlers’ interactions with the indigenous native peoples, to the introduction of slavery, the formation of the Commonwealth, and ultimately the American Revolution itself.
The program casts a critical eye on some of our most cherished illusions about the state’s creation story. It asks the audience to rethink these myths to form a more historically accurate picture of how we came to be who we are.
The program is particularly relevant to what is happening within the state today as we grapple with the attack of long-held beliefs of what it means to be an American and the resilience of the foundational elements of our state and country that our ancestors worked hard to create more than 250 years ago.