DAMASCUS, PA — LUCY JOSEPH will enjoy a return engagement at Farm Arts Collective. After a sold-out run last June, the ensemble will present the performance for 3 shows only. 

Based on the life of a 19th century gender non-conforming pioneer Lucy Ann Joseph Israel Lobdell, the performance is written and directed by Mimi McGurl. Steeped in deep local history, the musical docudrama includes contributed story and texts from author William Klaber, texts by L.A. Lobdell and contributions by Mark Dunau and the Farm Arts Collective ensemble. The company of actors includes Jess Beveridge in the title role, Doug Rogers (musical composition), Pam Arnold, John Roth, Samantha Mehlman, Annie Hat, and Laura Moran.

LUCY JOSEPH will run Friday and Saturday, November 14 and 15 at 7 PM, and Sunday, November 16 at 3 PM at Farm Arts Collective’s new Agri-Cultural Center located on Willow Wisp Organic Farm in Damascus, PA located at 38 Hickory Lane, Damascus, PA 18415.

The performance garnered strong reviews at its premiere:

“Lucy Joseph is fully realized and practically faultless. The cast, featuring a captivating performance by Jess Beveridge in the title role, also showcased the many talents of Laura Moran, John Roth and ensemble players Pam Arnold, Annie Hat, Doug Rogers and playwright McGurl, many of whom played multiple characters with great panache,” said Jonathan Charles Fox of The River Reporter.

The historical figure at the center of the play is Lucy Ann/Joseph Israel Lobdell, aka The Female Hunter of Long Eddy, who lived in the Delaware River Valley in the mid 1800’s. During Lobdell’s well-documented years, colorful labels were attached to them in newspaper articles, histories, and medical records. Raised as a girl, Lobdell, by 30 years of age, clearly preferred to live their life as a man. Lobdell’s life speaks volumes to the cultural shifts that squeezed through so much religious and political turmoil during the nineteenth century. 

The story of Lobdell was meticulously researched by playwright Mimi McGurl, and the play captures the historical times while drawing parallels to contemporary socio-political arguments, how, nearly two centuries later. Lobdell’s life stands as a beacon of exactly how much more work still needs to be done for all of us to have the freedom to determine, for ourselves, our own gender identities and our own personal truths. 

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at www.farmartscollective.org. A limited number of Pay-What-You-Can tickets are available for each performance.