Eleanor Roosevelt focus of one-woman show
Eleanor Roosevelt’s story is brought to life in a onewoman show titled “Across a Barrier of Fear,” starring Jane Van Boskirk. It will be performed Sunday, March 4, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, 4079 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park.
The play follows Eleanor Roosevelt from her lonely childhood to the world stage, tracing her growing awareness of the world as she sees beyond the aristocratic society into which she was born and launches her into a lifetime of public service.
Through her eyes, audience members will witness the growth of her family, the political rise of Franklin D. Roosevelt and experience the trauma of his crippling polio and the struggle to nurse him back to health, enabling him to continue his political career. With her husband in the White House, Eleanor Roosevelt reinvents the role of first lady becoming her husband’s eyes and ears, revealing her as a liberal icon and crusader for human rights. Finally, she overcomes the death of her husband in 1945 to head the U.N.’s Human Rights Commission and lead the crafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Throughout the play, see how Eleanor Roosevelt learned to articulate her values and vision, how she kept moving forward despite disappointments and how she built up her courage while facing daily “a barrier of fear.”
There will be an audience discussion with Van Boskirk afterward.
Admission is $15. Visit bit. ly/2EQfEvg to purchase tickets. Call (845) 229-5320 for more information.