‘The Return of Benjamin Lay’ gives big props to one of history’s Little People

Maybe it ll be different when The Return of Benjamin Lay opens here in May but actor Mark Povinelli has his theories about why it s been such an uphill battle for his one-man show to get the recognition it deserved in London and New York And his theory boils down to size his size Povinelli is feet inches tall What are the images that we ve seen over centuries of Little People he disclosed using the accepted term for people with dwarfism The media portrayal the general society s perception is of a munchkin an elf an Oompa Loompa And you can look back farther We were in the freak shows carnival shows We were used as entertainment but for nothing but our physical stature to be made fun of to be infantilized The Return of Benjamin Lay opens May at Quintessence Theatre Group s Sedgwick Theater in Mount Airy The story has a unique connection to Philly history This is definitely a Philadelphia story stated University of Pittsburgh historian Marcus Rediker who wrote a biography of Benjamin Lay and collaborated with playwright Naomi Wallace to pen the play Everybody knew him Everybody talked about him Not everybody liked him This story is going to be hard for Quakers Rediker noted because they like to believe they were unfailingly against slavery But in well over a century before the Civil War erupted over slavery more than percent of Philadelphia s Quakers enslaved people Rediker revealed drawing on research he used in his book The Fearless Benjamin Lay The Quaker Dwarf Who Became The First Revolutionary Abolitionist Lay s relentless anti-slavery activism mainly directed at the wealthiest Quakers got him booted out of four Quaker congregations two in Great Britain and two here the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting which is an organizing group of smaller local meetings and the Abington Monthly Meeting in Montgomery County Actor Mark Povinelli stars in the one-man show celebrating the life and activism of th century quaker abolitionist and Philadelphian Benjamin Lay Photo courtesy of Robert Boulton In between rehearsals Povinelli plans to visit the historical locations which he s never seen as part of a documentary being made about him and the legacy of Benjamin Lay Lay s most of famous activism definitely happened in New Jersey at the Burlington Meeting House where the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting was holding its annual gathering He practiced what we call guerrilla theater in that he acted his ideas out in general to dramatize them Rediker revealed Quaker worship is generally quiet with attendees meditating in silence until they are moved to speak Lay was more than moved He went to the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and he dressed as a soldier Rediker declared He strapped a sword to his belt and then took an animal bladder and filled it with pokeberry juice and hid it in a book He wore an overcoat over all of it He situated himself near the wealthy Quakers who were slaveowners and at a certain point he stood up and cast off the overcoat Quakers were committed pacifists and here he was in a military uniform Rediker disclosed Lay recounted them that God will take vengeance on those who enslave their fellow creatures He runs his sword through the book and then he sprinkles the blood on slaveowners so everyone can identify them Rediker stated To prepare Povinelli who grew up as a Catholic and served as an altar boy attended a Quaker meeting in California where he lives It s such a meditative and soothing communal and religious experience he stated I sat there listening and trying to fit in Nobody had spoken yet What would it be like if I stood up and started saying lines in the play How wildly inappropriate it would feel How raw it would feel When you think about what Ben did how wild and uncomfortable it would be It would be something you would never forget Povinelli revealed Lay who lived a back-to-nature lifestyle in a cave near the Abington Meeting House became a hero to Quaker abolitionists Rediker explained Over the last decade both the Abington and Philadelphia Yearly meetings voted to embrace his legacy They couldn t officially reinstate him since he could not be demanded if he would accept the reinstatement Povinelli believes that Lay s size gave him a tremendous amount of empathy for other marginalized people including enslaved people Benjamin in his writings didn t spend much time talking about his size or his physical condition Povinelli revealed Based on experience and historical fact there is no doubt that he faced a great deal of persecution and belittling and infantilism Actor Mark Povinelli stars in the one-man show celebrating the life and activism of th century quaker abolitionist and Philadelphian Benjamin Lay Photo courtesy of Robert Boulton Povinelli a past president of Little People of America an advocacy group reported he would not have been interested in the play if it were purely about a Little Person and not an outsized dynamic historical figure like Benjamin Lay This person and me portraying this person is as compelling as any one-man show that you ve seen Povinelli stated My size is a contributing positive factor It s something you are not used to seeing and it s captivating but you realize how not critical it is at the same time Producing the play posed challenges to the Quintessence gang as it worked to make its home theater the Sedgwick a former movie palace accessible to Povinelli and to Little People in the audience Carol Flannery Quintessence s marketing and communications director headed the effort The theater sent photos of the entire space including the lobby bathrooms and bar to a consulting group The first suggestion was for theater personnel to evaluate surroundings by getting on their knees and seeing what they could reach with their elbows Typically the torsos of Little People are of average size but their legs and arms are shorter High tops in the lobby where patrons gather for pre- and post-show drinks will be put in storage replaced by lower tables The theater will buy a dozen footstools and put them everywhere including the bathrooms Ushers will be stationed at the bar able to hand drinks to patrons if necessary There will be a special affinity night for Little People on May It s so fascinating and eye-opening Flannery announced We longed to make the theater physically welcoming for guests and for Mark Up next for Quintessence is Giovanni s Room a world premiere of a play based on James Baldwin s groundbreaking novel about a man s discovery of Paris queer public and his own sexuality Quintessence was granted permission by the Baldwin estate the first such permission given to present the play adapted for the stage by Benjamin Sprunger and Paul Oakley Stovall It runs May through June FYI The Return of Benjamin Lay May - Quintessence Theatre Group Sedgwick Theater Germantown Ave Mt Airy - - The post The Return of Benjamin Lay gives big props to one of history s Little People appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY