"Yours for Humanity - Abby" Fall 2014 Update

ACCOLADE received after a January 15, 2014, performance at Abby's House:
As a board member of Thoreau Farm, the birth house of Henry David Thoreau, I've seen many an historic re-enactor at work. While most of them are fine historians, very few have developed acting ability. The difference in power and engagement brought about by Ms. McKenney Lydick's obvious acting talent and experience makes an enormous difference in both the experience of the performance as well as the staying power of what has been learned. I was moved and changed by what I saw in Yours for Humanity—Abby.

Abby Travels to Florida, New York

On September 18, 2014, Lynne performed for a fundraising event for the William H. Seward Home-stead Restoration Project in Florida, New York, and performed the next morning at the Warwick Valley Middle School, Warwick, New York.

WWHP & Emily Dickinson meet in Podcast

by Kayla Haveles, WWHP Steering Committee member

This past spring, WWHP Steering Committee member and American Antiquarian Society (AAS) outreach coordinator Kayla Haveles and Worcester Historical Museum (WHM) librarian Robyn Conroy took a trip to the Emily Dickinson Museum to record a podcast about the digitization of the Abby Kelley Foster Papers held at both AAS and WHM. The conversation covered not only the online availability of the papers (gigi.mwa.org/res/sites/AKFoster), but also information about Abby’s life, WWHP, and the success of Yours for Humanity—Abby. The podcast will be part of a series about current cultural projects relevant to Emily’s world and times. The podcast is not yet available online, but keep an eye on the Emily Dickinson Museum’s website (www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org) and WWHP news for its posting soon.

All Things Abby

In her reincarnation of Abby Kelly Foster, Lynne McKenney Lydick not only brings to light the out-standing accomplishments of one of America's first and finest abolitionists and social reformers, but helps audience members connect to her character on an emotional level. After watching her performance, the only questions I was left with were why haven't more people heard of Abby Kelly Foster? And how can we keep her spirit alive?

Join the All Things Abby Committee to do just that. Committee members will work in spreading Abby’s message and her spirit by identifying and contacting organizations, schools, colleges and any other group which may be interested in booking a performance. Won’t you join us? For more information, please con-tact Nancy at wwhp.office@gmail.com or call and leave a message at (508) 767-1852.

BOOK the Play
Yours for Humanity—Abby is a program of the Worcester Women’s History Project and co-authored by WWHP members Carolyn Howe and Karen Board Moran. This inspiring one-woman play based on the letters and speeches of Abby Kelley Foster premiered in January of 2004.

Travel back to 1854 and enter Abby’s world—a tumultuous time when social and political differences divided our country. Hear Abby’s emotionally powerful orations against slavery and prejudice, which changed the hearts and minds of many. See how one person can effect extraordinary changes in society by sheer determination, perseverance, and hard work.

To book the play, call 508-767-1852 or email info@wwhp.org. The play can be adapted to any setting. It is designed for ages 5 to 100. A question and answer period follows the play. For school bookings, a curriculum packet aligned with the Massachusetts History and Social Studies Frameworks is available at www.wwhp.org.