JUN 17 – AUG 11, 2019
At the Old State House
The names you never knew. The stories you’ll never forget.
The original play Cato & Dolly offers a glimpse of everyday life inside the Hancock House through the eyes of those who lived there: Cato Hancock, an enslaved man serving the Hancock household, and Dolly Hancock, John Hancock’s wife and First Lady of Massachusetts.
Blood on the Snow playwright Patrick Gabridge gives life to the Revolutionary-era figures whose lives intersected at the famous Hancock House. Two actors take on eight real-life characters in a compelling drama that spans over 50 years, staged before the preserved front door of the iconic 18th-century mansion on display at the Old State House.
Unlock the forgotten stories of the past and step over the threshold of history to experience the lives of those who witnessed the dawn of American Independence.
Cato & Dolly is presented in partnership with Plays in Place, a group of theatre professionals working with cultural institutions to make site-specific theatrical experiences. Gabridge’s powerful site-specific play at the Old State House, Blood On The Snow, had sold-out runs in 2016 and 2017 and was called “electric and alive” by WGBH’s Jared Bowen. This production was made possible in part by the support of the New England Women’s Club.
Recent Online Events
- VIDEO | Grief, Remembrance, Justice
An exploration of how our memories of the legendary Boston activist Melnea Cass can help us channel grief into a call for lasting change.Read more → - VIDEO | Attucks and the Birth of a Nation
JAN 27: How William Monroe Trotter, a prominent Black Boston activist, protested the white nationalist film by invoking the memory of Crispus Attucks.Read more → - VIDEO | Difficult Transitions
JAN 13: A lively panel discussion with leading historians exploring some of the most tenuous moments in executive power in our nation’s history.Read more → - VIDEO | Tea Party Tonight! Episode 1
EPISODE 1: Marking the 247th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party with guests William Fowler, Ben Carp, and Chernoh Sesay, games including Boston Nice, Past & Presents, and a drink you’ll absolutely flip for.Read more → - VIDEO | Looking for Miss Phillis
VIDEO: Poet, essayist and novelist Honorée Fanonne Jeffers will discusses her journey to write a book of poetry on the life and times of Phillis Wheatley Peters.Read more → - VIDEO | Monumental Attucks
NOV 10: African American leaders in late 19th century Boston fought to create a lasting monument to Crispus Attucks on Boston Common.Read more → - Writing Plays of the Past and Future
Playwrights discuss their plays in the Huntington’s Dream Boston series, what it means to make art during a pandemic, and the role that history and art play in processing current events.Read more → - VIDEO | Demanding Freedom: Attucks and the Abolition Movement
19th presented Attucks as the first martyr of the Revolution who died fighting for liberty, an image that resonated powerfully with those seeking emancipation for African Americans.Read more → - Video | Imagining Attucks
Explores how Attucks has been interpreted through the years and grapples with the challenges that come with bringing Attucks to life.Read more →