Photo by Luis Escobar, Reflections Photography Studio
Powerful and moving, The Agitators is a compelling drama about the enduring friendship between Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. PCPA brings these iconic American figures to life in Santa Maria at the Marian Theatre August 22-25 and at the Solvang Festival Theater August 29-September 8.
Cordell Cole plays Douglass and Polly Firestone Walker plays Anthony. They are young abolitionists, full of dreams and seemingly common purpose when they meet in Rochester, New York in the 1840s and form an unexpected friendship. Mat Smart’s historical play of rebellion and revolution, personal passion and sacrifice, reverberates powerfully in the America of today.
“Good stories engage my interest, arouse my feelings, and agitate my thinking,” director Mark Booher says. “This play inspires curiosity in me . . . Still, it’s intrinsically difficult to do a play about real people, that treats upon real events, but that is not a documentary of their lives.
“This play is not a historical document,” Booher contends. “It is an exploration of the ally-ship and adversarial tension of people trying to make change in the world—the human side of it.”
The creative team includes Booher, costume designer Skyla Robison, lighting designer Amber Whatley, scenic designer Jason Bolen, sound designer Nat Houle, and stage manager Lolly Tolan.