Marie Antoinette’s biggest crime was being born to a family of wealth and privilege during a time of political upheaval. She was executed by guillotine.
A determined Charlotte Corday assassinated the man she believed was dividing the country: journalist Jean-Paul Marat. Her penalty? She was executed by guillotine. Playwright Olympe de Gouges was both an early feminist and abolitionist. For her efforts, she was executed. Though there is no evidence the lives of these notable women intersected,they do in the play “The Revolutionist.”
Playwright Lauren Gunderson plays fast and loose with history as she interweaves moments from the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror with topics that still trouble modern day society. “The Revolutionists” is on stage at the Raleigh Little Theatre from Sept. 28 until Oct. 14.
Host Frank Stasio is joined by the play’s director Amy White, a professor of theatre and musical theatre at William Peace University. Actors Melanie Simmons and Liz Webb join her in studio to perform live scenes from the play
This program originally aired on September 27, 2018.