Frances Perkins: A Woman's Work - a one woman play

Saturday, April 5, 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm
Ashfield Congregational Church, 429 Main Street, Route 116, Ashfield MA 01330

Frances Perkins: A Woman’s Work. This one woman play about Frances Perkins will be performed at Ashfield Congregational church for three performances only: Sat. April 5 (2 p.m. and 7 p.m.) and Fri. April 11 (2 p.m.). Tickets are available at the Ashfield Hardware Store or online through theticketing.co/e/frances-perkins. They will also be available at the Door. Reservations recommended. Tickets: $18, 25, $35

From 1933 to 1945, the first woman Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, crafted some of the most significant legislation of the New Deal Era. For those that think Social Security, child labor laws, minimum wage, the 40-hour work week, and policies focused on social justice have always been the work of men with ties, this presentation shows that all were crafted byone woman who wore pearls.

Jarice Hanson, Professor Emeritus of Communications at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a favorite actress in the Valley for many years, wrote and performs this living history embodiment of Frances Perkins. It runs 70 minutes which includes a 20-minute audience Q & A with Hanson answering “in character” as Perkins. She has performed this piece at over 30 different venues. Frances Perkins: A Woman’s Work will play for 3 performances as a fundraiser for Pauline Production’s and Devereux Production’s 2025 theatre collaborations. The two companies joined forces last spring to produce The Cemetery Club. You may recognize Hanson from that production as Lucille (the flirty one).