The pre-Revolutionary structures that stand today in Downtown Boston and the collections they house have an immeasurable influence on how we view the American Origin Story. But whose story is being told in these objects? And whose stories do we leave behind?  What barriers do we create by choosing one story over another? And what doors are yet to be opened?

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For the first time in decades, the front door of the Hancock Mansion will be displayed to the public, newly set in a meticulous recreation of its original surrounding entryway. Experience an all-new 20-minute play which offers a glimpse of everyday life behind the Hancock door through the eyes of those who lived there: Cato Hancock, an enslaved man in the Hancock household and Dolly Hancock, John Hancock's wife and First Lady of Massachusetts.

 

Cato & Dolly, playwright Patrick Gabridge gives life to Cato and Dolly Hancock, as well as other Revolutionary-era figures whose lives intersected at the famous Hancock House over the course of 50 years from 1764-1816. The play follows these real-life individuals through some of early America’s most pivotal events, giving new perspective to the American narrative. Two actors will inhabit the show’s multiple characters, taking us over the threshold into never-before-seen drama unfolding behind the door.

 

 

July - September 2018