Theater

SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS: THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE A ONE-ACT PLAY Written and Performed by LuLu LoLo

SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS: THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE is a three character drama in which LuLu LoLo portrays the young seamstress Sara Saracino who shares drudgery and dreams with her little sister Tessie, unaware they are about to perish in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire; their Italian immigrant mother; and a young reporter William Gunn Shepherd who witnessed the fire and speaks of the infamous trail that acquitted the factory owners of any blame for the tragedy.

PERFORMANCE HISTORY

SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS (Scene II) This scene was first performed as part of LuLu LoLo Takes Her Hat Off To The Fair Sex—Unfair Victims on June 21, 2001 at the Tenement Theater, NY as part of the Immigrants’ Theatre Project Series: “American Dreams, New Plays about New York City and The Immigrant Experience”, Marcy Arlin Artistic Director, in conjunction with the Lower East Side Tenement Museum.

Due to popular demand—The Immigrants Theatre Project & Lower East Side Tenement Museum presented LuLu LoLo Takes Her Hat Off To The Fair Sex—Unfair Victims, March 21-25, 2002 at the Tenement Theater, NY

Hailed by Critic Arlene McKanic of the Greenwich Village Gazette as “Funny…Heartbreaking…Poignant…Thought Provoking Theater…” July 9, 2001

SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS: THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE was first performed March 19 & 20, 2005 at the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum to commemorate the 94th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and in Honor of Women’s History Month. The performance was sponsored by a grant made possible by New York State Senator Serphin Maltese, a descendant of Triangle Factory victims.

On October 19, 2005, SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS: THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE was performed at Casa Italiana Zerrilli-Marimò at NYU in celebration of Italian Heritage and Culture Month for The National Organization of Italian American Women in collaboration with Casa Italiana Zerrilli-Marimò.

On March 5, 2007, SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS: THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE was presented by the Center of Italian Studies in collaboration with Women’s Studies Program, Center for Study of Working Class Life, and Department of History at Stony Brook University, NY

On March 21, 2007, SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS: THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE was performed as part of the “Day of Dialogue” at Hofstra University, NY

On March 25, 2007, a short excerpt from SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS: THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE was performed for Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito’s State of the District Address at Low Library, Columbia University.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE

LuLu LoLo was born, raised, and still lives in East Harlem, just three city blocks away from where the Saracino sisters lived. When LuLu first wrote the factory scene she selected the Saracino sisters to portray without knowing that they had lived in East Harlem. It wasn’t until years later when LuLu read the list of victim’s addresses in David Von Drehle’s book, “Triangle The Fire That Changed America” did she learn that the Saracino sisters had grown up in her neighborhood.

 

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