In her new children’s book “She Persisted,” Chelsea Clinton tells the story of 13 inspirational women in American history and in our contemporary times who never took no for answer.
Now, those women — including Harriet Tubman, Nellie Bly, Sonia Sotomayor and Oprah Winfrey — will become characters in a new musical presented by the Bay Area Children’s Theatre.
“She Persisted, the Musical,” is one of four new works being created for the Oakland-based theater’s 15th anniversary season. In the stage adaptation, Emani and Peter’s third-grade field trip to a museum turns into an adventure in time travel, during which they meet inspirational women overcoming barriers and making history.
The title of the former first daughter’s book was inspired by Senator Elizabeth Warren’s refusal to be silenced in the U.S. Senate in 2017. The book focuses on women who have shaped the United States because they “persisted” — sometimes through speaking out, sometimes by staying seated and sometimes by captivating an audience.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the riveting stories of these heroines to life on stage,” said BACT Executive Artistic Director Nina Meehan. “Young audiences need examples of women who set high goals for themselves and persevere in achieving them.”
For the production, BACT will work with composer Deborah Wicks La Puma and Emmy Award-winning screen and TV writer Adam Tobin.
“She Persisted, the Musical,” will be open at BACT’s Berkeley Theatre Center Feb. 2, 2019. The show then moves to San Francisco and Sunnyvale after its run at the Berkeley venue.
Other BACT main stage productions for the 2018-2019 season are: “The Cat in the Hat/El Gato Ensombrerado,” a bilingual stage version of Dr. Seuss’s classic tale; “Gold: The Midas Musical,” with book, lyrics and music by Min Kahng; and “Press Here, the Musical,” with book, music and lyrics by Austin Zumbro.
