“If you hold your hand closed, nothing good can come in. The open hand is blessed, for it gives in abundance, even as it receives.”
–Bridget “Biddy” Mason
Tonight, March 7, at 7pm, a one-night only performance of Biddy Mason: A Staged Reading will be presented at the Autry Theatre. Directed and choreographed by Annie Loui, and based on a story by Dana Johnson, Biddy Mason is presented by The Autry Theatre, CounterBalance Theater, Ebony Repertory Theatre, and the Fountain Theatre. The 90-minute reading blends video projection, music, song, movement and dramatic storytelling to bring to life the powerful and inspiring true story of an extraordinary woman.
Bridget “Biddy” Mason was born an enslaved female in 1818. Her exact birthdate and birthplace are unknown. As a teenager she was taught domestic and agricultural skills, and learned herbal medicine and midwifery from other enslaved women. At some point she was purchased by a Mississippi Morman convert named Robert Smith who moved his family and enslaved persons to the area that would become Salt Lake City. Along the long journey there, Biddy herded livestock, cooked the meals and acted as a midwife—all this while caring for her newborn child and her two young children, aged 4 and 10
In 1856, Smith decided to move again—this time to the slave state of Texas, where he planned to sell his enslaved people. Mason shared her fears of being separated from her children and never gaining her freedom to a couple of free black men. They, and others, helped her, and in 1856 Judge Benjamin Ignatius Hayes granted Mason and her family freedom.
In her new life, Biddy Mason worked as a nurse and midwife. At one point she cared for those afflicted with smallpox during the 1862 epidemic in Los Angeles. She saved her earnings and became one of the first Black women to own land in LA. She became a prosperous woman, and shared her good fortune with charities, fed the poor, and visited prisoners. She founded a traveler’s aid center, a school and day care for Black children, and the first elementary school for Black children in LA. She was also a founding member of the First AME Church of Los Angeles, and donated the land the church was built upon. Eventually she became to the community known simply as Grandma Mason.
Biddy Mason died on January 15, 1891 and was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Boyle Heights in an unmarked grave. Ninety-seven years later, her burial place was finally marked with a gravestone. She is remembered through the Biddy Mason monument in downtown Los Angeles, and her legacy lives on in the City of Angels.
The cast of Biddy Mason, pictured above, includes, from the top: Mary Hill as Biddy Mason; Leslie Lank as Mrs. Smith, Young Bandit, and Others; Kayla Quiroz as Latina Mother, Schoolteacher, Rita and Others. Bottom row: Garrett Gray as Charlie, Jeremiah and Others; April Mae Davis as the Voice of the Future, Ellen, Dana and Others; Alexander Quinones as Pio Pico, Dr. Griffin and Others; Abel Garcia as Master Smith, Judge Hayes, O’Malley and Others.
The Autry
4700 Western Heritage Way
Los Angeles, CA 90027-1462
T: 323.667.2000
The Autry is located across from the L.A. Zoo at the junction of the I-5 and 134 freeways.
Go Metro
Take the Metro Local Line 96 to the Autry stop (if headed north/from Union Station) or to the L.A. Zoo stop (if headed south/from Burbank). Plan your best route using the Trip Planner on metro.net.
Parking
Parking is always free at 4700 Western Heritage Way, directly in front of the Autry. Overflow parking is available across from the Autry in the L.A. Zoo lot for $8-10.
Tickets
Tickets are $5 for Autry Members, $10 for the General Public. Reservations required.
PLEASE NOTE: Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for an opportunity to visit the latest Autry Museum exhibitions and purchase food. Reading followed by a conversation with the creative team.
Another unforgettable afternoon at the Fountain Theatre. Thirty students from Ramona Elementary School around the corner on Mariposa Street walked over to the Fountain Theatre Friday morning for a special visit that included a lesson on Native American storytelling and the making their own colorful animal masks.
