Sister Girl
Broom Street Theater 1119 Williamson St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Taylor Kokinos
Mary Elizabeth Bowser (Shaniqua Nikko Murphy), Elizabeth Van Lew (Heather Renken) and Sheriff Butler (Allen Jeannette) in a scene from "Sister Girl," a Broom Street Theater production.
A thrilling historical play just in time for Juneteenth — the celebration of the end of slavery. Written by Prudence Wright Holmes and directed by Janine Gardner, this Civil War-era production tells the story of Mary Elizabeth Bowser, a freed black woman who returned to slavery in order to spy on Jefferson Davis. Featuring a daring plot of espionage and unfathomable courage, this play is definitely something not to miss.
press release: Broom Street Theater is proud to present Sister Girl, written by Prudence Wright Holmes and directed by Janine Gardner.
Sister Girl tells the true story of Mary Elizabeth Bowser, a free black woman during the Civil War who returned to slavery in order to become a spy in Jefferson Davis' Confederate White House.
As director Janine Gardner said, "“I chose to direct this production to further black representation in the Madison Theater Community. I believe that Sister Girl in particular needed a black woman’s perspective in order to fully capture Mary Elizabeth Bowser’s strength and sacrifice on her journey from slave to spy during that tumultuous time.”
Playwright Prudence Wright Holmes hails from New York City. In addition to being an accomplished playwright, she boasts an impressive acting resume, having appeared in featured roles in the films Sister Act I and II, Kingpin, In Dreams, and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, among many others.Her television appearances include Boardwalk Empire and Orange is the New Black. On Broadway, she appeared in Happy End with Meryl Streep, Lettice and Lovage with Maggie Smith and Inherit the Wind with George C. Scott and has appeared in numerous off-Broadway shows including the original casts of Godspell and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You.
As part of our 50th Anniversary Jubilee, all walk-up tickets are Pay-What-You-Can. Reserved seats can be purchased for $22 at www.bstonline.org.
The cast includes Shaniqua Nikko Murphy as Mary Elizabeth Bowser; former Broom Street Artistic Director Heather Renken as her confidante, the spy Elizabeth Van Lew; Brent Holmes and Clarice Lafayette play Jefferson and Varina Davis. The cast also includes Joshua Biaatch, Jacob Bortell, and Allen Jeannette.
Sister Girl features disturbing scenes of sexual violence.
Sister Girl opens June 14th and runs through July 6th (no show July 4th). Performances are at 8pm, Thursday-Saturday.
Broom Street Theater, founded in 1969, is proud to announce that in celebration of our Fiftieth anniversary season, we are declaring a year of jubilee. Admission to all shows will be free in 2019.
Artistic Director Doug Reed said, "Broom Street has always been about breaking down barriers and making the theater accessible. Storytelling is humankind’s oldest art form and live theater belongs to everyone. In that spirit, we're getting rid of the gatekeeper. If there’s naught in your pockets but some lint and an old Jolly Rancher - come on in and see the show!"
It's been our joy and privilege to bring locally-grown original theater to Madison for the last 50 years, and we look forward to the next 50.
Reed did add a few caveats, "Should you choose to contribute, we’ll still pass a basket before every show, and we'll still make the tired old joke about going to church. We may sell a very few capitalist premium seats per show. Plus, there is a PayPal button on our website."
Broom Street Theater is a non-profit, member-controlled theater located in Madison, Wisconsin. BST volunteers and staff foster artistic freedom, growth, and expression through non-traditional experimental and/or original artistic forms.